Covering Belfast and nearby
Sites across the BT1, BT2, BT6, BT7, BT12 and BT13 postcode districts are visited by specialist automatic door engineers working under our management. They travel to Belfast for automating an existing door as bookings come in, so dates depend on the diary rather than a fixed local team, and we give you the earliest date we can offer when you book.
Hospitals, universities and large public buildings in and around Belfast often have dozens of automatic doors on one estate, from main entrances to ward and corridor doors. Grouping surveys, servicing and inspections across a site keeps records in one place and visits efficient.
Nearby towns we also list for automating an existing door (straight-line distance): Newtownabbey (4.4 miles), Holywood (5.0 miles), Dundonald (5.1 miles), Lisburn (6.7 miles), Comber (8.0 miles), Newtownards (9.4 miles).
What to think about for automating an existing door in Belfast
- Find out whether the door is a fire door. If it is, the operator must suit fire doors and be wired so the door closes when the alarm sounds.
- Think about how the door is locked. If it is locked by key every night, an electric lock or keep may be worth adding so the door can be secured without switching the operator off.
- Older buildings in Belfast often have heavy timber doors on floor springs. Some floor springs can be adapted, but many need replacing with hinges, which adds to the cost.
- Homes in Belfast with uPVC or composite doors can usually be automated, but the multipoint lock needs to work smoothly first. A stiff lock is best fixed before fitting.
- Glass in a door that will be automated should be safety glass. Older doors in Belfast may have panes that need replacing before the work goes ahead.
Automating an existing door in Belfast: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £1,795 ex VAT (£2,154 inc VAT).
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Low-energy operator on an existing swing door | £1,795 – £2,995 | installed, ex VAT; homes £2,154 – £3,594 inc VAT |
| Full-energy operator on an existing swing door, with safety sensors | £2,495 – £3,995 | installed, ex VAT; homes £2,994 – £4,794 inc VAT |
| Operators on an existing pair of swing doors | £3,795 – £6,495 | installed, ex VAT; homes £4,554 – £7,794 inc VAT |
| Automating an existing manual sliding door or screen | £2,995 – £5,495 | installed, ex VAT; homes £3,594 – £6,594 inc VAT |
Standards and rules in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, disability access duties come from the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, because the Equality Act 2010 does not apply there. Service providers and employers are expected to make reasonable adjustments, and an automatic door is a common one at entrances. Fitting an automatic door helps, but does not on its own guarantee those duties are met.
The Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 require a powered door to have a means to prevent it trapping anyone and a means to open it if the power fails. Guidance on access to buildings is in Technical Booklet R, and building control approval is needed for new entrances.
How it works
- Tell us about the entrance. Send the address, a few photos and a rough size of the opening, and say how the door is used. That is enough for us to suggest options for automating an existing door and book a survey in Belfast.
- Free site survey. A specialist engineer working under our management measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power, and talks through how people use the entrance. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Fixed written quote. You receive a fixed, itemised written quote with the specification, lead time, payment stages and warranty terms. The price does not change unless the scope does, and any change is agreed in writing first.
- Installation and handover. The door is fitted on the agreed dates, then set up, tested and documented with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown the controls and the simple checks to make, and receive the handover paperwork.
Keep the door you have and make it automatic. Book a free survey in Belfast and receive a written, itemised quote.
Automating an existing door in Belfast: questions
Do you provide the paperwork for an automated door in Belfast?
Yes. Motorising a manual door brings manufacturer's duties for the completed powered door, so when we automate a door we provide the risk assessment, test record, settings and conformity paperwork at handover. Keep them with your building records, as insurers, inspectors and future service engineers may ask to see them.
What will automating an existing door in Belfast cost?
Our guide starts from £1,795 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. For homes that is from £2,154 including VAT. The free site survey in Belfast confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can you automate a fire door at our premises in Belfast?
Usually, using an operator designed for fire doors and wired to the fire alarm so the door closes when the alarm operates. We check the door's rating and condition first. A fire door that does not close and seal properly needs repairing before an operator goes on.
Can you look after the door in Belfast once it is automated?
Yes. We can arrange servicing at intervals that suit how much the door is used, with the operator, safety devices and hinges checked and a written record left. Each visit has its price confirmed in writing before an engineer attends.
What does the free site survey in Belfast 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 automating an existing door, with drawings where the door type needs them.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Belfast?
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 do the building regulations in Northern Ireland say about powered doors?
The Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 require a powered door to have a means to prevent it trapping anyone and a means to open it if the power fails. Guidance on access is in Technical Booklet R, and new entrances need building control approval.