Engineered & specialist access
Cantilevered off a balcony ten floors up? Hung off a structure with no ground under it? Complete out-of-the-box thinking required. We've been in the industry a long time and as a result have an arsenal of on-hand solutions to overcome most challenges your site will face.
If you have a project that is outside of the norm and requires an additional scratching of the head, we work with you and our engineers to think outside the box and offer you solutions. These solutions will often allow you to save time on program, save you any unnecessary costings and give you the edge over your competitors.
Notable engineered solutions:
- Craneable modules
- Craneable stairs
- RSJ needling
- Cantilever scaffolds
- Hung scaffolds
- Hung stairs for basement excavations
- Falsework scaffolding
- Edge protection
- A-class hoardings
- B-class hoardings
- 10kPa overhead protection
- Temporary roofs
- 5 ton loading bays
Get in touch today for us to take the headache out of your project!
Fully licensed & insured
QBCC classes and cover on request
Ticketed scaffolders
Basic to advanced tickets on every crew
Handover documentation
Certification, tags, registers & training
Free, no-obligation quote
Back to you within as little as 24 hours
Most scaffolders quote what fits their kit. When the job doesn't fit, they pass.
That's the work we want. Cantilevered off a balcony ten floors up with nothing underneath. Hung off a structure because there's no ground to build from. A birdcage inside a cinema roof void, put up overnight so the venue trades in the morning. Hanging stairs, suspended walkways, grandstands, one-offs drawn from scratch.
It's harder work and it's slower to price, because a real answer needs someone to look at the structure and do the sums. That's the trade. You get a number that holds, from someone who's worked out what the building will take before you commit to it.
The other half of it is knowing when not to build. Some jobs want rope access. Some want a swing stage. Some want an EWP and a morning. We'll tell you when that's the cheaper answer, because we'd rather have the relationship than the one invoice.
Bring us a problem. Send the drawings and a photo of the access, and we'll tell you what it takes.
Who this is for
Head contractors with an access problem nobody will price
You've had two scaffolders walk the site and say no. We'd rather look at it properly and tell you what it takes than pass on it.
Structural and remedial engineers
You've specified something that needs a real design, not a kit layout. We work to your drawings and give you back the loads.
Roofers and facade crews with a level-ten problem
No ground to stand on, no way to land a standard scaffold, and a building that still has to operate underneath you.
Fitout and entertainment contractors
Birdcages inside theatres and cinemas, platforms in roof voids, grandstand and stadium access. Odd shapes, tight windows, live venues.
Scope of works
- Cantilevered scaffolds where there's no ground to build off
- Hung and suspended scaffolds, including swing stage access
- Hanging stairs and suspended walkways
- Birdcage scaffolds and internal platforms for ceilings and roof voids
- Access, viewing and stair towers
- Grandstand, stadium and event structures
- Loading platforms and heavy-duty designs
- One-off engineered structures worked up from your drawings
What the licence classes actually mean
This is the part worth checking on any scaffolder, including us.
Queensland puts scaffolding work into three high risk work licence classes, and the class sets what a person is legally allowed to erect. The classes are set in the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld), Schedule 3.
Cantilevered scaffolds and spur scaffolds sit in Intermediate (SI), under Schedule 3 item 2(2)(b) and (c). Hung scaffolds, including tube, wire rope and chain, and suspended scaffolds sit in Advanced (SA), under Schedule 3 item 3(2)(b) and (c). Basic (SB) covers neither.
That matters to you for a practical reason. Most scaffolders hold Basic. If somebody quotes you a cantilevered or a hung scaffold off a Basic licence, the quote isn't the problem. The licence is.
Ask for the class, not the adjective. Any scaffolder can call themselves specialists. The licence class is on a card, and you can ask to see it.
What we scope that others miss
What the structure will actually take
A cantilever puts its load back into the building, and the building has to be good for it. Balcony slabs, cantilevered awnings and older concrete are the three that catch people out. We work out the tie-in loading and take it back to the engineer before anyone commits, not after the first bay goes up.
Anchor points, and who owns them
On strata and commercial buildings the anchors are often somebody else's asset, with their own certification and their own last inspection date. We find out who owns them and whether they're current before we design around them. An expired anchor found on day one costs you the week.
Whether you need a scaffold at all
Sometimes the honest answer is rope access, an EWP, or a swing stage rather than a built structure. We'll say so. Talking you into a scaffold you don't need is how you lose a client for good, and we'd rather have the next four jobs.
Sequencing around occupied floors
Live buildings mean residents, tenants and trading hours. Load-in windows, lift access, noise limits and where the crane can sit all change the program and the price. We ask before we quote so the number holds.
Engineering sign-off and who provides it
Engineered work needs a design, and somebody has to certify it. That can be your engineer or ours, but it has to be agreed up front, because design lead time is usually the longest item in the program. We put it in the quote as its own line so you can see it.
Related services
Also worth a look
Commercial scaffolding
Four storeys and up. Apartment blocks, Schools, Hospitals, Social Housing. We eat, sleep and breathe these projects, and pride ourselves on extensive knowledge in sequencing and compliance...
Roof edge protection
Our engineered guardrail system offers a compliant edge protection solution that is quick to install, remove and un-intrusive on site.
What clients say
Ben and his team have been our go-to scaffolders for some time. Super easy to deal with, no fuss, no hands out. Just in and out.
Steve, SCR Roofing, Director We had Horizon come on board after having a nightmare with another scaffolding mob. Night and day difference in their whole approach. The scaffold is always immaculate, great comms, quick turnarounds. We won't use anyone else.
Gary, Aspect Building, Project Manager Great price and easy to deal with.
Steve, Mooloolaba Ben and the rest of the team installed the scaffolding to our house for our new windows and painting. Very professional and have recommended these guys to friends.
Susie Briggs, Mooloola Valley Horizon were recommended to us and I wish we'd used them sooner. Very competitive price with great service. Our go-to scaffolders now on the coast.
David, Coastal Builds Very happy with the job and will be using Horizon again. Thanks Benny.
Michael, CRS Thanks to Ben and the lads for helping us push our townhouse project over the line. We needed a few adjustments last minute and nothing was an issue.
Jamie, Buderim Horizon were super easy to deal with and very reasonably priced. We will definitely be using them again.
Holly, SmartRoof
Questions
Common questions
What's the difference between a cantilevered and a hung scaffold?
A cantilevered scaffold is built out from the structure and supported by it, with nothing underneath. A hung scaffold hangs from above, off tube, wire rope or chain. Queensland treats them differently: cantilevered sits in the Intermediate (SI) licence class, hung and suspended in Advanced (SA). Different licence, different design, different price.
Do I need an engineer's design?
For anything cantilevered, hung, suspended or outside a standard kit layout, yes. The Queensland code of practice sets out when design and inspection must be done by an engineer rather than a competent person. We tell you which side of that line your job falls on before you commit, and we price the design as its own line so it isn't a surprise.
Can you work off an occupied building?
Yes, and most engineered jobs are exactly that. Occupied means agreed working hours, protected entries, resident notice and a drop zone the public can't walk into. It also means the sequence matters more than the structure. Tell us it's occupied at quote stage and we'll build the program around it.
How long does an engineered scaffold take to get going?
The build is rarely the long bit. Design and certification usually set the start date, so the earlier you bring us in, the earlier you get a real date. Send us the drawings and a photo of the access and we'll tell you what the lead time actually looks like.
Will you look at a job other scaffolders have turned down?
That's most of what this page is about. Bring us the problem. If it can't be done safely we'll tell you that too, and we'll usually have a suggestion about what would work instead.