Coverage across Dorset
There is no branch to visit in Dorset; instead, specialist engineers working under our management travel to you. That keeps automatic sliding doors available across the whole area, including smaller towns and rural addresses. The page for each of the 5 towns we list below sets out nearby places, guide prices and the questions people usually ask.
Towns listed in Dorset: Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Christchurch, Ferndown.
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in Dorset
- High street entrances with heavy footfall tend to suit bi-parting leaves. They open faster than a single slide for the same clear width, which keeps queues moving at lunchtime and on Saturday afternoons.
- Entrances in Dorset that sit on an escape route need the fire strategy checked before the door is designed, because that decides whether break-out leaves, alarm-linked opening or battery opening are required.
- 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 Dorset, a partial opening mode or a draught lobby is worth considering.
- Older shopfronts in Dorset 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.
- Business park offices around Dorset 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.
Automatic sliding doors in Dorset: 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
- Tell us about the entrance. Send the address, a few photos and a rough size of the opening, and say how the door is used. That is enough for us to suggest options for automatic sliding doors and book a survey in Dorset.
- Free site survey. A specialist engineer working under our management measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power, and talks through how people use the entrance. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Fixed written quote. You receive a fixed, itemised written quote with the specification, lead time, payment stages and warranty terms. The price does not change unless the scope does, and any change is agreed in writing first.
- Installation and handover. The door is fitted on the agreed dates, then set up, tested and documented with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown the controls and the simple checks to make, and receive the handover paperwork.
Book a survey in Dorset and an engineer will measure the opening, check the power and floor, and talk you through the sliding layouts that fit.
Automatic sliding doors in Dorset: questions
How long will the doorway in Dorset 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.
How are prices worked out for automatic sliding doors in Dorset?
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 Dorset confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Who checks that a new sliding door in Dorset is safe?
The installing engineer sets the speeds, forces and sensor zones, tests the door and completes a site-specific risk assessment before handing it over. You keep the test record and the risk assessment for your own files, and they form the baseline for every service visit and inspection after that.
What happens after the sliding door in Dorset 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.
How do you make sure the door works for disabled visitors in Dorset?
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.
Do you service doors in Dorset after installing them?
Yes. We recommend a trained engineer checks the safety functions at least once a year, with service intervals set by the manufacturer's instructions and how heavily the door is used; busy doors are often serviced more often. Servicing can follow on from the installation, with the price agreed in writing and a record left after every visit.
Do businesses in Dorset 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.