Covering Chatham and nearby
We do not keep premises in Chatham. Instead, enquiries about automatic entrance lobbies come to us, we agree the price in writing, and a specialist engineer working under our management travels to the address in the ME4 and ME5 postcode districts on a date that suits the site.
Town-centre buildings in Chatham range from modern units to older shopfronts. Older frontages can have uneven floors, limited head height and timber frames that need checking before an operator is fitted or adjusted, and the engineer looks at these on site.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic entrance lobbies (straight-line distance): Rochester (1.1 miles), Gillingham (1.1 miles), Strood (2.4 miles), Maidstone (7.8 miles), Gravesend (8.0 miles), Sittingbourne (9.2 miles).
What to think about for automatic entrance lobbies in Chatham
- Listed buildings and conservation areas in Chatham 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.
- High street units in Chatham 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.
- Office buildings on business parks in Chatham 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.
- 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.
- Measure the depth you can give the lobby before settling on a layout. A lobby that is too shallow lets both sets open together and loses most of its benefit.
Automatic entrance lobbies in Chatham: 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
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 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.
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 Chatham.
- 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.
Tell us how busy the entrance is and how much space you have in Chatham, and we will plan a lobby around it, beginning with a free site visit.
Automatic entrance lobbies in Chatham: questions
Is a revolving door a better option than a lobby in Chatham?
It can be where space is tight and traffic is steady, because a revolving door seals the entrance at every turn. A revolving door is not accessible on its own, though, so an accessible powered sliding or swing door is needed alongside it. We can price both at survey.
What is the guide price for automatic entrance lobbies in Chatham?
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 Chatham confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can you look after the lobby doors in Chatham after installation?
We can arrange planned servicing for both door sets, checking sequencing, safety sensors and alarm releases at each visit and leaving a written record. Servicing is charged per visit, and the price is confirmed in writing before an engineer comes out.
Will an automatic lobby in Chatham 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 should I send before the survey in Chatham?
A few photos of the door from inside and outside, rough measurements of the opening, the address and a note of how the entrance is used. If the door already has an operator, a photo of any label on it helps. With that, the engineer arrives prepared, the survey takes less of your time and we can put the quote for automatic entrance lobbies together more easily.
What does the free site survey in Chatham 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 automatic entrance lobbies, with drawings where the door type needs them.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Chatham?
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.