Brooklyn Park Slope
Park Slope is not a tower neighborhood. It is a repair neighborhood, and repairs on brownstone fronts start with a scaffold.
What’s happening in Park Slope
Park Slope does not build up. It fixes, restores and modernizes what is already there. Most of the neighborhood is a century old and much of it sits in the Park Slope Historic District, so owners repoint brick, patch brownstone, rebuild parapets and restore cornices rather than tear down. New buildings are rare, and the biggest one going up, on St Johns Place, is 11 stories.
What you will see on almost any block is work on the outside of buildings. Pipe scaffolds and sidewalk sheds are up on Dean Street, 3rd Street and 5th, 6th and 8th Avenues, with hanging scaffolds on some of the taller apartment buildings. Inside, owners are gutting kitchens and baths, replacing heating and cooling systems, and on a few roofs, adding solar panels.
Where pipe scaffolding comes in
A brownstone front is brick or brownstone, a cornice, a parapet and a stoop, usually three to four stories, about 35 to 45 feet. Repointing brick, patching brownstone, rebuilding a parapet or restoring a cornice means a crew working at every height on that wall for days or weeks. Pipe scaffolding gives them a full working deck at each level, with room for mortar tubs, stone and tools.
We rent the parts; we do not put them up. Your crew or a licensed installer builds it. What we supply:
- 5 x 6 frames, in walk-through or ladder style, about 6 feet a level.
- 8-foot cross braces between each pair of frames.
- OSHA planks for every working deck, plus guardrails on top.
- Screw jacks to level the frames on a sloped Park Slope sidewalk, and casters for rolling towers.
Scaffolds and sidewalk sheds often need a city permit. The Department of Buildings Scaffold & Shed Permit page lists when one is required, and our scaffolding calculator counts the frames, braces and planks for your building.
What we rent for this work
See all our pipe scaffolding · No online checkout: call for availability and a quote.
Picking the right size
Our 5 x 6 frames go up about 6 feet a level, with an 8-foot cross brace between each pair of frames. A typical three-story row-house front, about 40 feet tall, is roughly six to seven levels high. Plan planks on every working level, guardrails on the top, and screw jacks or base plates under every leg. Our scaffolding calculator counts the frames, braces and planks for your building.
Further reading
- Park Slope Historic District mapNYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
- Scaffold & shed permitsNYC Department of Buildings
- Key project terms: scaffoldNYC Department of Buildings
- OSHA scaffold standard 1926.451OSHA
- A guide to scaffold use in constructionOSHA
- Scaffolding calculatorAmerican Rentals
Questions we hear from Park Slope crews
How much scaffolding does a Park Slope brownstone need?
A typical 20-foot-wide, three- or four-story front is about three 8-foot bays wide and six to seven levels high. Use our scaffolding calculator with your building’s height and width for an exact count of frames, braces and planks.
Do you put the scaffold up?
No. American Rentals rents the scaffold parts only: frames, cross braces, planks, guardrails, jacks and casters. Your crew or a licensed scaffold installer puts it up and takes it down.
Do I need a permit for a scaffold in NYC?
Sidewalk sheds and larger supported scaffolds need a city permit, and some need a design by an engineer. The Department of Buildings Scaffold & Shed Permit page lists when a permit is required.
Do you deliver to Park Slope?
Yes. We deliver across Brooklyn and the rest of New York City from our yard at 181 2nd Ave in Gowanus, or you can pick up at the yard. Call 718-344-1474 to book.
Can I rent by the day, week or month?
All three. A month is a 4-week rental. Call 718-344-1474 for availability.
More for this area: equipment rental near Park Slope · Pipe scaffolding guide