Scaffolding doesn't have to be set up by a professional scaffolder and take up a lot of space on the outside of a building.  For shorter term projects a scaffold tower or mobile scaffolding towers fit the bill perfectly.  They are available in small mobile sizes, which fold down to fit in the back of a small van or large car, and can be used indoors, to very tall systems that are designed for use on the exterior of buildings and provide lots of space to work at height.  For long term projects, or projects where the scaffolding needs to be as fixed as possible, it is best to hire in scaffolding which can be erected around the structure being worked on.  These big scaffolds are fixed into the building and are as immoveable as possible.  However, if the cost of this option is too much, and the scaffold needs to be used in more than one location, a mobile scaffolding tower is the way to go.

Mobile work platforms provide a cheaper solution to scaffolding towers, but without all the features of the scaffolding tower, such as guard rails, adjustable platform height and stabilising legs.  There are some cases where a simple work platform will do, but for any job where different heights are involved, or working heights over three metres scaffolding towers are the best option.

The Ugo Razor Deck 200 is a self erecting scaffold tower that is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.  This model is already assembled; it just folds flat when not in use. There are three possible heights this can be set up in, from half a metre to two metres, making this mobile scaffolding tower ideal for indoor use in tasks such as ceiling painting, rewiring and plumbing or ceiling repairs.  Because it is on wheels it can be moved easily around a room as the job progresses, and the stabilisers stop it moving around as well as the locking castors.  It is very easy to use as there are no separate parts, meaning it can't be put together incorrectly. This is very important from a safety point of view.  Another safety feature in the construction is the fact that all extending and setting up is done from the ground, removing the danger of standing on an incomplete scaffolding tower while setting the rest of it up.  Springs built into the construction mean that extending or taking down sections is as easy as possible, so there's no heavy lifting or pushing and pulling parts around; it can be set up in under two minutes by one person.

For domestic DIY use there are affordable simple scaffolding towers available. These can be set up on steps, indoors, outdoors and have a moveable platform that can be set up at nine different heights up the tower (and the larger tower includes two platforms, allowing two people to work on different tasks and different heights all on the same scaffold tower).  This type of tower does require proper assembly, but this has been made as easy as possible for the handyman type.  These aluminium scaffolding towers are made for use around the home for jobs such as painting and repairing window frames, re-pointing brickwork, clearing guttering, trimming back trees that have grown too close to a window, taking down ivy and other household jobs that require a fair bit of height and more stability than a platform step ladder will provide.  Aluminium towers are designed for occasional DIY use rather than regular trade use, as aluminium is not as hard wearing as steel or other alloy metal towers.  The advantage of an aluminium scaffolding tower is the weight; they are lighter than those made from heavy metals.

Folding scaffolding towers are designed for general trade use, which encompasses any activities a handyman, builder, decorator, plumber or electrician might be asked to do.  The shorter ones will fit through doorways when folded down, making them very useful for indoor projects in large spaces.  The taller ones also fold down, hence the term ‘folding scaffolding tower but are not designed for use indoors.  The shortest height available gives a working height or reach of three metres (this model is the base pack, and other units can be added to the base pack depending on the needs of the user) and the tallest offers a working  height or reach of just over seven metres.  Folding scaffolding towers of five metres working height and over are supplied with telescopic stabilisers which extend at an angle from all four corners of the tower.  There is also an option of adjustable leg extensions, which are attached to the bottom of the legs and allow each one to be set at a different height, essential when working on uneven ground such as you might find on a building site or construction project with unfinished floors.  You can even buy extra toeboards and guard rails to complete the kit if these are needed.

Youngman Minimax folding scaffolding towers are available from Midland Ladders. It is an excellent, compact industrial tower system offering everything a tradesperson might need to complete even the tallest job. The MiniMax system is built on a folding base unit with components such as extra frames, platforms, toeboards, hand rails and guard rails, available in pre-packed modules, all of which can be added as needed.  This is a good system to work with as there's no need to splash out on a full kit straight away, and when extra height or extra parts are needed it is easy and cheap to add them as required.  If several people use the same system you can even borrow parts as you need them, which would not be an option with a fixed, non modular system.

The Octo 250 scaffolding tower system is considered the best available for trade and industrial use.  It is sturdily constructed and has very large telescopic stabilisers, as these towers can get very tall indeed.  There are two width options and three length options, meaning the platform area can get quite large on this system, ideal for those jobs where a single platform doesn't give enough space for people and tools.  The working heights possible on this scaffolding tower are more numerous than on other tower systems.  Each end of the tower has cross members set at the same intervals as ladder rungs.  This means it is easy to climb the scaffold tower was well as offering many more height variations than other scaffolding towers where the cross members are set at nearly twice the spacing of ladder rungs.

The Teletower system telescopic scaffolding has the same advantages of the Ugo Razor Deck in that it is all set up from the ground, and can be done by one person in less than three minutes.  The telescopic folding design means that it packs down to a small size and will fit in the back of a large car.  The platform itself can be set at intervals of twenty five centimetres  meaning there is a lot of versatility in the working heights available. The stabilising legs can be set in five different positions and are height adjustable to add extra stability when working on uneven ground. The platform is supported by braces that are built into the design, as are the guard rails around the working platform.  Both of these features need no extra setting up, as they fold out and telescope up as the platform is erected.  The Teletower system is also available in fibreglass for electricians, so for working at height with electrics, this is a more stable and roomy option than a fibreglass platform step ladder.