Patching and Plastering - Repairing Ceiling above staircase

The stairs to my basement are located immediately at of my front entry. There is a large hole in the ceiling directly above the staircase (a friend of mine pulled a Tim Allen and put his foot through the roof at that point -luckily that's all). We repaired the roof from the outside, but now I can't get to the ceiling to repair the ceiling. I don't have a ladder long enough, and even if I did there is no place to firmly anchor the ladder down. (The staircase is fairly narrow) I'm thinking about taking a couple of 2x4's, nailing them into the studs on either side of the staircase and then putting a peice of plywood across making some sort of scaffold. Hopefully someone out there has an easier, safer solution. (Actually, that would be a perfect spot for a skylight lol)

Basically you need three things: 1. a finger plank or scaffolding plank. 2. a folding adjustable ladder. 3. an A frame scaffold or a step ladder.

A finger plank is an adjustable plank that is used by painters, plasterers, and other tradesmen. The folding ladder can be configured to hold one end of the plank on
the stairs. The A frame scaffold (used by stucco masons mainly) or the step ladder will hold the other end of the plank when it's located on the finished floor. All three items can be rented at most major rental yards.