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.

Can a totem go on a grass verge or soft ground?

Usually, yes, but soft or made-up ground may need a larger or deeper foundation, and the engineer may ask for a trial hole first near trees or recent fill. Verges beside public roads often belong to the highway authority, so check ownership before fixing the position.

Will the location in Cardiff affect the cost of totem and pylon signs?

Location is one factor among several, alongside size, material, access equipment and design time. Our guide range is £1,950–£9,800 per totem + VAT; any travel, parking or access costs for your site in Cardiff are included in the written quote we confirm after a survey or artwork check, so you can see them before you commit.

Could the consent process affect the timing of my job in Cardiff?

It can. Not every job needs an application, but where express consent is required the council's decision typically takes several weeks, and fitting typically waits until it is granted. We check this at the start, so the timetable you receive with your quote allows for consent where it applies, along with the proof approval stage.

What do you need from me to quote for totem and pylon signs in Cardiff?

Photos are the most useful start: the whole frontage, window or vehicle, plus a close-up of the area involved. Add rough measurements, your logo or artwork if you have it, and the address. From that we can say whether a survey visit is needed and send a written quote, followed by a proof for you to approve.

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.

Totem and pylon signs in Cardiff

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.

Reasons to choose totem and pylon signs in Cardiff

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

What totem and pylon signs cost in Cardiff

Pricing for totem and pylon signs is worked out job by job, but the guide range is £1,950 to £9,800 per totem + VAT. The table lists typical options. Your figure is confirmed only after a site survey or a check of the artwork you send.

Totem & pylon signs in Cardiff: 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.

Options for your Cardiff project

Monolith

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

Non-lit totem, 1.5–2 m

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

Illuminated totem

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

Totem and pylon signs in Cardiff: 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.

Covering Cardiff and South Glamorgan

Our service reaches Cardiff and all of South Glamorgan. The first step depends on the job: a site visit for signs that need measuring, fixing or wiring, or a photo-based quote for graphics and lettering where pictures and sizes tell us enough. The Cardiff postcode districts we quote for include CF10, CF11, CF24 and CF23.

Also within reach of Cardiff

If totem and pylon signs could help your business in Cardiff, the quote is free. Send pictures and sizes by form, phone or WhatsApp, and you will have a scaled design to approve before any work goes ahead.

More signs in Cardiff

All sign types in Cardiff · Totem and pylon signs across South Glamorgan

Materials	Aluminium or steel frame, folded powder-coated aluminium cladding, applied or routed graphics
Typical lead time	typically 4–8 weeks after proof approval, plus any consent period
Typical lifespan	Many years for the structure; tenant inserts and graphics replaced as needed