Covering Whitstable and nearby
Addresses anywhere in the CT5 postcode district can book automatic entrance lobbies through us. The engineer who attends works under our management and travels to the site. There is no branch in Whitstable, so the price, the booking and the paperwork all come from one place.
GP surgeries, dental practices and pharmacies in Whitstable often serve older patients and people with limited mobility. A low-energy swing operator, or a gentle sliding door with a push pad, can make a real difference at entrances like these.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic entrance lobbies (straight-line distance): Herne Bay (4.5 miles), Canterbury (6.1 miles), Faversham (6.7 miles), Sittingbourne (12.7 miles), Margate (15.6 miles), Ashford (16.2 miles).
What to think about for automatic entrance lobbies in Whitstable
- Plan for a recessed matting well across the lobby floor. Wet shoes on a hard floor are a slip risk, and loose mats can trip people or upset floor-level sensors.
- 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.
- 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.
- High street units in Whitstable 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 Whitstable 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.
Automatic entrance lobbies in Whitstable: 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
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.
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
- Start with a short enquiry. Use the form, phone or email. Tell us whether the work is a new door, an upgrade or an opener for a home, and we arrange the next step for your site in Whitstable.
- Measured survey. The free survey confirms what will fit and what the entrance needs: opening width, door type, activation, safety sensors and behaviour on power loss or fire alarm, matched to how the building is used.
- Written price, no surprises. A fixed, itemised quote sets out the specification, the work involved, the expected lead time and the warranty terms. You can ask questions or change the specification before accepting it.
- Installed and commissioned. The door is installed with as little disruption as possible, then set up and tested for its hazard zones. Before leaving, the engineer explains the controls and hands over the documents for your records.
Tell us how busy the entrance is and how much space you have in Whitstable, and we will plan a lobby around it, beginning with a free site visit.
Automatic entrance lobbies in Whitstable: questions
Is a revolving door a better option than a lobby in Whitstable?
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 price range should I expect for automatic entrance lobbies in Whitstable?
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 Whitstable 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 Whitstable?
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.
Will our entrance in Whitstable 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.
What happens once the installation in Whitstable 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 should I send before the survey in Whitstable?
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.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Whitstable?
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.