Covering Dover and nearby
From shops and surgeries to schools, care homes and private houses, any building in the CT16 and CT17 postcode districts can be covered for automatic swing doors. Specialist engineers working under our management carry out the work, and you deal with us as the contracting party from start to finish.
Libraries, health centres and council buildings in Dover still need accessible entrances, whatever their size. A single automatic door with a push pad or touch-free switch is often enough to give everyone easy access.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic swing 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 swing doors in Dover
- Double doors with rebated meeting edges need operators that open and close in sequence. The engineer sets this up so the leaves never clash or leave a gap when closed.
- Doors on escape routes in Dover usually open in the direction of escape. If the current door opens the other way, the survey will flag whether it should be changed before the operator is fitted.
- Fire doors need care. The operator must suit the door, keep its fire performance intact and close the door when the alarm sounds, so have the door's labels and records to hand for the survey.
- Check the hinges first. Older doors in Dover often have worn hinges that would fail under an operator, so the survey may recommend heavier hinges or pivots.
- Power comes from a fused spur near the head of the door. In older buildings in Dover with solid walls, allow time for surface trunking or chasing to reach the operator.
Automatic swing doors in Dover: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £2,495 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full-energy operator on an existing single door, with safety sensors | £2,495 – £3,995 | installed, ex VAT |
| Operators on an existing pair of doors | £3,795 – £6,495 | installed, ex VAT |
| New single automatic swing door set (door, frame and operator) | £3,495 – £6,495 | installed, ex VAT |
| New double automatic swing door set | £7,995 – £9,995 | installed, 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 |
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 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.
Book a free survey in Dover, and an engineer will check your doors, hinges and fire labels and recommend the right operator.
Automatic swing doors in Dover: questions
Can our existing doors in Dover be automated?
Usually, if the doors, hinges and frames are in good condition. The survey checks the door weight, the hinges, what the operator will fix to and what sits in the swing path. Where a door is too worn, we will say so and quote a new doorset with the operator fitted instead.
Is there a guide price for automatic swing doors in Dover?
Our guide starts from £2,495 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price 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.
Do you fit low-energy operators in Dover as well?
Yes. Where a door is quieter and used mainly by people who need help opening it, a low-energy operator may be the better choice, as long as a risk assessment shows it is suitable. We compare full-energy and low-energy at the survey and explain the difference in the quote.
Will the swing operator in Dover work with our fire alarm?
It can. Fire doors that are held open must close automatically when the fire alarm operates, and the operator can be linked to the alarm to do this. Other doors can be set to open on alarm where the fire strategy needs it. Your alarm engineer usually makes the panel connection.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Dover?
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.
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.
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.