Covering Reading and nearby
Homes, businesses and public buildings throughout the RG1, RG6, RG30 and RG31 postcode districts can arrange access control for automatic doors with us. We are the contracting party and organise every visit; the engineer, who works under our management, travels in to Reading for the job rather than working from premises in town.
Older civic and commercial buildings often sit alongside modern blocks in Reading and the surrounding parts of Berkshire. Where a listed building or a conservation area is involved, the owner may need consent from the planning authority before work on the entrance starts.
Nearby towns we also list for access control for automatic doors (straight-line distance): Woodley (3.8 miles), Wokingham (6.6 miles), Crowthorne (9.7 miles), Yateley (9.9 miles), Bracknell (9.9 miles), Sandhurst (11.0 miles).
What to think about for access control for automatic doors in Reading
- Healthcare sites in Reading often control access to wards and staff areas. Think about how visitors, porters and emergency teams will get through at every hour.
- Residential blocks in Reading usually have a managing agent or housing provider who sets the rules for fobs, visitors and fire alarm behaviour. Involve them early.
- Think about lost cards and leavers. A system that lets you remove a card centrally is easier to run than a shared keypad code on a busy site.
- Older automatic doors in Reading may not have inputs for access control. The survey checks this, and an older operator may need upgrading or replacing before readers can be linked.
- Cable routes matter. Running cables between a reader, a controller and the operator through finished walls and ceilings can be a large share of the cost.
Access control for automatic doors in Reading: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £795 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Card or fob reader tied into the door | £795 – £2,495 | per door, ex VAT |
| Intercom or door entry tie-in | from £495 | priced on survey, ex VAT |
| Timed locking and night mode set-up | included with the above | programmed at commissioning |
| Electric lock added to an automatic door | on survey | depends on the door and the lock type |
Standards and rules in England
Building regulations guidance in England (Approved Document M, Volume 2) says a powered opening system should be used where a self-closing entrance door would need more than 30 N at the leading edge to open, or more than 22.5 N between 30° and 60°, and expects external doors used by the public in new buildings to give at least 1000 mm of effective clear width.
Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which can include altering a physical feature such as a heavy entrance door. Fitting an automatic door helps, but does not on its own guarantee those duties are met.
How it works
- Tell us about the entrance. Send the address, a few photos and a rough size of the opening, and say how the door is used. That is enough for us to suggest options for access control for automatic doors and book a survey in Reading.
- Free site survey. A specialist engineer working under our management measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power, and talks through how people use the entrance. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Fixed written quote. You receive a fixed, itemised written quote with the specification, lead time, payment stages and warranty terms. The price does not change unless the scope does, and any change is agreed in writing first.
- Installation and handover. The door is fitted on the agreed dates, then set up, tested and documented with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown the controls and the simple checks to make, and receive the handover paperwork.
Ask for a fixed price on access control for an automatic door in Reading. The quote covers the reader, lock, wiring, testing and handover records.
Access control for automatic doors in Reading: questions
Can you service the door and access control in Reading together?
We can service the door and test the link to the access control on each visit, leaving a written record. Visits are chargeable and priced in writing before anyone attends. If your security installer looks after the system, we can coordinate visits with them.
What is the guide price for access control for automatic doors in Reading?
Our guide starts from £795 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in Reading confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Will our door in Reading still release when the fire alarm sounds?
On an escape route, yes. Locks are wired to release on the fire alarm signal and, where the fire strategy requires it, the door opens and holds open. We test this with your fire alarm contractor at handover and record the result.
Can our door in Reading run on a schedule?
Yes. The door can open freely during opening hours and switch to card or code entry with the lock engaged at night, at weekends and on holiday dates. Staff can override the schedule with a key switch if they need to.
Will the building stay secure while the entrance is being changed?
We plan to keep the entrance usable or secure throughout. Where a door has to come out, the work is sequenced so the opening is closed up before the engineer leaves, or a temporary door or hoarding is arranged when a longer gap cannot be avoided. How this is handled for your site in Reading is agreed before work starts.
Do you service doors in Reading after installing them?
Yes. We recommend a trained engineer checks the safety functions at least once a year, with service intervals set by the manufacturer's instructions and how heavily the door is used; busy doors are often serviced more often. Servicing can follow on from the installation, with the price agreed in writing and a record left after every visit.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Reading?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person for the premises must make sure escape routes work and fire safety equipment is maintained. Automatic doors on an escape route need fail-safe opening or break-out, set by the fire strategy.