scaffolding

[jocelyn plummer]

[Open Image] [Hosted by PhotoGalaxy.com]
Having now found out how to put a pic on the forum I
thought you might like to see the scaffolding for next door, 'resting' on our ridge tiles! There's three layers all around!

 

[Nemesis]

Ask them to remove it immediately - unless you have an agreement in writing.

Threaten an injunction. Check your house insurance for legal cover.

 

[Lime]

Did you agree to this?

I have never seen such scaffolding work like this before.
What is holding it up next to the wall?
I'd have a word with health and safety to start with.
It doesn't look safe.

Taking risks with your own property is one thing but this is quite another.
Resting all that weight on your roof structure and ridge tiles will cause damage.

I'd follow Nemesis's advice.

 

[Craig]

That’s incredible - I cant believe that any scaffolder would risk the public liability on this - this is dangerous for anybody working on it, it looks likely to be causing damage to you and if its collapsed could threaten anybody near by. Blimey.

 

[Aidan]

The finished scaffolding has to be inspected and signed off by a qualified scaffolder. Any alterations have to be similarly signed off. The signed inspection book has to be kept on site. Trot around and ask them for a look at it. If not available, ring the local authority, unsafe structures people and the HSE ( who are fairly useless IMHO, too few bods for too many sites).

Is it tied in to the building? It looks a bit short on the diagonal bracing, but resting the load on tiles sounds very strange.

 

[Nemesis]

Esapecially when the tiles are next door's.

 

[Flyfisher]

Jocelyn, I find it hard to believe the scaffolders would knowingly put anything on your property without asking, but even if they asked I would check your position with your insurance company regarding your liability. I don't know what would happen if something fell from your roof and injured someone, even if the thing that fell belonged to someone else. Or maybe one of your tiles might get broken and fall - it's your tile, so it might be your liability whatever the cause.

Whatever your insurance cover, I would guess that this consitutes a 'notifiable change in circumstances', i.e. one that the insurance company could claim is not 'normal'. All you need to do is write and tell them of the change in circumstances (these photos would be good) and you should be automatically covered unless they confirm otherwise.

As for your neighbour needing permission to do this sort of thing, there may be something in your deeds allowing such things. I have some outbuildings that form a boundary to my neighbour and I have rights of access over their land in order to inspect and repair the wall of my outbuilding, with reasonable notice etc etc. Perhaps your neighbour has similar rights?

 

[Nemesis]

As J has just moved, I would suspect that anything of that sort would have come to light in searches and been notified.

Even with the sort of legal access rights to maintain property that exist now, this isn't acceptable. It's diabolical cheek really.

 

[skier-hughes]

But J new about it some time ago, so I don't see why everyone is making such a fuss... well apart from "it isn't safe" if they have knowledge of scaffold saftey, which I don't.

http://periodpropertyshop.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7759&highlight=

 

[Nemesis]

Yes, but possibly she hadn't realised just what it was going to be like, or hadn't agreed to all the details?

Only J can tell us....

 

[jocelyn plummer]

They did ask, they then gave me a weeks notice and came round to show us where it would go. There is no room between the roof of our outbuildings and the wall of the chapel to put the uprights, only about 6 inches, so there was no option other than to rest it on the roof. They did say that some ridge tiles might crack and they will replace them.

A copy of their insurance policy was brought round for me in response to my request, it is in order, however I am interested to see from your comments that the scaffolding can be inspected, so I'll think about that.

Our pre purchase enquiries only asked the usual question about whether inspection/maintenance from next door had ever been requested or refused, and, of course because it was a functional RC chapel at the time the issue had not arisen, since they had never asked to do maintenance from our side. We were aware of the planning application before we bought iour house, but the then applicant pulled out just after we moved in and the chapel was then auctioned

To refuse, which was on the tip of my tongue, would have done us a dis-service, because the windows are all very fragile and about to drop out anyway.In fact the gable end window did slide gracefully out into their side of the building when they started working on it. The slates on the roof are also slipping, so it does have to be done.

Currently only one guy has been on the scaffold, quietly raking out and replacing the pointing, but I am mindful of the re roof bit and think that I shall ask for a more suitable net to be put in place, that black stuff does not really do much good at all.

What does concern me, is the the long term effect of the weight of the scaffold , what will happen when they take it off, will our roof have sagged/been weakend and cave in at a later date? It's due to be up for another 3 weeks yet.

Thanks for you comments! It is a bit outrageous really, but I would have had the same problem if I had bought the building!

There has to be an element of trust here in the hopes that it does not go horribly wrong.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

PS. I thought that I had put three pics on the forum, so I see now why some of you are puzzled, the scaffold wraps right around the building, that is just the middle section.

 

[MdB]

PS. I thought that I had put three pics on the forum, so I see now why some of you are puzzled, the scaffold wraps right around the building, that is just the middle section.

You had put three pics up but in three seperate posts. The usual thing is to put them all in the same post.
I'll repost here so they are all together:

 

[Flyfisher]

Thanks for you comments! It is a bit outrageous really, but I would have had the same problem if I had bought the building!

There has to be an element of trust here in the hopes that it does not go horribly wrong.

I don't think it's too outrageous really; there doesn't seem to be any easy alternative and it would hardly be neighbourly to refuse permission and actively obstruct their repairs.

If it was me, I wouldn't have any problems in allowing such a thing, but I would want to be 100% certain that any damage would be repaired at their cost - which you say they have agreed - and that I was not going to incur any liability as a result of the works.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Thanks MbD for doing that for me!

 

[biffvernon]

Outrageous. This is how a chapel should be scaffolded:

 

[Penners]

Joss

How much do you think the builders feel in your debt for allowing this to happen?

I was just wondering whether you feel they might agree to pay for a surveyor to check over your outhouse, once the scaff has gone, to get an authoritative view on whether any structural damage has resulted.

 

[Mark]

Am I correct in thinking that there are posts which go down to the ground in the 6 inch gap between the properties ?
and presumably some sort of bracing in that gap as well ?

How is it tied to the wall above your roof? I cant see from the pics if they have and poles going through the windows with internal crosspieces or braces in the windows ?

It does look as if they are trying to spread the load across the roof - and it doesnt look as if they are resting on the ridge in the pic.
It also looks as if they are trying to support as much as possible from the two sides not on your roof.

tbh Im not sure what else they could do - I assume a cherrypicker couldnt get access? There is a firm of climbers who specialise in hard to access building work who could have come down from their roof.

I would when they are finishing check the other side of your wall, esp at the top where damage on the other side of the ridge tiles might not be easy to see from the ground.

 

[middi]

I find it totally naive that a scaffolding company will use roof joists, which are already supporting heavy tiles, and expect it to safely hold their scaffolding including any personnel and all other heavy objects which is likely to be expected to support. Apart from permissions required from the owners of the roof, they should have armed themselves with a structural survey report that their scaffolding application , on this instance, is certified as safe.

A few broken roof tiles are easily replaced, in case of damage.

The problem may be that this firm may have no roof to put them on.

Looks a shamble to me.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Biff, what a good idea!

Penners, thanks. Will follow up.

You'll all be pleased to know that the scaffolder has been back every five days to check it, and that he has told the roofers to load the slates on the end which is supported by our garden, not over the outbuildings.
It is tied into the chapel and also onto the Methodist chapel at the other end--- nightmare really.