Coverage across the Edinburgh area
Not every part of the Edinburgh area is easy to reach, and some sites need planning around access, parking or opening hours. We take that into account when arranging automatic entrance lobbies, and the engineer, working under our management, arrives with what the job is likely to need. The towns below, 3 in all, each have their own page, but any address in the area can be covered.
Towns listed in the Edinburgh area: Edinburgh, South Queensferry, Currie.
What to think about for automatic entrance lobbies in the Edinburgh area
- Surgeries and clinics in the Edinburgh area need lobbies wide and deep enough for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and people with walking frames. Avoid interlocks at public entrances unless there is a strong security reason for them.
- Entrances in the Edinburgh area that face the prevailing wind lose the most heat and take the most rain. A deeper lobby, or a right-angle layout that turns the inner doors away from the wind, makes the biggest difference there.
- 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.
- Listed buildings and conservation areas in the Edinburgh area may limit changes to the frontage. An internal lobby behind the existing doors often keeps the street view unchanged, though consent may still be needed.
- 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.
Automatic entrance lobbies in the Edinburgh area: 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 Scotland
Scottish building standards guidance (the non-domestic Technical Handbook) expects an accessible entrance door to give a clear opening of at least 800 mm, says powered doors improve accessibility as long as they add no new hazard, and expects signage, sensors that hold the door open long enough, and guarding against collision or entrapment.
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. Workplace law (the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992) expects powered doors to have suitable and effective features to stop them trapping anyone and, where needed for safety, to open by hand unless they open automatically if the power fails. Doors at work must also be kept in efficient working order under a suitable system of maintenance.
Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers in Scotland must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which can include altering a physical feature such as a heavy entrance door. Most building work in Scotland needs a building warrant before it starts, so new entrances are checked with the local authority verifier first.
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 the Edinburgh area.
- 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 the Edinburgh area and we will suggest a lobby layout, then send a fixed quote for both door sets and the screens.
Automatic entrance lobbies in the Edinburgh area: questions
Will an automatic lobby in the Edinburgh area 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.
How much should I budget for automatic entrance lobbies in the Edinburgh area?
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 the Edinburgh area confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
How will a lobby cope with the weather in the Edinburgh area?
The survey looks at which way the entrance faces and how exposed it is. In windy or wet spots, a deeper lobby, a right-angle layout or doors with stronger seals and wind settings help. A good matting well deals with the water that still comes in on shoes.
Can you add a lobby to our existing entrance in the Edinburgh area?
Usually, if there is enough depth inside the existing doors or room for a glazed porch outside. We check the space, the floor and the power at the free survey, then quote either an inner set to pair with your current doors or a complete new lobby.
What power supply is needed for automatic entrance lobbies in the Edinburgh area?
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.
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 the Edinburgh area is agreed before work starts.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in the Edinburgh area?
The person responsible for fire safety under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 for those premises. Scottish guidance allows automatic doors on escape routes only where they fail safely to outward opening or have a monitored fail-safe system that opens them on power failure, sensor failure and fire alarm.