Covering Dunstable and nearby
If your building is in Dunstable, or anywhere in the LU6 postcode district, we can arrange automatic sliding doors. Visits are booked with you in advance, timed around opening hours where that matters, and carried out by engineers who work under our management.
Around Dunstable there is usually a mix of retail parks, business parks and town-centre shops, each with different door needs. A retail park unit may need a wide bi-parting door for trolleys, while a town-centre shop often has a narrow frontage better suited to a single slider or a folding door.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic sliding doors (straight-line distance): Luton (4.5 miles), Leighton Buzzard (6.2 miles), Harpenden (8.5 miles), Berkhamsted (8.8 miles), Hemel Hempstead (9.6 miles), Hitchin (11.0 miles).
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in Dunstable
- Where a building in Dunstable is listed or sits in a conservation area, a new entrance may need consent first. Slim frames, a colour matched to the existing shopfront and careful drawings can all help an application.
- A sloping pavement or uneven threshold in front of a door in Dunstable can stop floor guides working properly. The survey records floor levels, so any levelling is included in the quote rather than discovered on the day.
- Wind blowing straight at an entrance can make sliding leaves drag or cause the door to open when nobody is there. On exposed frontages across Bedfordshire, a partial opening mode or a draught lobby is worth considering.
- Older shopfronts in Dunstable often have a timber or steel frame that was never designed to carry a sliding door header. The survey checks what sits above the opening and whether new support is needed before anything is ordered.
- Schools, libraries and council buildings often prefer installation during holidays or at weekends. That is usually possible, as long as the dates are known when the order is placed and the door can be made in time.
Automatic sliding doors in Dunstable: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: typically £4,495 to £12,995 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single-slide door set, about 1.0 to 1.2 m clear opening | £4,495 – £7,995 | framed aluminium and glass, installed, ex VAT |
| Bi-parting door set, about 2 m clear opening, with side screens | £6,995 – £12,995 | installed, ex VAT |
| Large, full-height or heavy-duty entrances | from £14,995 | Priced on survey |
| Break-out leaves and screens for an escape route | £995 – £3,995 | added to a sliding door, ex VAT |
| 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 |
| Battery backup for power-cut operation | £395 – £695 | 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.
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 Dunstable.
- 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.
Get in touch about automatic sliding doors for your premises in Dunstable. The survey is free, the quote is fixed and you are under no obligation to go ahead.
Automatic sliding doors in Dunstable: questions
Can the old door in Dunstable be removed and taken away?
Yes. Removal of the existing door and frame is listed as a line in the quote, along with making good around the opening. Glass and aluminium are taken away for recycling where possible. If the old door belongs to a landlord, tell us at survey so its removal can be agreed with them before the work is booked.
What do you charge for automatic sliding doors in Dunstable?
Our guide is £4,495 to £12,995 excluding VAT (per door set), the same guide prices we use across the UK. The free site survey in Dunstable confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Do we need consent for a new entrance in Dunstable?
It depends on the building. A change to how a shopfront looks may need planning permission, and listed buildings may need listed building consent. Your local planning authority decides. We flag the question at survey and can provide drawings and product details to support an application if one is needed.
What happens after the sliding door in Dunstable is fitted?
You get a handover pack with the test record, risk assessment and user instructions, and staff are shown the programme switch. From then on the door needs daily checks and planned servicing. We can quote a service arrangement at intervals based on how much the door is used and the risk.
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 Dunstable is agreed before work starts.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Dunstable?
It depends on the building. Tenants usually need the landlord's written consent before changing an entrance, and some changes to a shopfront or external door need planning permission. The survey notes anything that may need consent. We can supply drawings and product details to support an application, but the owner or tenant makes it.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Dunstable?
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.