Access is one of the most common sources of unplanned extra cost on a decorating contract, precisely because it is easy to leave unstated. A ladder, a tower and a scaffold represent very different costs and timescales, and a specification that does not say which is expected leaves that decision to whoever happens to price the job.
This varies — sometimes the decorator arranges it as part of their price, sometimes the client instructs a scaffold company directly. Either way it should be agreed and stated before pricing.
Yes, erecting and striking scaffold or towers takes time that should be built into the overall programme, not treated as instant once ordered.
This can happen where a substrate condition is worse than expected at height — the specification should include a simple process for agreeing any additional access equipment needed.
Rather than a single generic access line for the whole job, a specification should note the expected method for each area — internal stepladders for standard ceiling heights, a tower for stairwells, scaffold or a MEWP for elevations beyond safe ladder reach — so pricing reflects the true equipment needed.
Shared driveways, restricted parking, working hours agreed with neighbours, and any requirement to remove access equipment overnight for security all affect how quickly access can be erected, used and struck, and should be stated rather than discovered on the first morning.
State clearly whether the client is providing scaffold independently, whether the decorator is expected to arrange it, and who bears responsibility for scaffold licensing, pavement permissions or neighbour access agreements where relevant.
Access assumptions buried only inside a contractor's quote are easy to miss when comparing tenders. Writing them into the specification itself means every tenderer responds to the same access requirement, and the client retains oversight of what has been assumed.
Tell us about the building's access constraints and we will specify the right equipment before quoting.
Access left unstated becomes an extra later; access specified up front becomes a known, comparable cost.
Speak to a Hampshire commercial decorating contractor that turns up, communicates clearly and delivers a finish that lasts.
