What does a scaffold estimator do?

Mr. Scaffold provides Scaffold Hire from our depots, and adds labour to erect/dismantle scaffolds in Sydney, Melbourne & Perth. We specialise in aluminium scaffold, and we are the leading aluminium scaffold supplier in Australia.

As an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, Mr. Scaffold has policies and procedures in place to ensure consistent quality performance in every aspect of our services.
Where Mr. Scaffold is involved in the erection of the scaffold for your access needs, in most cases, we will provide a budget estimate, then once you have indicated you are happy to proceed based on that estimate, we will organise an appointment with one of our highly qualified and experienced scaffold estimators.

We use a budget estimate to help you make decisions about the timing of your job, and the associated work. We also use your first call as an opportunity to ascertain whether Mr. Scaffold is the right vendor for your needs. Most of the time, that answer is yes, however since we specialise in aluminium, there are some exceptions.

Brick or block work is not recommended on aluminium scaffold, due to the Safe Working Load (SWL) being 450Kg, and the propensity for bricklayers to stack material onto the scaffold for use. Hanging or suspension scaffolds are possible with aluminium scaffold, however there are specialists in this field who will more likely be able to meet your needs in a more efficient manner.

Once the scaffold estimator arrives, what is he looking for?

This single question is part of the reason why Mr. Scaffold uses onsite estimators for our hire + labour jobs. Each site is different, each job is different, and each clients’ needs are different. The Mr. Scaffold estimator is the first time you will have a qualified and experienced scaffolder at your site for you to ask your questions and explain your access needs.

It has been our experience that even with a relatively simple sounding scaffold build, the customer will invariably have a wrinkle. It is our job to ensure that we provide you with the solution that fits your needs, not just what we think you might want.

It may be as simple as wanting to reach out from the scaffold and dab some paint on a fitting or fixture. This may be possible, but since the distance between work areas at heights can be deceiving, it takes an experienced eye, and some precise measurement to ensure that “little extra” is both possible and safe.

In our example above, the ability to reach an area may be achieved by the addition of an extra 600mm of length to the top platform, using specific scaffold components. These would have to be included in the list of items to be transported for your job, and this list is prepared by the estimator. For Mr. Scaffold to meet your needs, then you need to be as clear as possible with the estimator about what your goals are, and all the areas you wish to access from the scaffold.

Our example may not be applicable to you or your circumstances, however, it is important that you take the opportunity of having our estimator on-site to ask all the questions you have and provide all the information you can about what it is you want to achieve. It may help for you to have a list of goals for work you intend to achieve from the scaffold, and if you have questions, write them down too. It is far too easy to get caught up in talking about your first question, and the answer, and totally forget what else it was that you wanted to ask.

In the picture captioned “Scaffold ladder access bay”, you can see that the Mr. Scaffold estimator has calculated that there will be sufficient room inside the perimeter fence to place the ladder access bay in the area to the side of the house. This scaffold was erected to allow access for the installation of the cladding on the external walls of the upper floor of this new build. The fact that the roofing tiles have not been installed on the lower roof area allows the scaffold to pass through the trusses.

The position of the electrical box in the picture is also relevant, as the estimator will have taken the need to access this box into consideration for his scaffold plan.

In the next picture, captioned “Second scaffold ladder access bay”. You can see that Mr. Scaffold has added a second ladder access on the other side of the build, allowing more than one team to access simultaneously, and reducing travel times when passing panels up for installation. This is a frequent practice, where larger unwieldy items are being installed (panels, window frames etc.) and there will be a need for other workers or teams to move onto or around the scaffold.

This view also illustrates the different bay lengths that can be used. The bay that on the left over the lower roof, is a 1.2 metre length platform, allowing a step up for the peak of the lower roof pitch.

All these design elements, and a lot of other considerations are considered by the estimator to ensure that the correct scaffolding components are included on the trucks when they leave the depot for your site.

Mr. Scaffold takes great care in our estimation process, and our estimators are all qualified and experienced scaffolders. They keep themselves involved in scaffold builds and are sometimes also present at a build as the scaffold leading hand who will sign off on the scaffold erection.

Please note that any scaffold erected by Mr. Scaffold will be tagged by a qualified scaffolder. Once this tag is completed altering the scaffold in any way will render the build unsafe until a qualified scaffold returns to inspect and certify the structure again.

Whether you are a Project Manager or a Home Owner, Mr. Scaffolds’ estimators are available to visit your site to help you meet your access needs and goals.

Our team is ready to answer your call on 1300 677 223.