Can tenant panels be changed easily?

With slide-in or screw-fixed inserts, panel changes are straightforward, although taller totems still need safe access equipment. Many landlords control changes so the layout stays consistent. We can make replacement panels to the same template when a unit is relet.

What makes totem and pylon signs more or less expensive?

Size and quantity come first, then the material or film, any lighting, the height of the work and the equipment needed to reach it, and the state of the surface or old sign being replaced. Against that, the guide for a job in Manchester is £1,950–£9,800 per totem + VAT, confirmed after a survey or artwork check.

What is a CAT scan before digging?

A CAT scan uses a cable avoidance tool, often with a signal generator, to locate buried electricity cables and metal pipes before excavation. Combined with utility records, it reduces the risk of striking a service, and hand digging around anything located is normal practice.

What drawings does the council need for a totem?

Councils usually ask for a location plan, a site plan showing the sign's position, and scaled elevations with dimensions, materials, colours and height above ground. For a lit totem, the illumination method and brightness are usually requested too. We can prepare these drawings and photos for you.

When could work on totem and pylon signs go ahead in Manchester?

Fitting is typically scheduled once three things are in place: you have approved the proof, the materials are made or delivered, and any consent the job needs has been granted. For many jobs that is typically a few weeks from approval; illuminated or larger fabricated signs typically take longer, and consent decisions run to their own timetable.

Is Manchester inside your coverage area for totem and pylon signs?

It is. We work throughout the UK rather than in a single region, so Manchester and every part of Greater Manchester are included. Where a survey is needed we arrange a visit; for graphics jobs we can often quote from photos and measurements. Either way, you get a proof and a written price first.

Totem and pylon signs in Greater Manchester

A totem sign is a free-standing sign on its own foundation, typically 1.5–4 m tall, used at site entrances and car parks to show a business name, tenants or directions where a wall sign won't be seen.

Why choose totem and pylon signs in Greater Manchester?

If your Manchester site entrance is close to a busy junction, keeping the totem outside the visibility splay matters as much as its looks.
Evening guests arriving at Manchester hotels, restaurants and leisure venues find the entrance more easily when the totem is lit.
Landlords letting units in Manchester can keep totems current with spare blank inserts, so a new tenant's panel slots straight in.

Guide prices in Greater Manchester

Here is the price picture for totem and pylon signs in Greater Manchester: a guide of £1,950 to £9,800 per totem, with VAT on top. The rows below give more detail. A survey or artwork check comes first, and then we confirm the price in writing.

Totem & pylon signs in Greater Manchester: guide prices, supplied and fitted
Item	Guide, ex VAT	Inc. VAT (20%)
Totem 1.5–2 m, non-lit	£1,950 – £3,950	£2,340 – £4,740
Totem 2.5–4 m, non-lit	£3,950 – £7,500	£4,740 – £9,000
Illuminated totem (lit panels or letters)	£4,950 – £9,800	£5,940 – £11,760

Guide prices, supplied and installed with foundations and excluding VAT, are £1,950 to £3,950 for a non-lit totem 1.5–2 m tall and £3,950 to £7,500 for a non-lit totem 2.5–4 m tall. An illuminated totem with lit panels or letters is guided at £4,950 to £9,800.

Totem and pylon signs in Greater Manchester: permission and rules

A free-standing totem usually needs express advertisement consent from the council's planning department, especially if it is illuminated, tall or close to a road. In England, decisions usually take up to 8 weeks and consent is normally granted for 5 years. Illuminated totems cannot rely on deemed consent in conservation areas, National Parks, National Landscapes, the Broads or areas of special control. Councils also look at highway safety, so a site plan showing sightlines helps. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own advertisement regulations and application routes. We can prepare the drawings, site plan and photos for an application, or submit it for you.

Options worth considering

Monolith

A solid, block-like form with built-up letters for prestige entrances.

Illuminated totem

Internally lit panels or routed and push-through letters with LED modules.

Multi-tenant totem

A header panel plus slide-in tenant inserts changed as units are let.

Towns in Greater Manchester

Looking for a specific town? Every place listed here falls within our coverage of Greater Manchester for totem and pylon signs; open one to see the details for that town.

Ready when you are. Request a free quote for totem and pylon signs in Greater Manchester and attach whatever you have: snapshots, dimensions, a logo file. We send a scaled drawing, and nothing goes ahead without your sign-off.