# Why is scaffolding so expensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464 "2024-06-29T00:27:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/1 "2024-06-29T00:27:37Z")
I’m planning to get the exterior of my house painted. I got several estimates; the best (both in cost and in professionalism) was about $13,000. That’s fine and in line with what I was expecting. They said they would give me a separate estimate for the scaffolding because they contract a separate company to put it up and take it down. Ok fine, I was thinking maybe another grand for the scaffolding. The scaffolding estimate came in at over $5000. WTH? Seems to me that spending a few hours to assemble and dismantle scaffolding shouldn’t cost that much. Is there something I don’t understand about scaffolding? Is it a front for organized crime or something? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/2 "2024-06-29T01:30:27Z")
I could only find a few prices, or discussions of prices, online, but they were all over the place. Anything from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. You might want to try calling some scaffolding rental places or general contractors yourself and getting quotes. Make sure the quotes from rental places include transportation/assembly/disassembly. If they don’t assemble/disable, see if they can recommend someone that can take care of that part. I think you’ll find out A)it’s within reason of the prices you’re getting, even if the painter is making a few bucks on it for being responsible for that part of the job too B)It’s wildly incorrect. Like, you can get it done for under a grand or, and this is my guess C)You’ll get prices that suggest the painter is paying them ~$2500 and doubling it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/3 "2024-06-29T01:54:00Z")
Perhaps there’s something about the ground next to your house that makes it difficult to assemble scaffolding there? Or there’s another nearby project that’s using most of the available scaffolding? How about renting a scissors-lift vehicle instead? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/4 "2024-06-29T02:00:48Z")
The cost of liability insurance must contribute something to the cost. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/5 "2024-06-29T02:54:58Z")
Hm, the house _is_ on a slope. There’s maybe 15 to 20 feet elevation difference between the front and the back of the house. Perhaps that’s part of the expense. I don’t think it would be possible to drive a scissors lift on the sloped part of the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/6 "2024-06-29T02:56:41Z")
Was the quote provided blind or did they inspect the site before doing so? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/7 "2024-06-29T03:54:28Z")
Seems about right to me. That slope probably is difficult. Doesn’t take much to make those things wobbly. Anchoring is important. If the crew is large they may require more apparatus. Two story house and your problems are twice as much. (I’m assuming or ladders would work). Ask them. Why so much? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/8 "2024-06-29T04:28:06Z")
They inspected the house before the quote. It’s 2 stories in the back and 3 stories in the front, because of the slope. Yeah, maybe it’s starting to make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/9 "2024-06-29T05:51:22Z")
My Asshole Brother stole my scaffolding about 25 years ago. I’m _still_ pissed! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/10 "2024-06-29T08:38:19Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > You might want to try calling some scaffolding rental places or general contractors yourself and getting quotes. Make sure the quotes from rental places include transportation/assembly/disassembly. If they don’t assemble/disable, see if they can recommend someone that can take care of that part. I agree that this could be useful in terms of getting ballpark equivalents for the quoted price. However, I would not recommend trying to go ahead with an alternative scaffolding service if you find a much lower quote. It’s been decades since I did any house work (my stepfather was a general contractor and I spent years as one of his fill-in laborers), but back in the day, we would be _extremely_ reluctant to do anything using safety equipment we hadn’t set up ourselves, or at the very least supervised. If I were that house painter, I wouldn’t want to spend a single second working on scaffolding I didn’t know firsthand would keep me safe. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/11 "2024-06-29T11:26:51Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > we would be _extremely_ reluctant to do anything using safety equipment we hadn’t set up ourselves, or at the very least supervised. If I were that house painter, I wouldn’t want to spend a single second working on scaffolding I didn’t know firsthand would keep me safe. The painting company isn’t doing the assembly/disassembly themselves. What difference does it make, at least in terms of safety, if the painting company hires the rental place or the OP does? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/12 "2024-06-29T12:10:40Z")
If the painting company is responsible for subcontracting the installation of the scaffolding, they presumably have chosen a company they trust. This is what I meant by “supervised” in my post — my stepfather as the general contractor had oversight responsibility, and would not hire an installer unless they met his standards for safety and quality. On the other hand, if the homeowner says “nah, that’s too expensive” and we show up on the job site and the scaffolding has been put up by someone we know nothing about beyond the fact that the homeowner paid them the least possible amount, how can we reasonably trust it? I can’t speak for the painting company; maybe they’d be okay with this arrangement. But from my own personal experience (decades ago, but still), I wouldn’t count on it. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/13 "2024-06-29T12:56:09Z")
