Coverage across Berkshire
From large town centres to quiet villages, entrances across Berkshire vary a great deal, and the right approach to automatic sliding doors varies with them. A surgery door used by patients with walking frames needs different settings from a supermarket entrance, so the engineer looks at the actual door first. The towns we list in this area currently number 11.
Towns listed in Berkshire: Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Wokingham, Newbury, Windsor, Crowthorne, Thatcham, Sandhurst, Woodley.
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in Berkshire
- Business park offices around Berkshire often have a reception door that is busy for an hour each morning and quiet for the rest of the day. A timer on the programme switch can lock it out of hours without anyone remembering to.
- 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 Berkshire, a partial opening mode or a draught lobby is worth considering.
- Older shopfronts in Berkshire 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.
- Shops that use a roller shutter at night need the new header to sit below the shutter box and clear of its guide channels. Both are measured at survey so the door and shutter can work together.
- Where a building in Berkshire 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.
Automatic sliding doors in Berkshire: 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.
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 Berkshire.
- 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.
Use the guide price tool for a quick figure, then book a free survey in Berkshire to turn it into a fixed written price you can plan around.
Automatic sliding doors in Berkshire: questions
Can you fit a sliding door in Berkshire outside our opening hours?
Usually, yes. Many shops and surgeries prefer an early start, an evening or a weekend so the entrance stays open during trading. Out-of-hours work is shown as a separate line in the quote, so you can compare it with a weekday installation and choose whichever suits the business better.
What price range should I expect for automatic sliding doors in Berkshire?
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 Berkshire confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
How long will the doorway in Berkshire be out of action?
For a straightforward replacement, the opening is usually secure again by the end of the first day, with the door fully working by the end of the second. Larger shopfront changes take longer. How the doorway will be kept safe and secure overnight is agreed with you before work starts.
Will a new sliding door in Berkshire work with our alarm and access control?
In most cases, yes. The operator can take signals from a fire alarm panel, a card reader, a keypad, an intercom or a timer. Tell us what you have at the survey, and the quote will show the interface work and who is responsible for each connection, whether that is us, your electrician or your alarm company.
What power supply is needed for automatic sliding doors in Berkshire?
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.
How do you make sure the door works for disabled visitors in Berkshire?
We look at who uses the entrance: wheelchair users, people with walking aids, parents with buggies and older visitors. That shapes the opening width, the opening speed, the hold-open time and where push pads or sensors go. Service providers and employers have duties to make reasonable adjustments under equality and accessibility law, and an automatic door is a common one.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Berkshire?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person for the premises must make sure escape routes work and fire safety equipment is maintained. Automatic doors on an escape route need fail-safe opening or break-out, set by the fire strategy.