Cherry picker access
Small roof jobs without scaffolding
Scaffold for a few slipped slates or a leaking flashing can cost more than the repair. Where there's room to set up, we work from a cherry picker instead. It arrives with us and leaves with us.
The difference
What you save on a small job
Scaffold is priced to put up, hire and take down, whatever the size of the repair. On a job that takes a few hours, that cost can be bigger than the repair itself.
No scaffold costs
You're not paying for a scaffold to be put up, hired and taken down for a few hours' work.
In and out
The machine sets up on the day and leaves when the job is done. Nothing stands outside the house for weeks, and there's no scaffold left up for anyone to climb at night.
A closer look
From the basket we can see the whole slope up close, so you get photos of the rest of the roof as well as the repair.
Good for
What we do from the basket
Short jobs that the basket can reach from one or two set-up positions.
Slipped and cracked slates
Replaced to match and held with a copper tingle. Roof repairs
Ridge and verge
Loose ridge tiles re-bedded or changed to dry-fix, and verges repointed or capped.
Flashings and valleys
Lead at chimneys, walls and valleys refixed, repointed or replaced. Leadwork
Chimneys
Inspections, flaunching, caps, cowls, and small pointing and flashing repairs. Chimneys
Gutters and roofline
Gutters cleared and repaired, and short runs of fascia and soffit. Fascias, soffits and gutters
Dormers and bays
Small repairs to the lead and flat roofs on dormers and bay windows.
Roof surveys
A close look at the whole roof, with photos, before anything is priced.
Setting up
What the cherry picker needs
We check all of this at the survey. If any of it rules the machine out, we'll tell you then, not on the day.
- Space
- Room close to the house for the vehicle and its outriggers, the legs that steady it. A drive or the road outside often works.
- Firm ground
- Tarmac, concrete or block paving. Soft lawns, steep slopes and loose gravel can rule it out.
- Clear overhead
- No power or phone cables between the machine and the roof. We don't work near live overhead lines.
- Reach
- The basket has to get to the work. A deep front garden, a conservatory or an extension in the way all cut down how high and how far it can go.
- Permits
- Setting up on a road or pavement can need a council permit first. We'll tell you if yours does.
- Weather
- The basket comes down in high winds, and we'd rather rebook than take a chance.
Scaffold
When scaffold is still the right answer
A cherry picker is for short jobs within reach. Some work needs a safe platform along the whole roof for days or weeks, with room for materials. For that we use scaffold, and we'll say so at the survey.
| Job | Why it needs scaffold |
|---|---|
| Re-roofs | Days or weeks of work across the whole roof, with slates, battens and lead stacked at roof level |
| Chimney rebuilds | Slow, heavy work on the stack, with bricks to bring down and a platform all the way round |
| Long jobs | Once a job runs to several days, scaffold is usually the safer and better-value way to do it |
| Out of reach | The backs of terraces with no way round, and roofs too high or too far from where we can park |
| Large flat roofs | Edge protection is needed all the way round while the roof is stripped and relaid |
When a job needs scaffold, we arrange it as part of the job.
How we decide
Cherry picker or scaffold
You'll know which one the job needs before you agree a price.
- Step 1
Photos
Send photos on WhatsApp or tell us about the job. Often we can say straight away whether a cherry picker is likely to work.
- Step 2
Survey
We check the parking, the ground, any cables and how far the basket has to reach.
- Step 3
Quote
A fixed price that says how we'll get up there, and why.
- Step 4
The work
A cherry picker job is usually one visit. We set up, do the repair, take the photos and leave.
Questions
Cherry picker questions
Is working from a cherry picker safe?
Working from a guarded basket is safer than working off a ladder, and on a short job it keeps people off the roof itself. Our operators are IPAF trained and wear a harness clipped into the basket.
Is it always cheaper than scaffold?
Not always. On a short job within reach it usually is. On a long job scaffold can be the better value, and if it is, we'll tell you.
Can it reach the back of the house?
Sometimes. A side drive, a rear lane or a neighbour's drive we're allowed to use can all work. On a mid-terrace with no way round, the back usually needs scaffold.
Will it mark my drive?
We put spreader pads under the outriggers to share the load, and we won't set up on ground we don't think will take it.
What if it can't reach on the day?
We check access at the survey, so it's rare. If something has changed, such as a car parked where we need to set up, we'll rebook rather than try to make it work.
A small job on the roof?
Send photos or book a survey, and we'll tell you whether the cherry picker can reach.