I’ll add two comments: First, in my experience, it’s not at all unusual to have a contract where the contractor must limit their mark-up of subcontractor work to some percentage. It’s basically a “pass-thru” expense and they are entitled to a reasonable, but not excessive, profit on it. A 100% mark-up for subcontract work is not, IMHO, reasonable. Second, in my state, certain contractors (e.g., electrical contractors) can act as a general contractor for other subcontractors only if the subcontractor work does not exceed 25% of the total contract value. In other words, if I were an electrical contractor and I needed $5K worth of scaffolding on a $13K electrical project, I would have to have the owner contract for the scaffolding directly (or through a third-party general contractor). It could not be incorporated into my contract for the project. Same thing applies if I needed a sub to dig a $5K trench for the project. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/14 "2024-06-29T13:39:56Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > My Asshole Brother stole my scaffolding about 25 years ago. I’m _still_ pissed! A guy I know had his own scaffolding. I helped him assemble it one weekend. The following weekend he prepped his house for painting. The next weekend he went to Montgomery Wards (this was years ago) and bought their best paint sprayer. He worked like a madman painting his house, then returned the sprayer to MW, saying he needed something better. It was their top of the line, so they did a refund, Maybe this guy is your bro! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/15 "2024-06-29T15:06:07Z")
[quote=“Cervaise, post:12, topic:1003464”] If the painting company is responsible for subcontracting the installation of the scaffolding, they presumably have chosen a company they trust. This is what I meant by “supervised” in my post[/quote] I don’t want to go back and forth on this, but the painting company is still able to supervise it being assembled if they so choose. They could even decline to do the job if it’s not up to their standards or done by a company they don’t trust. OP could even call the same company the painters use so that the only difference here is who’s writing the check. Either the painting company hires Scaffolding USA LLC and charges OP $5k or OP hires Scaffolding USA LLC and pays them directly. But, like you noted, the main point of my comment was that the OP could make some calls just to make sure the quoted number is reasonable. Might be, might not be. > [@Cervaise](#): > > my stepfather as the general contractor had oversight responsibility, and would not hire an installer unless they met his standards for safety and quality. Would your stepfather expect that painters he hired would walk off a job if they had to use scaffolding that they didn’t supervise the assembly of? Maybe it’s common in that industry for each trade to bring their own scaffolding, but that sounds too expensive to be worth it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/16 "2024-06-29T15:25:30Z")
Scaffolding can be pretty complex. It’s a huge Erector set. I’ve seen modern scaffolding that uses electronic sensors. It beeps if a worker gets too close to the edge. It still also had safety rails. Have the contractor show proof of insurance. Just in case anyone takes a fall. That shouldn’t happen with scaffolding and safety rails. But it’s best to have insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/17 "2024-06-29T16:24:54Z")
So I’m going to be a contrarian and say that unless you are doing extensive renovation there is zero reason to scaffold an entire house. Is it nice to do so? Sure. Does it increase the profit for the painter? Definitely. Ladders are traditional for painters, although now you do need fall protection. For $5k you could **buy** a [pump jack](https://www.wernerco.com/us/products/specialty-products/pump-jacks?page=1#pf-filters=spec:cat/Pump%20Jacks) system that would be entirely adequate. Rental would be (WAG) about $100/day. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/18 "2024-06-29T16:29:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > The painting company isn’t doing the assembly/disassembly themselves. What difference does it make, at least in terms of safety, if the painting company hires the rental place or the OP does? The end product might not be the same. The homeowner might hire a cheapo scaffolding service to save some money, but the resulting scaffolding might not be as secure. The cheapo company will likely have workers with less skill who make more mistakes. The painting company will likely prefer to have the scaffolding set up by a company who they can trust to put it up the right way that’s the most secure. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/19 "2024-06-29T16:30:20Z")
Even for a house on a slope as I described? Every painter I talked to (both this time and when it was last painted about 15 years ago) said ladders would be unsafe because of the slope. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464/20 "2024-06-29T17:04:30Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > The end product might not be the same. The homeowner might hire a cheapo scaffolding service to save some money, but the resulting scaffolding might not be as secure. The cheapo company will likely have workers with less skill who make more mistakes. The painting company will likely prefer to have the scaffolding set up by a company who they can trust to put it up the right way that’s the most secure. I’ll quote my previous post: > I don’t want to go back and forth on this, but the painting company is still able to supervise it being assembled if they so choose. They could even decline to do the job if it’s not up to their standards or done by a company they don’t trust. OP could even call the same company the painters use so that the only difference here is who’s writing the check. Either the painting company hires Scaffolding USA LLC and charges OP $5k or OP hires Scaffolding USA LLC and pays them directly. > But, like you noted, the main point of my comment was that the OP could make some calls just to make sure the quoted number is reasonable. Might be, might not be. > [@markn\_1](#): > > Every painter I talked to (both this time and when it was last painted about 15 years ago) said ladders would be unsafe because of the slope. How much did you pay for scaffolding last time? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-scaffolding-so-expensive/1003464.md?page=2)