Is Scaffolding in Your Roof Scope, or Still Unpriced?

A two-story house in St. Louis County usually needs something set up under the eaves before a crew can tear off a single shingle. That something is a scaffold, a rolling lift, a telehandler or at least a long run of extension ladders, and it costs money. On many roof quotes it appears as one vague line, or it does not appear at all. If you are still deciding what to do about your roof, the question to answer is simple: does the written scope you are holding include access equipment, and if it does not, who is paying for it?

Why access gets missed

Roof bids are built around the roof. They count squares of shingles, underlayment, flashing, drip edge, nails and the dumpster. Access is a different kind of cost, and it depends on things the roof count does not measure. It depends on how high the lowest eave sits above the ground, whether there is a porch roof or a deck in the way, whether a brick veneer wall can take a ladder, and whether a lift can reach the wall without crossing a fence, a gas line or an overhead service drop.

Older neighborhoods in St. Louis County often have a second-story eave that a straight ladder can reach from only one spot. A crew that cannot set a ladder there will either move it dozens of times a day or bring in equipment. Either way the labor and the equipment rental are real, and a roof quote that never names them leaves the homeowner guessing what the number covers.

What the scope should say

A written scope that handles access well does not need to be long. It needs to state a few facts plainly:

• The height of the highest and lowest eave on each side of the house, measured or photographed, not estimated from the street.
• Which access method the crew will use on each side: ladder, scaffold section, or lift, and where the equipment will stand.
• Whether any equipment will sit in the public right of way or on a neighbor's lawn, and who arranges that.
• Whether the equipment stays on site overnight, and who is responsible for it if it rains or if a storm comes through.
• Whether the access line is a separate item, a part of the labor line, or a part of the general overhead, so that you can see where it sits in the total.

If a quote has none of this, that does not mean the crew will skip the work. It means you cannot yet tell what you are buying.

Ground protection and the lawn

Access equipment has a footprint. A lift outrigger, a scaffold base or a row of ladder feet can leave marks on a lawn, a paver walk or a driveway edge. Some crews place plywood or mats under the feet. Others do not. Neither approach is wrong, but the difference should be written down, because a paver walk that cracks under a lift is a different conversation from a lawn that looks rough for one season.

The same goes for the drive. If the truck or the trailer cannot get close to the house, the scaffold has to be carried farther, and that changes the crew size and the time on site. Our crews measure the drive and the side yards before they write the access line, and they photograph the path the equipment will take. Keys will put those photos and measurements in your hands with the written scope.

Comparing the scope with an insurer's estimate

If your insurer has sent its own estimate, you will likely see a different line for access, or none at all. That is normal. Missouri law bars a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, so Keys does not argue with the insurer's estimate or sit on the phone with the adjuster. You handle that conversation yourself. What Keys can do is attend the inspection as the contractor and give you a written scope with photos and measurements that you can set beside the insurer's document, line by line.

When you do that comparison, look for three things. First, does the insurer's estimate include any access at all for the highest eave? Second, if it does, is the equipment described in a way that matches what the crew actually needs? Third, is there a line for the ground protection and the drive? Put a question mark next to every line that is missing, and take the list to whoever is handling the claim on your side.

What to ask before you sign

1. What is the height of the lowest eave on each side, and where did that measurement come from?
2. Which access method will be used on each side, and which side needs a lift?
3. Is the access cost a separate line, or is it inside the labor or the overhead?
4. Will any equipment sit in the street, the right of way or a neighbor's yard, and who gets that approved?
5. What protects the lawn, the pavers and the driveway edge where the feet land?
6. If the equipment has to stay overnight because of weather, who is responsible for it?

Write the answers down next to the scope, not in your memory. A roof job often runs over several days, and the access plan is the part most likely to change on day two without anyone noticing until the crew arrives with the wrong equipment.

If you want a walk-through that covers the eaves, the drive and the side yards before any number is set, call Keys Roofing at (314) 220-2333. Bring the insurer's estimate if you have one, and we will mark the access lines on the same sheet so you can see where the two documents agree and where they do not.