Can you work to an opening date in Hawick?

Tell us the date when you enquire and we will say plainly whether it looks realistic. Timescales typically depend on how soon the proof is approved, how long production takes and whether consent is needed, which can take several weeks on its own. We plan around your date where we can, but we do not promise one we cannot control.

Do you work across the Scottish Borders or only in Hawick?

Across all of the Scottish Borders, and the rest of the UK too. Hawick is simply one of the places we list, and enquiries from anywhere nearby follow exactly the same steps: photos or a survey, a scaled proof, a written price, then making and fitting once you sign off the design.

Does the price of totem and pylon signs in Hawick include VAT?

No. Our guide range of £1,950–£9,800 per totem excludes VAT, which is added to the quote. The final figure depends on size, materials, access, removal of existing signage or graphics and the artwork needed, and we confirm it in writing after a survey or once we have checked your files.

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.

Will you need to dig up the car park?

A section of surfacing is broken out where the foundation goes, usually a little larger than the sign base. Once the totem is installed, the surface is reinstated to match as closely as practical. We plan the dig around traffic so the site can stay open where possible.

Who maintains a totem sign?

The site owner or managing agent usually does. Clean the panels a few times a year, check that inserts are secure and base bolts tight, and look for vehicle damage. Lit totems also need the LEDs, drivers and time switch checked, with electrical faults dealt with by an electrician.

Totem and pylon signs in the Scottish Borders

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 the Scottish Borders?

When a business park near Hawick hides its units behind landscaping, an entrance totem tells visitors which turning to take.
On an industrial estate around Hawick with several entrances, directional totems at each junction point deliveries to the right unit.
Schools, surgeries and community buildings in Hawick can use smaller totems at the gate to show names, opening hours and the way in.

Guide prices in the Scottish Borders

Guide prices start from £1,950 and go up to £9,800 per totem, exclusive of VAT. The breakdown below shows where different sizes and options sit. Nothing is final until we have measured up or checked your artwork and sent a written quote.

Totem & pylon signs in the Scottish Borders: 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 the Scottish Borders: 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

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.

Non-lit totem, 1.5–2 m

A compact entrance or forecourt sign in powder-coated aluminium.

Towns in the Scottish Borders

Your town not here? We still cover it. These are the main towns in the Scottish Borders with their own page for totem and pylon signs, each one setting out the same survey, proof and fitting steps.

Tell us where you are in the Scottish Borders and what you need. We quote for totem and pylon signs free of charge, and the design proof always comes before any making or fitting.