I have a very tall house, built into a hill with 3 exposed stories in the back. So the sides of the home are at a steep slope. Here's my problem, the house needs to be stained, and we would like to as much as we can ourselves but I don't know how to paint the two sides that are on the steep slope safely. I'm sure there are alot more homes than mine like this. It doesn't sound like scaffolding would be very safe because there is no flat ground to place the feet. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
The first level of any scaffolding has to be leveled as you know. I have found it easiest to use short pieces of 2x6 or 2x8s stacked under the downhill legs so that they are brought up to level with the upper legs. If there are several layers of blocks you may secure them by drilling holes in each one and driving rebar down through the holes into the soil. This may be over kill. I am sure there are several other ways to do this.
Do not stack 2x's of any kind to level your scaffolding!!! You are only inviting a trip to the morgue! If your house has such a steep slope that you are concerned about access, please use some serious common sense and contract a PROFESSIONAL SCAFFOLDING ERECTING CO.to install the scaffolding. This does several things; it will ensure that the scaffold will be erected by OSHA standards and if it falls down due to faulty construction, your surviving relatives will have legal recourse. I refuse any and all work if the customer tries to "jury-rig" something like this or attempts to "save **" by short-sheeting ANYTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY. I know this costs **, but it will pay-off in the long run with a much better job done when you don't have to worry about falling off a ladder and causing yourself serious harm.
I agree with Chief. Compromising safety is not worth any perceived cost savings or time. Put it another way, what is more costly, paying for the professional scaffolding job or paying the doctor/hospital/funeral costs after having a jury-rigged scaffolding letting you down hard. Look beyond the short term.
I STRONGLY AGREE WITH THE 2 PREVIOUS REPLYS, ANYTHING OF THIS TYPE IS MOST DEFINITELY LEFT TO PROFESSIONALS, HOWEVER WHEN EMPLOYING PROFESSIONALS ALWAYS WITHOUT EXCEPTION ASK FOR A COPY OF THEIR INSURANCE CERTIFICATES, AS WITHOUT THEM YOU WILL STILL BE EXPOSING YOURSELF TO LIABILITIES JUST AS YOU WERE TO DO THE JOB YOURSELF.
Like the others have said, don't "stack" anything under the legs. A 2x 12 or 14 can be used as a base on loose ground, but just one to spread the load and keep the leg from sinking. Sounds like you are using staging with wheels or nothing at the base piece. For unlevel surfaces you should remove the wheels and use screwjacks. That's what they are made for. At the height you are going, secure the staging to the wall. If the contour is too steep for the screwjacks to level, instead of the staging, post jacks may be what you need. HGTVPRO has a video for viewing on this topic.
I agree w/gsp about screwjacks on rental scaffolding. Of course, the easiest solution is some sort of professional-style manlift, but it would probably require a professional to operate. Believe it or not, probably your most economical solution would be to hire professionals w/ a certificate of insurance to do the job.
