Coverage across County Durham
From large town centres to quiet villages, entrances across County Durham vary a great deal, and the right approach to access control for automatic doors varies with them. A surgery door used by patients with walking frames needs different settings from a supermarket entrance, so the engineer looks at the actual door first. The towns we list in this area currently number 13.
Towns listed in County Durham: Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, Chester-le-Street, Billingham, Stanley, Consett, Newton Aycliffe, Bishop Auckland, Seaham, Peterlee, Spennymoor.
What to think about for access control for automatic doors in County Durham
- Decide how the door should behave at each time of day before the survey. Opening hours, cleaning shifts, deliveries and weekend events all affect the schedule the door will follow.
- Doors on escape routes need locks that release on alarm and on power loss. Check the fire strategy, or ask your fire risk assessor, before choosing a lock.
- 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.
- Glass entrances may not have an obvious place for a reader. A post-mounted reader, or one fitted to a side screen, can avoid drilling into the door frame.
- Schools in County Durham often want a remote release at the office and a schedule for drop-off and pick-up times. Agree how the door behaves in a lockdown with your safeguarding lead.
Access control for automatic doors in County Durham: 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
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.
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.
Whoever motorises a manual door, or builds an automatic door from separate parts, may take on the manufacturer’s legal duties for the finished door: a risk assessment, a technical file kept available for the authorities, a Declaration of Conformity, the conformity marking and instructions. You receive the Declaration of Conformity and the instructions at handover. In Great Britain a new or converted powered door must meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 before it is first used, and can carry the UKCA or the CE marking.
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 County Durham.
- 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 County Durham. The quote covers the reader, lock, wiring, testing and handover records.
Access control for automatic doors in County Durham: questions
Can you add access control to our automatic door in County Durham?
In most cases, yes. We check the operator's inputs, the lock options and the cable route at a free survey, then quote a fixed price. We can connect to your existing system or supply a standalone reader or keypad for the door.
How are prices worked out for access control for automatic doors in County Durham?
Our guide starts from £795 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in County Durham confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can our door in County Durham 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.
Our automatic door in County Durham is quite old. Can access control still be added?
Sometimes. Older operators may not have suitable inputs, or may not support an electric lock. The survey checks this, and if the operator needs upgrading first, the quote shows the cost of both, so you can decide. An older door may also benefit from a safety inspection at the same time.
What is the lead time for access control for automatic doors in County Durham?
Lead times depend on the door type and what has to be made to order. As a guide, operators and accessible door kits are typically two to four weeks from order, and complete sliding entrances typically four to eight weeks from drawing approval. Curved, revolving and hermetic doors usually take longer. The expected lead time is stated in your quote.
What happens once the installation in County Durham is finished?
The engineer tests every function, including the safety sensors and the behaviour on power loss, and sets the door up with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown how to use the controls and which simple checks to make, and you receive the handover documents, including the test record and any conformity paperwork that applies to the work.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in County Durham?
In England the guidance is Approved Document M (Volume 2) for access, Approved Document B for fire safety and escape routes, and Approved Document K for glazing and powered doors. A new entrance can count as building work, so building control should be involved before it is ordered.