Coverage across Bedfordshire
Enquiries about automatic folding doors come to us from right across Bedfordshire, and each one is handled the same way. Specialist automatic door engineers working under our management travel to the address, and we remain your contracting party throughout. The 5 towns we list below are a starting point, not a boundary: villages, business parks and rural sites in between are covered as well.
Towns listed in Bedfordshire: Luton, Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Kempston.
What to think about for automatic folding doors in Bedfordshire
- Fold direction matters. Folding inwards keeps the pavement clear but takes a little space inside the shop; folding outwards suits internal doors where room inside is tight.
- Listed shopfronts and conservation areas in Bedfordshire may need consent for a new entrance. Folding doors with slim frames in a matched colour often keep the character of the frontage.
- Pharmacies in Bedfordshire with queues near the counter may want the door to fold away from the waiting area, with presence sensors set to ignore people standing nearby.
- Terraced shopfronts across Bedfordshire sometimes have timber frames and fascias that need strengthening to carry a header. The survey checks what the operator can be fixed to.
- Busy food and drink outlets in Bedfordshire may want the door to stay folded open in summer and run automatically in winter. Hold-open and automatic modes on the programme switch make that easy.
Automatic folding doors in Bedfordshire: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £5,995 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic folding door, up to about 2 m clear opening | £5,995 – £10,995 | installed, ex VAT |
| Folding door with break-out for an escape route | top of range or on survey | depends on the fire strategy |
| Touch-free switch or push pad, fitted | £145 – £395 | per switch, ex VAT |
| Card or fob reader tied into the door | £795 – £2,495 | per door, ex VAT |
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.
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 folding doors 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 Bedfordshire.
- 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 in Bedfordshire to see the clear width, fold direction and fixed price for automatic folding doors at your premises.
Automatic folding doors in Bedfordshire: questions
Can a folding door in Bedfordshire open with a push button instead of a sensor?
Yes. Many shops use a radar sensor so the door opens as customers approach, but push pads, wave-to-open switches or a key switch can be used instead or as well. Internal doors often use push buttons, so the door only opens when someone needs it.
What do you charge for automatic folding doors in Bedfordshire?
Our guide starts from £5,995 excluding VAT (per door set), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in Bedfordshire confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can you fit the door in Bedfordshire without closing the shop?
Usually. Most folding doors take about a day on site, and we can start early, work in the evening or at a weekend so trading carries on. The opening is secured if work runs past closing time, and any out-of-hours cost is shown separately in the quote.
Do we need permission to change the shop door in Bedfordshire?
It depends on the building. Changing how a shopfront looks may need planning permission, and listed buildings may need listed building consent. Your local planning authority decides. If you rent the unit, the landlord will usually need to approve the work too. We flag both at the survey.
What is the lead time for automatic folding doors in Bedfordshire?
Lead times depend on the door type and what has to be made to order. As a guide, operators and accessible door kits are typically two to four weeks from order, and complete sliding entrances typically four to eight weeks from drawing approval. Curved, revolving and hermetic doors usually take longer. The expected lead time is stated in your quote.
What does the written quote for automatic folding doors in Bedfordshire include?
The quote lists each item separately: the door or equipment, installation, electrical connections where we provide them, removal of anything being replaced, testing and handover. It is a fixed price for the work described, so it does not change unless the scope changes, and any change is agreed with you in writing first.
Do businesses in Bedfordshire 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.