Addition Prep Work - [DIY Scaffolding Options]

This article is going to cover a major portion of our addition prep work. The demolition and cleanup of a three tier deck that was 40+ years old and our original Masonite siding was a big project. We tore into this in the fall so we could get started right away in the spring on the foundation and have all summer to build.

I’ve summarized the article into the following categories; I’ll review the existing structure and our plans, the actual demolition of the decks, the processes of removing the original siding, and finally a summary of the expenses vs. the quotes received.

  • Existing Structures and Plan

  • Demolition of deck

  • Removing Siding

  • Summary of expenses

Existing Structures and Plans

Our neighborhood was built in the late 60’s, all single story homes but nice wide and large lots (ours is 0.7 acre). Our side has the walk out basement and the grade is set perfect with a flat portion before dropping down to another lower back yard.

During our design we talked to a number of neighbors that had already completed additions off the back of the home. All of them did a portion of the back and suggested wanting more after all the work. So… we' decided to bump out the entire back of the house and add space behind the garage.

As you can see from the image there was a lot of “stuff” in the way.

Demolition of Deck / Remove Siding:

The deck was extremely well built, for 40-50 years ago. The design was cool and a good use of the spaces, but it was time to go. The bottom tier of the deck had a very overgrown tree that was pushing up all the boards. The middle tier was sinking back in towards the house. The upper tier was rotting and a bit wobbly.

This took a number of weekends a full dumpster and another trailer load.

After the deck was removed and cleaned up, it seemed we still had some good weather… so we kept going and took off the back siding. This seemed like a big project, but after doing some research and getting some quotes it was simple, with the proper tool.

We had two quotes to demo the back siding, not including a dumpster, that ranged from $2,500-4,000.

Instead - we started pulling the basement siding off ourselves and loaded it into the utility trailer, knowing I’d figure it out. After the basement siding was off we had the 2nd story and higher points off the garage…. I realized quickly that an extension ladder was going to be dangerous and not efficient at all. To much up and down, moving the ladder. I had also seen a YouTube video of how the long strips can get stuck on the ladder and tip it easily.

In order to safely reach the second story I knew I’d have to use scaffolding. There were three options for scaffolding; 1) local tool shop rental 2) company to come setup, rent, and take down 3) buy a set of scaffolding myself.

After reviewing all the options and costs associated being the DIY type, we decided to buy our own scaffolding. The cost to purchase was slightly more than the one week rental rate. The cost to have someone come setup and rent their stuff was again in the thousands of dollars. We decided to not go with totally commercial grade scaffolding but did get some really nice sets that had the accessories and worked well around our house.

Scaffolding Selection:

We went with the MetalTech - 6’ portable adjustable scaffolding. The main reasons were:

  1. The size when disassembled - this made storage much easier for us around the house

  2. The adjustable platform was easy to move around

  3. The accessories that MetalTech offered to make it flexible and safe.

We got two sets of the 6’ adjustable set (affiliate link above) and then also grabbed the tool shelf that mounts on the side, the side stabilizers and the adjustable feet.

Summary of Expenses

Starting with the lowest quote as a “budget” we were able to stay well below that.

Quote $2,500 > Project Cost $1,050 (Metal Tech ~$790 + Dump Fees $300)

*We could have skipped the side wheel stabilizers (they were $250) and I ended up building a brace that I’d attach to the house.

MetalTech scaffolding system used for demo of siding.

Closing Statement

In summary, it is always important to do your research and understand what tools are available to keep you safe during DIY jobs like this at heights. I always feel ahead if we can cut the project cost in half and end up with tools that we’ll use down the road to make future projects even less expensive.

*Added note: We’ve used the MetalTech units a bunch more already, used to install windows, doors, and apply or fix Tyvek.

Mallory Kiesow