Last Updated on September 8, 2026
The published prices in this sector are not wrong so much as incomparable. Two credible UK guides can give a client figures three times apart for the same property because they are measuring different things and neither says so.
Everything below was read at source on 8 September 2026.
Scaffolding: the hire basis problem
Checkatrade, last updated February 2026:
| Item | Low | High | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-storey semi-detached house, per week | £650 | £1,100 | £875 |
| Single scaffolding up to 10m, per week | £550 | £700 | £625 |
| High level chimney scaffolding, per week | £500 | £820 | £660 |
| Bridge over conservatory, per week | £400 | £900 | £650 |
| Per square metre | £20 | £25 | £22.50 |
In a separate table on the same page, Checkatrade gives domestic fixed scaffolding per month: two-storey terraced £800, two-storey semi-detached £875, two-storey detached £1,200, three-storey semi £1,100. Note that £875 appears as both a weekly and a monthly figure for a two-storey semi.
MyBuilder, updated 21 August 2026, prices the job rather than the week:
| Item | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Per week, domestic standard | £300 to £900 |
| Bungalow, full wrap | £1,000 to £1,800 |
| Two-storey terraced or semi, full wrap | £1,500 to £2,600 |
| Two-storey detached, full wrap | £1,800 to £3,000 |
| Three-storey detached, full wrap | £3,000 to £4,000 plus |
| Minimum hire period | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Overrun charge | About 5 to 10 per cent of the original quote per extra week |
So the cost to scaffold a semi ranges from £875 to £2,600 across two credible published UK guides, depending entirely on what is being counted. MyBuilder at least states that most domestic quotes bundle erection, hire and dismantling into one price, which is the clearest sentence either publisher offers.
The practical consequence for you: state your basis before your number. Weekly or job, minimum period, overrun rate, and whether permits, netting and handrails are included. Checkatrade puts council permits at about £140 a month, safety netting at £5 per square metre per week and handrails at £15 per week each, so those are real line items a client may already have seen.
Loft conversions: £5,000 apart on the same job
| Type | Checkatrade, March 2026 | MyJobQuote, 10 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Dormer, average | £50,000 | £45,000 |
| Dormer, range | £40,000 to £60,000 | £30,000 to £60,000 |
| Velux or rooflight | £22,500 to £30,000, average £27,500 | not stated |
| Hip to gable | £50,000 to £70,000, average £60,000 | not stated |
| Mansard | £50,000 to £80,000, average £65,000 | not stated |
| Per square metre | £1,670 for a dormer | £1,150 to £1,700 |
| Timeline, dormer | 10 to 12 weeks | 6 to 8 weeks |
The averages are £5,000 apart and the timelines disagree by four weeks, which for a family living in the house is a bigger difference than the money.
MyJobQuote at least publishes a component breakdown for a dormer: structural work and shell £26,000, of which £14,000 material and £12,000 labour, stairs and access with fire doors £3,300, professional fees £4,500, building control £1,000, first fix electrics £3,200, plastering and boarding £3,800 and an en-suite at £4,500. A contractor publishing their own version of that table wins the comparison outright.
Groundworks: two different units
Checkatrade, last updated September 2026, prices house foundations largely per linear metre:
| Foundation type | Published |
|---|---|
| Strip, excavator | £95 to £115 per linear metre, average £105 |
| Strip, hand dig | £170 to £220 per linear metre, average £195 |
| Trench fill, excavator | £130 to £160 per linear metre, average £145 |
| Trench fill, hand dig | £220 to £280 per linear metre, average £250 |
| Raft foundations | £200 to £260 per square metre, average £230 |
| Concrete pump | £300 to £400 a day, average £350 |
| Labour | £200 to £250 a day, average £225 |
MyBuilder, updated 21 August 2026, prices slabs per square metre: a typical concrete slab at £65 to £85 per square metre, garage or industrial £60 to £140, reinforced £90 to £120, labour £15 to £50, ready-mix concrete £100 to £160 per cubic metre and sub-base at £6 to £16 per square metre installed.
Those two are not in conflict. They are not interchangeable either, and a client who has read one and is quoting it at a contractor working to the other is having a conversation that cannot resolve. Checkatrade’s own worked example is useful here: a typical three-bedroom home needs roughly 25 to 35 linear metres of foundation, giving roughly £2,600 to £8,750 before extras.
Party wall costs, because they land on your client
| Item | Checkatrade, June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | Average £200, range £90 to £450 |
| Party wall award, one surveyor | Around £1,000 |
| Loft conversion | £1,575 |
| Extension | £2,025 |
| Basement | £3,375 |
| Two surveyors | £1,800 to £5,400 |
Section 3 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 covers party structure notices and section 6 covers adjacent excavation and construction. Those are the two that bite on loft conversions and on groundworks near a neighbour’s foundations. The building owner carrying out the work typically pays, including the neighbour’s surveyor. A contractor who flags that at quote stage, rather than at week three, is the one who gets recommended.
What to publish
- Your hire basis, in the first sentence, before any number.
- Minimum hire period and the overrun rate.
- What is included: erection, hire, dismantling, permits, netting, handrails.
- One worked domestic job with the property type, the elevations, the duration and the total.
- For loft and groundworks, a component breakdown rather than a single figure.
- A dated prices-checked line, reviewed quarterly.
Common questions
How much does it cost to scaffold a house in the UK?
It depends entirely on the hire basis, and the published guides do not agree. Checkatrade publishes £875 for a two-storey semi, quoted as both a weekly and a monthly figure in different tables on the same page. MyBuilder publishes £1,500 to £2,600 as a full job for the same property type. Both were live on 8 September 2026.
How much is a dormer loft conversion?
Checkatrade publishes an average of £50,000 with a range of £40,000 to £60,000 and a 10 to 12 week timeline. MyJobQuote publishes an average of £45,000, a range of £30,000 to £60,000 and a 6 to 8 week timeline.
Do I have to pay for my neighbour’s party wall surveyor?
Typically the building owner carrying out the work pays, including the neighbour’s surveyor where one is separately appointed. Checkatrade publishes around £1,000 for an award with one surveyor and £1,800 to £5,400 where two are appointed.
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