Lift for roof and façade inspections: building inspections

To inspect the roof and façade of a building, an articulating cherry picker (aerial work platform, MEWP) is used: the platform reaches the eaves, parapet, gutter or balcony over planting and parked cars, and the inspector looks at and touches the element from close up, without stepping onto the roof and without scaffolding. In our fleet that means machines of 15 m (electric) and 12.5–43 m (diesel 4×4); for halls with a level yard, a rough terrain scissor lift of 10–18 m is enough. One day of rental is usually enough for the façades of one building. Below: what can be checked from the platform, how to choose the machine, how often the regulations require inspection and how to organise it.

What can you check from the lift platform?

• Façade — cracks and loose render (tapping), condition of insulation, cladding, sandwich panels and their fixings, expansion joints, window sills.
• Eaves, parapet, flashings — fixings, corrosion, tightness of joints; these are places you cannot see either from the ground or safely from the roof.
• Gutters and downpipes — free flow, falls, brackets; they can be cleaned straight away.
• Balconies, loggias, cornices — the underside of slabs, balustrades, falling fragments that endanger passers-by.
• Roof edge and rooflights — covering at the eaves, chimneys and roof vents within reach of the platform, smoke vents, the lightning protection system.
• Hall structure — from the inside: girders, purlins, bracing, bolted connections, leaks under rooflights (from a scissor lift or an electric articulating boom lift).

Which lift should you choose for an inspection?

• Diesel articulating boom lift 4×4 — the basic choice outdoors: 16 m (Manitou 160 ATJ, JLG 450AJ SII, Haulotte HA16 PX; horizontal outreach 7.5–9.2 m) for buildings of 4–5 storeys, 18–20 m (JLG 510AJ, Genie Z-60/34, Haulotte HA20 PX) for 6 storeys and halls, 26 m (Haulotte HA260 PX, JLG 800AJ, Genie Z-80/60) for taller structures, up to 43 m (Genie Z-135/70). It drives over lawn and gravel.
• Electric articulating boom lift — 15 m (Manitou 150 AET2, Haulotte HA15 IP), quiet and emission-free: courtyards, patios, housing estates, hall interiors; needs hard-surfaced ground.
• Telescopic boom lift — from 14 m (the largest up to 57 m) with a horizontal outreach of 9.7–24.4 m, when you cannot drive up to the wall: over a lower annex, a wide strip of planting, an excavation.
• Diesel scissor lift — 10–18 m, a large platform for the inspector, an assistant and equipment; walls and eaves of halls, when you can stand directly under the place of work.

Working height is matched to the eaves or parapet plus about 2 m; the height classes are covered in the articles 16–18 m lift and 20–28 m lift and higher.

How often must a roof and façade be inspected?

The obligation comes from Art. 62 of the Construction Law and rests with the owner or manager of the structure:

• at least once a year — inspection of, among other things, the parts of the building exposed to harmful weather (roof, façade, gutters, balconies, parapets),
• at least once every 5 years — inspection of the technical condition and fitness for use of the whole structure,
• twice a year (by 31 May and by 30 November) — buildings with a footprint of more than 2,000 m² and other structures with a roof area of more than 1,000 m², that is most halls, warehouses and shopping centres.

The obligation of an annual inspection of the elements exposed to the weather does not apply to, among others, single-family houses and farm and holiday buildings (check the details for your own building with the manager or the building control authority). The inspection is carried out by a person with construction qualifications in the relevant speciality. A lift is also useful outside the statutory dates: after a storm, hail and winter (snow and icicles), before a warranty inspection, when pricing a refurbishment and when buying a property.

A lift, a drone or scaffolding?

A drone will quickly show the whole and point to suspect places, but it cannot touch anything. From the platform the inspector taps the render, checks the fixing, measures a crack, takes a sample and orders a minor repair on the spot: sealing, tightening a flashing, clearing a gutter. Scaffolding makes sense only for a refurbishment lasting weeks. A good arrangement is a drone flight first, then a day with the lift in the places that need a close look.

How do you organise an inspection from a lift?

• Access to the walls — free parking spaces along the façade; residents and tenants are warned to move their cars. Occupying a pavement or carriageway requires the consent of the road authority.
• Ground — a machine of 6–17 t needs load-bearing ground; it is not stood on the deck of an underground garage without checking the load capacity (how much does a lift weigh).
• Operator — a person with a UDT certificate; the inspector goes in the platform as the second person. Managers usually take the machine with an operator.
• Weather — the wind limit from the machine manual; the inspection is planned for a dry day, because cracks and damp stains are easier to see and sealing repairs need a dry surface.
• Documentation — photographs from the platform with a description of the location go into the inspection report and the building log book.

In the enquiry it is enough to give the height of the building (eaves or parapet), the type of ground around it, the distance you can drive up to the walls and the date. We will choose the model, arrange its delivery and collect it after the work.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use to inspect a façade and roof?

For inspecting façades, eaves, gutters, parapets and flashings, the best choice is an articulating boom lift: the platform reaches the wall over planting, the pavement and parked cars and moves along it without repositioning the machine every few metres. In our fleet that means 15 m (electric, for a hard-surfaced yard) and 12.5–43 m (diesel 4×4). For halls with a level yard around them, a diesel rough terrain scissor lift of 10–18 m is enough.

How often must a roof and façade be inspected?

The Construction Law (Art. 62) requires periodic inspection at least once a year, covering, among other things, the parts of the building exposed to the weather, that is the roof, façade, gutters, balconies and parapets, and at least once every 5 years an inspection of the technical condition of the whole structure. The obligation of an annual inspection of the elements exposed to the weather does not apply to, among others, single-family houses and farm and holiday buildings (check the details for your own building with the manager or the building control authority). Buildings with a footprint of more than 2,000 m² and other structures with a roof area of more than 1,000 m² are inspected twice a year: by 31 May and by 30 November. The inspection is carried out by a person with construction qualifications.

Can the inspector operate the lift themselves?

Only if they hold a UDT qualification certificate for mobile elevating work platforms (UDT is the Polish Office of Technical Inspection). In practice the inspector, surveyor or chimney sweep goes into the platform as the second person while an operator controls the machine; managers most often rent the lift with an operator. Both people in the platform wear safety harnesses with a lanyard.

A lift, a drone or scaffolding for inspecting a building?

A drone gives a quick picture of the whole and points to suspect places, but it cannot touch anything. From the lift platform you can tap the render, check the fixing of a flashing, take a sample, measure a crack and carry out a minor repair straight away. Scaffolding pays off only for a refurbishment lasting weeks; for a one- or two-day inspection it is too expensive and too slow to erect.

How long does a building inspection from a lift take?

The façades and eaves of a single block of flats or townhouse are usually one day of work for an articulating boom lift, a large hall or several buildings of an estate two to three days. The time depends on access to the walls (planting, car parks, fences) and on whether repairs are carried out on the way: sealing, cleaning gutters, fixing flashings.