Covering Chichester and nearby
We cover the whole of the PO19 postcode district, along with nearby towns in West Sussex. You book each visit for break-out escape route doors directly with us, and a specialist automatic door engineer working under our management travels to your site on the agreed date.
In Chichester, 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 break-out escape route doors (straight-line distance): Bognor Regis (5.8 miles), Emsworth (6.9 miles), Havant (9.1 miles), Littlehampton (10.6 miles), Waterlooville (11.3 miles), Portsmouth (13.8 miles).
What to think about for break-out escape route doors in Chichester
- Shopping centre units in Chichester usually need landlord approval for a new entrance and for any fire alarm connection. Ask centre management for their fit-out rules early, as they often set working hours and contractor requirements.
- Work on a busy entrance in Chichester is often best done early in the morning, in the evening or over a weekend. Any out-of-hours working is agreed and priced in the written quote rather than added later.
- Hospitals and clinics in Chichester often want break-out entrances tied into the building management and fire alarm systems. Allow time for the alarm contractor to provide a signal and for the estates team to approve the interface.
- Older entrances on high streets in Chichester may have uneven thresholds or sloping pavements. Break-out leaves need a level floor and solid fixing for the bottom pivots, and correcting that can add a day to the work.
- Supermarkets and large stores in Chichester see trolleys, pallets and cleaning machines through the entrance. Those knocks can stiffen or loosen break-out fittings, so set service intervals with that traffic in mind.
Break-out escape route doors in Chichester: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £7,995 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Break-out sliding door set for an escape route | from £7,995 | installed, ex VAT; typically up to £16,995 |
| Converting an existing sliding door to break-out | Priced on survey | depends on the frame, leaves and operator |
| Battery backup for power-cut operation | £395 – £695 | per door, ex VAT |
| Touch-free switch or push pad, fitted | £145 – £395 | per switch, ex VAT |
Standards and rules in England
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.
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
- Get in touch. Call, email or use the form with the address and what you have in mind. If you are not sure which type of door suits, describe the entrance and we will suggest the options worth considering.
- Survey and advice. The survey costs nothing and carries no obligation. The engineer checks the site and explains which options suit the entrance, the people using it and the budget, before anything is priced.
- Quote in writing. You receive a fixed, itemised quote for break-out escape route doors in Chichester, covering equipment, installation, testing and handover, with the lead time and payment stages set out clearly.
- Install, test, explain. The engineer installs and commissions the door, tests the sensors, safety functions and emergency behaviour, and walks you through the controls. The handover pack records what was installed and tested.
Send us the opening size and what your fire strategy asks for, and we will arrange a free survey in Chichester and a fixed, itemised quote for a break-out entrance.
Break-out escape route doors in Chichester: questions
Is a break-out door suitable for an exposed entrance in Chichester?
Usually, yes. Wind pressure on the leaves is one of the things the survey checks, along with which way the entrance faces and how sheltered it is. The break-out fittings and operator settings are chosen so the leaves hold in line in normal weather but still open by hand in an emergency.
What do you charge for break-out escape route doors in Chichester?
Our guide starts from £7,995 excluding VAT (per door set), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in Chichester confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
We have an old sliding door in Chichester. Do we have to replace all of it?
Not always. If the frame and operator can take break-out leaves and parts are still available, a conversion may be possible. If the door is older or its parts are unsupported, replacing the whole entrance is usually more reliable. The survey looks at both and the quote explains the difference.
How long will our entrance in Chichester be out of use?
Usually one to three days on site, depending on the size of the opening and any building or electrical work. Where the entrance is the only way in, we plan the sequence so a temporary door or a partly open entrance can be kept, and agree any out-of-hours working in the quote.
What should I send before the survey in Chichester?
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 break-out escape route doors together more easily.
What does the free site survey in Chichester involve?
An engineer working under our management visits the building, measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power supply, and looks at how people use the entrance. The survey is free and carries no obligation. Afterwards you receive a fixed, itemised written quote for break-out escape route doors, with drawings where the door type needs them.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Chichester?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person for the premises must make sure escape routes work and fire safety equipment is maintained. Automatic doors on an escape route need fail-safe opening or break-out, set by the fire strategy.