Frequently asked questions

• What types of scaffolding do you offer?

  Domestic, commercial and industrial scaffolding, temporary roofing, HAKI system scaffolding and staircases, cladding and sheeting, specialist access and restoration work on period and listed buildings. Every job is surveyed, designed, erected, inspected and dismantled by the same team.

  Services

• Do you work on residential properties?

  Yes — domestic work is a large part of what we do. Roof repairs and re-roofs, chimney works, rendering and pointing, loft conversions, solar installations and extensions all get the same survey and the same written price. No job is too small, and we will coordinate with your builder or roofer so the scaffold suits their programme rather than ours.

  Services

• Do you provide scaffolding for commercial buildings?

  Yes. Shops, offices, schools, warehouses, factories and new-build sites. Commercial access is planned around trading hours, pedestrian routes and the other trades on site, including out-of-hours erection where a building has to keep operating. CHAS accreditation, Constructionline Gold and Once For All registration cover the pre-qualification most main contractors ask for.

  Services

• What is a temporary roof, and when is one needed?

  A temporary roof is a weatherproof cover built over the whole structure so work can continue underneath it whatever the weather does. It is used for re-roofs, loft conversions, listed roof works and emergency repairs after fire or flood damage. It keeps the building dry while the permanent covering is off, which protects the ceilings, plaster and floors below as well as the programme.

  Services

• How do you make sure the scaffolding is safe?

  Scaffolds are erected in line with current health and safety guidance, including TG20:21 and SG4. Every structure is designed for the loading the work actually needs, tied and braced accordingly, and handed over with a scaffold tag once it has been inspected. Statutory inspections continue every seven days throughout the hire and after any event that could affect stability, such as severe weather or an alteration.

  Safety

• Are your scaffolders trained and insured?

  Yes. The team is trained and card-carrying for the work being carried out, and the company holds public liability and employers’ liability insurance. Certificates and insurance details can be issued for your records before work starts — main contractors and managing agents usually ask, and it is no trouble to supply.

  Safety

• What should I look for on a finished scaffold?

  A full, close-boarded working lift with no gaps; a top guard rail with an intermediate rail below it; toe boards along the platform edge; ties fixing the structure back to the building; and a current scaffold tag at the access point. If any of those are missing or the tag is out of date, ask the contractor before anyone works from it.

  Safety

• Do I need a permit or licence?

  If the scaffold stands on or over public land — a pavement, a verge or a road — the local authority requires a licence. We apply for it, deal with the council and build to whatever conditions they attach, such as lighting, hoarding or a protected pedestrian route. If the scaffold sits entirely on private property, no licence is normally needed. We will tell you which applies at the survey.

  Practicalities

• How long does it take to put up?

  Most domestic scaffolds go up in a day, and many in a few hours. Larger commercial structures, temporary roofs and anything requiring a bespoke design take longer, and phased jobs are erected in sections to suit the programme. You get a date at the point of quoting, and the crew arrives on it.

  Practicalities

• Can you work alongside our other trades?

  Yes, and it is usually better if we do. Talking to your roofer, renderer or principal contractor before the design is fixed means the lifts land at the right heights, the loading bays go where the materials are going, and nobody is asking for an alteration halfway through.

  Practicalities

• Can you come out at short notice?

  Where the diary allows, yes — short-notice and emergency work is common after storm or fire damage, and a temporary roof can be the fastest way to make a building safe and dry. Call the office and we will tell you honestly what we can do and when, rather than promising a date we cannot hold.

  Practicalities

• Do you take the scaffolding away afterwards?

  Yes. Dismantle and removal are part of the quoted price, not an extra. Tell us the trades have finished and we will book the strike — the scaffold does not sit on your drive for a fortnight after the work is done.

  Practicalities

• How much does scaffolding cost?

  It depends on the size and height of the structure, how difficult the ground and access are, how long you need it, and whether a licence or a temporary roof is involved — which is why we survey before we price rather than quoting off a photograph. What you get back is a written price covering erection, the hire period and the dismantle, with no day-rate surprises once it is up.

  Pricing & hire

• How long can I keep it up for?

  The quote includes a hire period agreed up front, and it can be extended if the job overruns — just let us know before it expires. Long-term hire on commercial and industrial structures is arranged the same way, with the statutory inspections continuing throughout.

  Pricing & hire

• Is the survey really free?

  Yes, and it does not commit you to anything. Somebody comes out, looks at the building, the ground and the access, and prices the job properly. If you decide to go elsewhere, that is the end of it.

  Pricing & hire

• Why choose Alpine over another scaffolding company?

  Because the survey, the design, the erection and the strike are all handled by the same accredited team, and the price is written down before anything arrives on site. The company is CHAS accredited and rated 5.0 on Google — the reviews are on the site and worth reading before you decide.

  Pricing & hire