Covering Exeter and nearby
Requests for access control for automatic doors in Exeter are handled by us and passed to a specialist engineer working under our management. Coverage includes the EX1, EX2 and EX4 postcode districts: town-centre premises, business and retail sites, public buildings and residential streets alike.
Care homes and supported living schemes are spread across Exeter and the surrounding area, and their doors have to balance easy access with resident safety. Slow, gentle operation, hold-open devices linked to the fire alarm and controlled exits are typical requirements.
Nearby towns we also list for access control for automatic doors (straight-line distance): Exmouth (9.2 miles), Tiverton (12.4 miles), Newton Abbot (14.0 miles), Torquay (18.1 miles), Paignton (20.0 miles), Taunton (27.3 miles).
What to think about for access control for automatic doors in Exeter
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- If you already have an access control system, find out who installed and maintains it. Linking an automatic door is simpler when your security installer is part of the plan.
- Healthcare sites in Exeter often control access to wards and staff areas. Think about how visitors, porters and emergency teams will get through at every hour.
Access control for automatic doors in Exeter: 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
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.
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.
How it works
- Describe what you need. Whether the job is access control for automatic doors for a busy entrance or for a single internal door, a brief description and some photos let us understand it and plan a survey visit in Exeter.
- Free visit to the site. An engineer working under our management assesses the opening, the existing door and frame, the floor and the electrical supply, and notes any access, consent or timing issues to plan around.
- Your fixed quotation. The quote is fixed for the work it describes and lists each item, including any removal, making good and electrical work. It also states the lead time, the payment stages and the warranty terms.
- Fitting and sign-off. Work goes ahead on dates agreed with you. Once fitted, the door is adjusted and its safety functions are tested and recorded with reference to BS EN 16005, and you are shown how to use it.
Book a free survey of your entrance in Exeter, and we will check the operator, the lock and your existing system before quoting.
Access control for automatic doors in Exeter: questions
Will our door in Exeter 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.
How much should I budget for access control for automatic doors in Exeter?
Our guide starts from £795 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in Exeter confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can you fit fob entry to a residential block in Exeter?
Yes. We can fit fob readers and video entry to an automatic communal door, set up so residents use fobs and visitors call the flat. Fire alarm and power-loss behaviour are agreed with the managing agent or housing provider before we commission the door.
Can you add access control to our automatic door in Exeter?
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.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Exeter?
It depends on the building. Tenants usually need the landlord's written consent before changing an entrance, and some changes to a shopfront or external door need planning permission. The survey notes anything that may need consent. We can supply drawings and product details to support an application, but the owner or tenant makes it.
How do you make sure the door works for disabled visitors in Exeter?
We look at who uses the entrance: wheelchair users, people with walking aids, parents with buggies and older visitors. That shapes the opening width, the opening speed, the hold-open time and where push pads or sensors go. Service providers and employers have duties to make reasonable adjustments under equality and accessibility law, and an automatic door is a common one.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Exeter?
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.