Faster to erect than a full scaffold
Access towers and small independent scaffolds go up quickly, getting your team working safely at height without the time or cost of a full wrap-around structure.
Access scaffolding & towers
Access Scaffolding And TowersFor Jobs InHadlow And Beyond
For guttering, signage, inspections, decorating and short-duration jobs, a properly built access tower or small scaffold gets your team safely off the ladder.
Free site survey. Written quote back within one day.
CISRS-carded
Every scaffolder trained and card-checked
£10m insurance
Public and employers' liability cover
Fast response
Day or night for urgent access needs
Price promise
We beat any genuine written quote
The Thompsons Towers standard
Access Scaffolding & Towers Backed By A Team You Can Check
CISRS-carded scaffolders
Every scaffolder trained, carded and checked before they set foot on your property.
£10m public and employers' liability
Full cover in place on every domestic and commercial job we take on.
Free survey, quote in one day
We survey at no charge and send an itemised written quote back within one day.
Six-week hire included
Six weeks of hire as standard, with weekly inspections throughout.
The service
Access scaffolding and towers for shorter-term jobs
Not every job needs a full wrap-around scaffold. Guttering, fascia repairs, signage installation, window cleaning at height, surveys and inspections, or a single day's decorating often just need safe, stable access at one point of the building; that's where a tower or a small independent scaffold does the job properly.
We treat access towers with the same care as a larger contract: a free site survey to check ground conditions and the load the tower needs to take, a written quote back within a day, and CISRS-carded scaffolders building and dismantling it to the same standard as any bigger project.
Towers can be mobile, on castors for jobs that need repositioning across a site, or static and tied where they're supporting work at height for several days. Mason decides which is right for the job based on what's being done and how long access is needed for.
Access scaffolding is also used for smaller commercial jobs; retail signage, shopfront maintenance, external lighting; where a full scaffold wrap would be disproportionate to the work involved, and speed of erection matters as much as the access itself.
As with every job, RAMS are prepared beforehand and the structure is inspected through the hire period, however short, with scaff tags and records available at handover.
Who it's for
Homeowners needing gutter or fascia work, tradespeople doing short-duration jobs, and businesses needing signage, shopfront or lighting access without a full scaffold.
When you need it
Guttering and downpipe repairs, external decorating, signage or lighting installation, surveys and inspections, or any job needing a few days of safe elevated access at a single point.
Why a professional scaffold
A properly assessed and built tower is far safer than extended ladder work, and costs far less than a full scaffold wrap when the job doesn't need one; but it still needs the right survey and build.
What it costs to wait
What goes wrong with ladders and DIY access
Short jobs are exactly where corners get cut on access, because a ladder feels quick and a tower feels like overkill; but falls from height don't scale down with the size of the job.
Falls from ladders on longer jobs
Guttering or fascia work that takes hours rather than minutes is exactly the kind of job where fatigue and repeated ladder movement raise the risk of a fall.
Unstable ground under improvised access
Towers and ladders on uneven or soft ground without proper base checks can tip or sink, and this risk is often missed because the job feels too small to warrant a survey.
Non-compliant access on commercial sites
Businesses using unassessed ladders or hired towers for shopfront or signage work can fall foul of health and safety requirements even on jobs lasting only a day or two.
Mistakes we get called out to fix
- Using a ladder for jobs that really need a stable working platform
- Hiring a tower without checking it's rated for the load and the ground it's standing on
- Skipping a proper survey because the job feels too small to matter
- No RAMS or documentation for short jobs, even on commercial premises
- Moving a mobile tower without locking castors or checking stability first
- Assuming short-duration access doesn't need weekly or period inspection
Our process
From First Call To
Signed-Off Scaffold
01
Free site survey
Mason checks ground conditions, access, and exactly what the tower or small scaffold needs to support before recommending the right structure.
02
Written quote within a day
Katie sends a clear written quote back within one working day, sized fairly to the shorter duration of the job.
03
RAMS prepared
Risk assessments and method statements are put together even for short-duration jobs, so the work is properly documented from the outset.
04
Erection by CISRS-carded scaffolders
The tower or small scaffold is built and, where mobile, castors are locked and stability checked before anyone works from it.
05
Inspection and prompt strike
The structure is inspected for the duration of the hire and struck promptly once the job's complete, keeping disruption to a minimum.
What you get
Specific Outcomes,
Not Vague Promises
Safer than extended ladder work
A stable platform removes the repeated climbing and balance risks that come with ladder-based access on jobs lasting more than an hour or two.
Right-sized and durable for the job
Whether static or mobile, the tower is matched to the load, height and ground conditions of the actual job, so it stays sound for however long the work takes.
Fairly priced for shorter jobs
We beat any genuine written scaffolding quote, and pricing reflects the smaller scale of tower and short-access work rather than a full scaffold rate.
CISRS-trained scaffolders, every time
Even a small tower is built and dismantled by CISRS-carded, CITB-trained scaffolders, so short jobs get the same standard of care as larger contracts.
