Covering Canterbury and nearby
From shops and surgeries to schools, care homes and private houses, any building in the CT1 and CT2 postcode districts can be covered for automating an existing door. Specialist engineers working under our management carry out the work, and you deal with us as the contracting party from start to finish.
Business parks around Canterbury tend to have reception doors that see steady rather than heavy traffic, often with access control after hours. A swing or sliding operator linked to a card reader or intercom is a common arrangement for entrances like these.
Nearby towns we also list for automating an existing door (straight-line distance): Whitstable (6.1 miles), Herne Bay (6.8 miles), Faversham (8.6 miles), Ashford (12.8 miles), Folkestone (14.2 miles), Deal (14.5 miles).
What to think about for automating an existing door in Canterbury
- If the door is on an escape route, keep the existing panic or emergency hardware working. The operator should not stop the door opening by hand in an emergency.
- Doors facing the weather in exposed parts of Canterbury are pushed about by wind. The survey checks whether a low-energy operator will cope or a stronger unit is needed.
- 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.
- Homes in Canterbury 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.
- Older buildings in Canterbury 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.
Automating an existing door in Canterbury: 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 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.
Whoever motorises a manual door, or builds an automatic door from separate parts, may take on the manufacturer’s legal duties for the finished door: a risk assessment, a technical file kept available for the authorities, a Declaration of Conformity, the conformity marking and instructions. You receive the Declaration of Conformity and the instructions at handover. 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.
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 automating an existing door in Canterbury, 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.
Keep the door you have and make it automatic. Book a free survey in Canterbury and receive a written, itemised quote.
Automating an existing door in Canterbury: questions
Can you automate a front door at a house in Canterbury?
Yes. Front doors at home are often automated for wheelchair users and people with limited grip, usually with an electric keep or lock so the door locks itself as it closes. Home prices are quoted including VAT, and the survey is free.
How are prices worked out for automating an existing door in Canterbury?
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 Canterbury confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Do you provide the paperwork for an automated door in Canterbury?
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 if our door in Canterbury turns out to need replacing?
Then we will say so and explain why. If you want to go ahead, we can quote a new automatic door, or a new door ready for an operator. If both options are reasonable, we price each so you can choose, and the survey costs nothing either way.
Can automatic doors be fitted to a listed building in Canterbury?
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 once the installation in Canterbury is finished?
The engineer tests every function, including the safety sensors and the behaviour on power loss, and sets the door up with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown how to use the controls and which simple checks to make, and you receive the handover documents, including the test record and any conformity paperwork that applies to the work.
Do businesses in Canterbury have to fit automatic doors?
No law says every building must have automatic doors. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and building regulations guidance in England calls for a powered door where an entrance door would otherwise be too heavy to open. An automatic door is often the simplest way to meet both.