Covering Dover and nearby
Requests for automatic sliding doors in Dover are handled by us and passed to a specialist engineer working under our management. Coverage includes the CT16 and CT17 postcode districts: town-centre premises, business and retail sites, public buildings and residential streets alike.
In Dover, automatic door needs often centre on the high street: independent shops, pharmacies, banks, cafés and estate agents. Frontages are often narrow, so the choice is usually between a compact sliding door, a folding door or a swing operator on the existing door.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic sliding doors (straight-line distance): Folkestone (7.0 miles), Deal (7.8 miles), Canterbury (14.6 miles), Ramsgate (15.2 miles), Broadstairs (17.0 miles), Margate (17.9 miles).
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in Dover
- Business park offices around Dover 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 Kent, a partial opening mode or a draught lobby is worth considering.
- Entrances in Dover 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.
- A sloping pavement or uneven threshold in front of a door in Dover can stop floor guides working properly. The survey records floor levels, so any levelling is included in the quote rather than discovered on the day.
- 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.
Automatic sliding doors in Dover: 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
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.
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
- 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 Dover.
- 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.
Ready to replace a heavy door in Dover? Tell us the width, the type of building and how busy it gets, and we will take it from there.
Automatic sliding doors in Dover: questions
Do we need consent for a new entrance in Dover?
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.
Can you give me a price for automatic sliding doors in Dover?
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 Dover 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 Dover 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.
Do you install automatic sliding doors in Dover?
Yes. We arrange supply and installation throughout Kent, with the work carried out by specialist automatic door engineers working under our management who travel to the site for the survey and the fitting. You deal with one contracting party from quote to handover, and the same arrangement can cover servicing afterwards if you want it.
What happens to the old door when a new one is fitted in Dover?
If the work replaces an existing door, frame or operator, removal and disposal are listed in the quote. The old door comes out only when the new one is ready to go in, so the opening is not left empty for longer than necessary. Making good to the surrounding wall, floor or ceiling is included where the quote says so.
What is the lead time for automatic sliding doors in Dover?
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.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Dover?
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.