Covering Hythe and nearby
From shops and surgeries to schools, care homes and private houses, any building in the SO45 postcode district can be covered for automatic sliding doors. Specialist engineers working under our management carry out the work, and you deal with us as the contracting party from start to finish.
Doors at quieter sites in Hythe and elsewhere in Hampshire can go many years between checks. A safety inspection looks at how the sensors, closing behaviour and emergency functions are working, and gives you a written record to keep on file.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic sliding doors (straight-line distance): Southampton (3.0 miles), Totton (5.6 miles), Hedge End (5.7 miles), Eastleigh (7.7 miles), Chandler's Ford (8.6 miles), Fareham (9.7 miles).
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in Hythe
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Entrances in Hythe 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.
- Where a building in Hythe 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 Hythe: 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
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.
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.
How it works
- Describe what you need. Whether the job is automatic sliding 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 Hythe.
- 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.
Ready to replace a heavy door in Hythe? Tell us the width, the type of building and how busy it gets, and we will take it from there.
Automatic sliding doors in Hythe: questions
Do we need consent for a new entrance in Hythe?
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.
How are prices worked out for automatic sliding doors in Hythe?
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 Hythe 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 Hythe 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.
Can you fit a sliding door in Hythe 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 is the lead time for automatic sliding doors in Hythe?
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.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Hythe?
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 Hythe?
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.