Documented and inspected regardless of size
RAMS and inspection records are produced for tower and short-duration access just as they are for larger jobs, giving homeowners and businesses the same paper trail.
In detail
How access scaffolding and towers are chosen and built
Getting access right for a short job is about matching the structure to the task; height, load, ground and duration; rather than defaulting to whatever's quickest to hire.
Materials used
Access towers are typically aluminium system towers, chosen for their light weight and speed of assembly, with locking castors fitted where mobility is needed on site. For jobs needing a fixed structure over several days, a small independent scaffold in steel tube and fitting may suit better, particularly where higher loads or a wider working platform are needed.
Guard rails, toe boards and stabilisers are fitted to whichever structure is used, and base plates or sole boards are added where ground conditions need spreading the load, a step that's easy to skip on smaller jobs but just as important as on a full scaffold.
Methods and approach
Mason's site survey establishes ground conditions, the height needed, and whether the job calls for a static or mobile structure before anything is booked in. That decision shapes everything from base plate use to whether castors are fitted, and gets the tower right first time rather than needing a swap partway through the job.
Even on short-duration jobs, erection follows the same checked process as a larger scaffold; built by CISRS-carded scaffolders, inspected before use, and with castors locked and stability confirmed before anyone climbs on a mobile tower.
Service variations
Mobile towers on castors suit jobs needing repositioning across a facade; gutter clearing along a long run, for example; while static towers tied to the building suit fixed-point work like a single chimney stack or dormer repair.
For slightly larger short jobs, a small independent scaffold rather than a tower may be the better fit, giving a wider platform for two or three people working together, still sized and priced appropriately for the shorter duration.
Situations it applies to
Guttering, fascia and soffit repairs, external decorating, window cleaning at height, chimney or aerial inspections, and short signage or lighting installations are all typical access tower jobs across Kent.
It also covers situations where a fuller scaffold has already come down but one more short task needs doing, a final inspection, a small repair spotted late; without needing to re-erect the whole structure.
Residential vs commercial differences
Domestic tower jobs are usually single-point access; one gable end, one gutter run, one chimney; planned around a household's use of the garden or driveway while the tower is in place.
Commercial access work more often involves public-facing considerations, such as pavement or shopfront safety during signage or lighting work, and may need to be scheduled outside trading hours to minimise disruption to customers and passers-by.
Common questions
Access Scaffolding & Towers
Questions Answered
Still unsure? Ring 07355 037000 and speak to Katie or Mason directly.
How much does an access tower or small scaffold cost?+
Pricing reflects the smaller scale of tower and short-access work rather than a full scaffold rate. A free site survey lets us quote accurately, and we'll beat any genuine written quote you've already had.
How quickly can a tower be put up?+
Towers erect faster than a full scaffold wrap, and once the free survey and written quote are done, CISRS-carded scaffolders can usually have it up promptly. For urgent needs, we answer the phone out of hours and aim for a fast response, day or night.
What's the process for booking access scaffolding?+
Mason surveys the site to check ground conditions and the load required, Katie sends a written quote within a day, then RAMS are prepared before erection by CISRS-carded scaffolders.
Is a small tower job still guaranteed and insured?+
Yes; every structure we put up, however small, is guaranteed secure, safe and fit for its intended purpose, and covered by £10 million public liability and £10 million employers' liability insurance.
How long can a tower or small scaffold stay up?+
It's sized to the job, whether that's a single day or a few weeks, with a six-week hire period included as standard for anything running longer, and honest pricing if an extension's needed.
Do you provide paperwork for short-duration access jobs?+
Yes: RAMS are prepared and inspection records kept even for short jobs, with scaff tags and documentation handed over at the end just as on larger contracts.
What's the difference between a tower and a small scaffold?+
A tower, often mobile on castors, suits single-point or repositioned access for lighter jobs, while a small independent scaffold gives a wider fixed platform for slightly larger or multi-person tasks.
Do you offer access scaffolding across Kent?+
Yes, across Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Hadlow, Kings Hill, Paddock Wood, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Gravesend and into London, covering Kent, Sussex and London.
Related scaffolding services
See every service on the scaffolding services overview or read more about Thompsons Towers.
Areas we cover
- Tonbridge
- Tunbridge Wells
- Hadlow
- Kings Hill
- Paddock Wood
- Maidstone
- Sevenoaks
- Ashford
- Canterbury
- Dartford
- Gravesend
- London
Postcode not listed? Check our coverage or ring the office.
Free survey · Quote in one day
Need access
for a shorter job?
Book a free site survey and we'll have a written quote back to you within one day.
- CISRS-carded scaffolders
- £10m public & employers' liability
- RAMS, scaff tags & inspections
- Six-week hire included as standard
Opening hours
- Monday9am – 5pm
- Tuesday9am – 5pm
- Wednesday9am – 5pm
- Thursday9am – 5pm
- Friday9am – 5pm
- Saturday9am – 5pm
- SundayClosed
Phone answered out of hours for emergencies.