Covering Barnstaple and nearby
From shops and surgeries to schools, care homes and private houses, any building in the EX31 and EX32 postcode districts can be covered for automatic entrance lobbies. Specialist engineers working under our management carry out the work, and you deal with us as the contracting party from start to finish.
Libraries, health centres and council buildings in Barnstaple still need accessible entrances, whatever their size. A single automatic door with a push pad or touch-free switch is often enough to give everyone easy access.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic entrance lobbies (straight-line distance): Bideford (7.9 miles), Tiverton (27.5 miles).
What to think about for automatic entrance lobbies in Barnstaple
- Where an over-door heater is fitted, check its settings once the lobby is working. Many buildings find the heater can run at a lower setting afterwards.
- Consider deliveries and bulky items. If trolleys or stock come through the front entrance, a switch that holds both sets open for short periods saves staff waiting on the sequencing.
- Office buildings on business parks in Barnstaple often have a reception desk close to the entrance. Keeping the desk out of line with the doors, and making the lobby deep enough, keeps the receptionist out of the draught.
- If the lobby is on an escape route, the fire strategy decides what both door sets do on alarm. Sequencing and interlocks must release so nothing stops people leaving.
- High street units in Barnstaple often have narrow, shallow shop fronts. An internal lobby may take sales space, so a glazed porch or a sliding outer set with a swing inner set can be a better fit.
Automatic entrance lobbies in Barnstaple: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: typically £14,995 to £34,995 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Draught lobby: two sets of automatic sliding doors and glazed screens | £14,995 – £34,995 | doors and screens, installed, ex VAT |
| Lobby with curtain walling or building work | Priced on survey | larger public-sector lobbies have cost £50,000 or more |
| Card or fob reader tied into the door | £795 – £2,495 | per door, ex VAT |
| Battery backup for power-cut operation | £395 – £695 | per door, ex VAT |
Lobby prices cover the doors and glazed screens. Building work, flooring, heating and curtain walling are priced on survey.
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. New entrances and some alterations count as building work, so check with building control before the work is ordered.
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 automatic entrance lobbies 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 Barnstaple.
- 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.
If the front of your building in Barnstaple is cold and draughty, start with a free survey. Nothing is ordered until you accept the written quote.
Automatic entrance lobbies in Barnstaple: questions
Will an automatic lobby in Barnstaple need planning permission?
An internal lobby often leaves the outside of the building unchanged, but a glazed porch or new frontage may need planning permission, and a listed building may need consent for either. We point out likely approvals at survey so they can be sorted before anything is ordered.
What is the guide price for automatic entrance lobbies in Barnstaple?
Our guide is £14,995 to £34,995 excluding VAT (per lobby, doors and screens), the same guide prices we use across the UK. The free site survey in Barnstaple confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Will our entrance in Barnstaple have to close while the lobby is built?
Not for the whole job in most cases. We plan the order of work so one set of doors, or a temporary door, keeps the entrance usable, and agree any out-of-hours working in the quote. A short closure may be needed when the final set is commissioned.
Can the lobby doors in Barnstaple be locked at night?
Yes. The outer set is usually locked out of hours, and the inner set can be locked too. Locks and any access control are wired to release on the fire alarm where the fire strategy requires, and the settings are recorded at handover.
What happens once the installation in Barnstaple 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.
What power supply is needed for automatic entrance lobbies in Barnstaple?
Most powered doors need a fused spur close to the operator, and some activation and access control devices also need a low-voltage link. The survey checks what is already there. If a new supply is required, the quote says whether we arrange it or your own electrician does, so nothing is left unclear on the day.
Do businesses in Barnstaple have to fit automatic doors?
No law says every building must have automatic doors. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and building regulations guidance in England calls for a powered door where an entrance door would otherwise be too heavy to open. An automatic door is often the simplest way to meet both.