Covering Washington and nearby
From shops and surgeries to schools, care homes and private houses, any building in the NE37 and NE38 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.
Care homes and supported living schemes are spread across Washington and the surrounding area, and their doors have to balance easy access with resident safety. Slow, gentle operation, hold-open devices linked to the fire alarm and controlled exits are typical requirements.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic sliding doors (straight-line distance): Chester-le-Street (3.7 miles), Houghton-le-Spring (4.6 miles), Hebburn (5.0 miles), Sunderland (5.4 miles), Gateshead (5.5 miles), Jarrow (5.7 miles).
What to think about for automatic sliding doors in Washington
- 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 Tyne and Wear, a partial opening mode or a draught lobby is worth considering.
- Entrances in Washington 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.
- 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.
- Business park offices around Washington 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 Washington: 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
- 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 Washington.
- 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.
Send us a photo of the doorway and its postcode, and we will arrange a free site survey in Washington and a fixed, itemised quote for a new sliding entrance.
Automatic sliding doors in Washington: questions
Who checks that a new sliding door in Washington 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 should I budget for automatic sliding doors in Washington?
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 Washington confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can the old door in Washington be removed and taken away?
Yes. Removal of the existing door and frame is listed as a line in the quote, along with making good around the opening. Glass and aluminium are taken away for recycling where possible. If the old door belongs to a landlord, tell us at survey so its removal can be agreed with them before the work is booked.
Will a new sliding door in Washington 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.
What should I send before the survey in Washington?
A few photos of the door from inside and outside, rough measurements of the opening, the address and a note of how the entrance is used. If the door already has an operator, a photo of any label on it helps. With that, the engineer arrives prepared, the survey takes less of your time and we can put the quote for automatic sliding doors together more easily.
Can installation in Washington happen outside opening hours?
Yes. Many shops, surgeries and offices prefer work early in the morning, in the evening or at weekends, when the entrance is quietest. Tell us your constraints when you enquire and they are built into the plan. Any extra cost for out-of-hours work is shown in the written quote rather than added afterwards.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Washington?
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.