Do I really need scaffolding?

There is no escaping it: working at height on a roof is potentially dangerous.  No professional roofing contractor will want to put their staff at risk and will have obligations under Health and Safety legislation to make sure they don’t.

Almost all domestic roof work will need scaffolding.  This will mean (especially for a terraced house) scaffolding at the back and the front of the property.

The roofing contractor will probably make an initial inspection using ladders but will only actually work from them as a very last resort.

If just one localised area of the roof needs repair, then your contractor may use a tower scaffold or similar platform, but anything more than this will need scaffolding with edge protection to stop people or debris falling onto the street below.

It is quite common for a roofing specialist to subcontract the scaffolding to a different company, and the cost of the scaffolding will usually be itemised separately on your quote and bill.  However, the roofing contractor will manage the delivery and removal of scaffolding for you as part of the project and should also take precautions to make sure the scaffolding is secure at night.

Scaffolding is likely to be one of the most expensive parts of a re-roofing project: it may cost as much as one third of the total project price.  But if you balance this against the risk of one of the workman falling from the height of the roof it may be less difficult to swallow.