Covering Canterbury and nearby
From shops and surgeries to schools, care homes and private houses, any building in the CT1 and CT2 postcode districts 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.
Council offices, libraries, leisure centres and other public buildings in Canterbury usually buy through procurement rules. Itemised written prices, method statements and the paperwork a buyer needs can all be provided, and the work is carried out by specialist engineers working under our management.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic sliding doors (straight-line distance): Whitstable (6.1 miles), Herne Bay (6.8 miles), Faversham (8.6 miles), Ashford (12.8 miles), Folkestone (14.2 miles), Deal (14.5 miles).
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in Canterbury
- 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.
- 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 Kent, a partial opening mode or a draught lobby is worth considering.
- Business park offices around Canterbury 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.
- 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.
- Older shopfronts in Canterbury 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.
Automatic sliding doors in Canterbury: 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
- 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 Canterbury.
- 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.
Book a survey in Canterbury 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 Canterbury: questions
Do we need consent for a new entrance in Canterbury?
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 is the guide price for automatic sliding doors in Canterbury?
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 Canterbury confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Will a new sliding door in Canterbury 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.
Who checks that a new sliding door in Canterbury 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.
How much disruption should we expect while the work is done in Canterbury?
Most installations take one visit or a short series of visits, with dust and noise kept to the area around the door. The engineer screens off the work area, keeps a route in or out where possible and clears up before leaving. Larger entrances, lobbies or structural changes take longer, and the quote explains how that work is phased.
What happens once the installation in Canterbury is finished?
The engineer tests every function, including the safety sensors and the behaviour on power loss, and sets the door up with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown how to use the controls and which simple checks to make, and you receive the handover documents, including the test record and any conformity paperwork that applies to the work.
Do businesses in Canterbury 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.