Scaffolding
PremiumHow to manage scaffolding for your extension: checking it's in the builder's quote, typical hire costs (£1,200–2,500), highway licences, neighbour access rights, and the pre-removal inspection that prevents expensive re-work.
Your builder's quote probably doesn't mention scaffolding. Not as a line item. Not as a note. Not at all.
This catches homeowners off guard because scaffolding feels like part of "building the walls." It isn't. Scaffolding is a separate hire, arranged with a separate company, on a separate contract. Your builder might organise it, or they might expect you to. Either way, the cost sits with you, and if nobody has discussed it before work starts, you'll find out when the bricklayer hits 2.4 metres and stops.
Scaffold goes up when your walls reach working height (around 2.4m). It must stay standing through roof structure and roof covering, and cannot come down until the BCO roof inspection is complete.
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