Coverage across the Lothians
Typical clients for automatic sliding doors include businesses, public buildings, care settings and households that rely on a door opening every time. Wherever the address is in the Lothians, the price is set out in writing before work starts, and the job is done by specialist engineers under our management. The towns we list here currently number 15.
Towns listed in the Lothians: Livingston, Musselburgh, Bathgate, Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Broxburn, Mayfield, Linlithgow, Armadale, Dalkeith, Tranent, Whitburn, Dunbar, Prestonpans, Haddington.
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in the Lothians
- Older shopfronts in the Lothians 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.
- 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.
- 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 the Lothians, a partial opening mode or a draught lobby is worth considering.
- 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 the Lothians 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 the Lothians: 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 Scotland
Scottish building standards guidance (the non-domestic Technical Handbook) expects an accessible entrance door to give a clear opening of at least 800 mm, says powered doors improve accessibility as long as they add no new hazard, and expects signage, sensors that hold the door open long enough, and guarding against collision or entrapment.
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 in Scotland must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which can include altering a physical feature such as a heavy entrance door. Most building work in Scotland needs a building warrant before it starts, so new entrances are checked with the local authority verifier first.
How it works
- Send photos and the address. A few pictures of the door from both sides, the address in the Lothians and a note of who uses the entrance help us understand the job before anyone visits the site.
- No-cost survey on site. We arrange a survey at a time that suits the building. The engineer records measurements, fixings and power, plus any constraints such as listed status, opening hours or access for deliveries.
- Itemised quote to approve. We price every element of the work on automatic sliding doors separately in a written quote that you can check, share and approve. Lead time and payment stages are stated, and nothing is ordered until you accept.
- Fit, test and hand over. On the agreed dates the engineer installs the equipment, commissions the operator and tests each safety function. You get a demonstration, the test record and any conformity paperwork that applies to the work.
Ready to replace a heavy door in the Lothians? Tell us the width, the type of building and how busy it gets, and we will take it from there.
Automatic sliding doors in the Lothians: questions
Do we need consent for a new entrance in the Lothians?
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 do you charge for automatic sliding doors in the Lothians?
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 the Lothians 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 the Lothians 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 the Lothians 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.
Can automatic doors be fitted to a listed building in the Lothians?
Often, yes, but listed building consent is normally needed for changes that affect the character of the building, inside or out. Slim operators, concealed fixings and automating the existing door can all reduce the visual impact. Speak to the conservation officer at the local planning authority early; we can provide drawings and specifications to help.
What happens to the old door when a new one is fitted in the Lothians?
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.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in the Lothians?
The person responsible for fire safety under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 for those premises. Scottish guidance allows automatic doors on escape routes only where they fail safely to outward opening or have a monitored fail-safe system that opens them on power failure, sensor failure and fire alarm.