Coverage across Dorset
From large town centres to quiet villages, entrances across Dorset 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 5.
Towns listed in Dorset: Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Christchurch, Ferndown.
What to think about for access control for automatic doors in Dorset
- 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.
- A video entry system needs a network or cable link between the door and wherever visitors are answered. Check the route before the survey, especially across car parks or between buildings.
- Offices on business parks in Dorset often share entrances between tenants. Agree whose system controls the door, who pays for it and who can add or remove cards.
- Residential blocks in Dorset usually have a managing agent or housing provider who sets the rules for fobs, visitors and fire alarm behaviour. Involve them early.
- 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 Dorset: 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
- Get in touch. Call, email or use the form with the address and what you have in mind. If you are not sure which type of door suits, describe the entrance and we will suggest the options worth considering.
- Survey and advice. The survey costs nothing and carries no obligation. The engineer checks the site and explains which options suit the entrance, the people using it and the budget, before anything is priced.
- Quote in writing. You receive a fixed, itemised quote for access control for automatic doors in Dorset, covering equipment, installation, testing and handover, with the lead time and payment stages set out clearly.
- Install, test, explain. The engineer installs and commissions the door, tests the sensors, safety functions and emergency behaviour, and walks you through the controls. The handover pack records what was installed and tested.
Send us details of your current access control and the door in Dorset, and we will plan how to link the two.
Access control for automatic doors in Dorset: questions
Can you add access control to our automatic door in Dorset?
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.
What is the guide price for access control for automatic doors in Dorset?
Our guide starts from £795 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in Dorset confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Our automatic door in Dorset 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.
Will our door in Dorset 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.
What does the free site survey in Dorset involve?
An engineer working under our management visits the building, measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power supply, and looks at how people use the entrance. The survey is free and carries no obligation. Afterwards you receive a fixed, itemised written quote for access control for automatic doors, with drawings where the door type needs them.
What happens to the old door when a new one is fitted in Dorset?
If the work replaces an existing door, frame or operator, removal and disposal are listed in the quote. The old door comes out only when the new one is ready to go in, so the opening is not left empty for longer than necessary. Making good to the surrounding wall, floor or ceiling is included where the quote says so.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Dorset?
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.