Covering Reading and nearby
We cover the whole of the RG1, RG6, RG30 and RG31 postcode districts, along with nearby towns in Berkshire. You book each visit for automatic sliding doors directly with us, and a specialist automatic door engineer working under our management travels to your site on the agreed date.
Mixed-use buildings in Reading, with shops at street level and offices or flats above, often share an entrance or a fire route. Doors in those settings have to suit several users at once, and the managing agent or landlord is usually involved in approving work.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic sliding doors (straight-line distance): Woodley (3.8 miles), Wokingham (6.6 miles), Crowthorne (9.7 miles), Yateley (9.9 miles), Bracknell (9.9 miles), Sandhurst (11.0 miles).
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in Reading
- Care settings in Reading sometimes need a sliding entrance that visitors can use freely while some residents cannot leave unaccompanied. Keypads and programme modes can be set to follow the home's own care policies.
- Surgeries and clinics need wide, easy access for wheelchairs, walking frames and the occasional stretcher. A clear opening of at least 1,000 mm is, in our view, a sensible starting point, and wider still where trolleys or beds pass through.
- Power is needed near the head of the door, usually from a fused spur. If there is no supply nearby, allow for an electrician to run one before the fitting day so the door can be commissioned straight away.
- Business park offices around Reading 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.
Automatic sliding doors in Reading: 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
- Get in touch. Call, email or use the form with the address and what you have in mind. If you are not sure which type of door suits, describe the entrance and we will suggest the options worth considering.
- Survey and advice. The survey costs nothing and carries no obligation. The engineer checks the site and explains which options suit the entrance, the people using it and the budget, before anything is priced.
- Quote in writing. You receive a fixed, itemised quote for automatic sliding doors in Reading, covering equipment, installation, testing and handover, with the lead time and payment stages set out clearly.
- Install, test, explain. The engineer installs and commissions the door, tests the sensors, safety functions and emergency behaviour, and walks you through the controls. The handover pack records what was installed and tested.
Use the guide price tool for a quick figure, then book a free survey in Reading to turn it into a fixed written price you can plan around.
Automatic sliding doors in Reading: questions
Can the old door in Reading 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.
How are prices worked out for automatic sliding doors in Reading?
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 Reading confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can you fit a sliding door in Reading 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 happens after the sliding door in Reading 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.
What does the free site survey in Reading 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 sliding doors, with drawings where the door type needs them.
What power supply is needed for automatic sliding doors in Reading?
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.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Reading?
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.