Covering Lancaster and nearby
From shops and surgeries to schools, care homes and private houses, any building in the LA1 postcode district 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.
Independent businesses in Lancaster often have one entrance and cannot close for long. Work is usually scheduled early, late or on a quiet day, and where a door must be out of use for a period, we plan to keep the entrance usable or secure.
Nearby towns we also list for automating an existing door (straight-line distance): Morecambe (2.9 miles), Heysham (3.8 miles), Fleetwood (12.0 miles), Thornton-Cleveleys (15.0 miles), Poulton-le-Fylde (16.5 miles), Blackpool (18.9 miles).
What to think about for automating an existing door in Lancaster
- 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.
- Shop fronts on high streets in Lancaster often have narrow aluminium frames. The survey checks the transom can carry the operator without flexing, and whether it needs reinforcing.
- Schools and community buildings in Lancaster may prefer the work done in holidays or after hours. Ask for any out-of-hours working to be priced in the quote.
- Doors facing the weather in exposed parts of Lancaster are pushed about by wind. The survey checks whether a low-energy operator will cope or a stronger unit is needed.
- Homes in Lancaster 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.
Automating an existing door in Lancaster: 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.
Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which can include altering a physical feature such as a heavy entrance door. Fitting an automatic door helps, but does not on its own guarantee those duties are met.
How it works
- Describe what you need. Whether the job is automating an existing door for a busy entrance or for a single internal door, a brief description and some photos let us understand it and plan a survey visit in Lancaster.
- Free visit to the site. An engineer working under our management assesses the opening, the existing door and frame, the floor and the electrical supply, and notes any access, consent or timing issues to plan around.
- Your fixed quotation. The quote is fixed for the work it describes and lists each item, including any removal, making good and electrical work. It also states the lead time, the payment stages and the warranty terms.
- Fitting and sign-off. Work goes ahead on dates agreed with you. Once fitted, the door is adjusted and its safety functions are tested and recorded with reference to BS EN 16005, and you are shown how to use it.
Want to automate an existing door in Lancaster? Start with a free survey, and decide once you have the fixed, itemised quote in front of you.
Automating an existing door in Lancaster: questions
Can you automate the existing doors at our building in Lancaster?
In most cases, yes. We check each door at a free survey, including the hinges, frame, glass, locks and power, and then quote a fixed price. If a door is not a good candidate, we explain why and what it would take to fix it, or quote a replacement instead.
Is there a guide price for automating an existing door in Lancaster?
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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster?
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.
How long will our door in Lancaster be out of use?
Usually half a day to a day per door. Where hinges, locks or glass are being changed as well, it can take longer. We plan the work so the building stays usable, and agree any out-of-hours working in the quote.
How do you make sure the door works for disabled visitors in Lancaster?
We look at who uses the entrance: wheelchair users, people with walking aids, parents with buggies and older visitors. That shapes the opening width, the opening speed, the hold-open time and where push pads or sensors go. Service providers and employers have duties to make reasonable adjustments under equality and accessibility law, and an automatic door is a common one.
Can installation in Lancaster 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.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Lancaster?
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.