I'm going to be doing a number of projects on my house that seem best suited to a scaffold including replacing the soffits with vented soffits (portions of the current ones need replacing anyway thanks to the bad gutters that were on the house when we purchased it) and all or part of the siding (also thanks in part to those leaking gutters as well as less than ideal masonite siding).

Fortunately the house is a simple single story L-shaped ranch style so I shouldn't need anything fancy. I should be able to get by with a six foot scaffold for most of the house but wouldn't mind the option of extending it up to 10 ft for the ends of the house where I'll be covering up the present gable soffits, doing some trim work along the roof, etc. Our local Home Depot rents soffits but I can't help but think I could buy something for what they charge for one month ($400-$600 depending on the size). Since our weather is unpredictable around here at best, I really rather buy for that reason as well.

Any suggestions on good brands/types/distributors to consider? I will be setting it up and taking it down by myself and, at 100lbs and 5ft, would appreciate something sturdy that someone like me could handle without paying an arm and a leg. Ability to be broken down to fit in our garage when not in use would be a major plus as well.

Also any good/bad experiences with online retailers? I'd really rather not purchase something this expensive online but have yet to locate a distributor anywhere closeby (anyone know of one in the Fingerlakes region of upstate NY including Syracuse, Binghamton, Elmira or in northern PA?). I've been eyeing Badger Ladder Ladder & Scaffold since their prices and selection seem to be very good, especially with free shipping for orders over $600 but their return policy has me a bit concerned. It sounds like they won't accept anything back if you don't catch the problem (incomplete or damaged order) at the time of delivery.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...even moreso since I'm hoping to make the purchase within the next week or two in the hopes of getting -something- done before temperatures really get up there (on a regular basis!).