Coverage across the Lothians
Enquiries about automating an existing door come to us from right across the Lothians, and each one is handled the same way. Specialist automatic door engineers working under our management travel to the address, and we remain your contracting party throughout. The 15 towns we list below are a starting point, not a boundary: villages, business parks and rural sites in between are covered as well.
Towns listed in the Lothians: Livingston, Musselburgh, Bathgate, Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Broxburn, Mayfield, Linlithgow, Armadale, Dalkeith, Tranent, Whitburn, Dunbar, Prestonpans, Haddington.
What to think about for automating an existing door in the Lothians
- Power is needed at the head of the door. If there is no supply close by, an electrician will need to run one, ideally hidden in trunking or the wall.
- Schools and community buildings in the Lothians may prefer the work done in holidays or after hours. Ask for any out-of-hours working to be priced in the quote.
- 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.
- 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.
- Shop fronts on high streets in the Lothians often have narrow aluminium frames. The survey checks the transom can carry the operator without flexing, and whether it needs reinforcing.
Automating an existing door in the Lothians: 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 Scotland
Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers in Scotland 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.
Scottish building standards guidance (the non-domestic Technical Handbook) expects an accessible entrance door to give a clear opening of at least 800 mm, says powered doors improve accessibility as long as they add no new hazard, and expects signage, sensors that hold the door open long enough, and guarding against collision or entrapment.
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
- 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 the Lothians.
- 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.
Keep the door you have and make it automatic. Book a free survey in the Lothians and receive a written, itemised quote.
Automating an existing door in the Lothians: questions
Can you automate the existing doors at our building in the Lothians?
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.
What do you charge for automating an existing door in the Lothians?
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 the Lothians confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
How long will our door in the Lothians 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.
Can you automate a front door at a house in the Lothians?
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 payments structured for work in the Lothians?
Payment stages are set out in the quote before you accept it. Larger or made-to-order jobs may involve a deposit and a balance on completion, while smaller jobs may be invoiced once the work is finished. Nothing is charged for the survey itself, and the terms you accept are the terms that apply.
What power supply is needed for automating an existing door in the Lothians?
Most powered doors need a fused spur close to the operator, and some activation and access control devices also need a low-voltage link. The survey checks what is already there. If a new supply is required, the quote says whether we arrange it or your own electrician does, so nothing is left unclear on the day.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in the Lothians?
The person responsible for fire safety under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 for those premises. Scottish guidance allows automatic doors on escape routes only where they fail safely to outward opening or have a monitored fail-safe system that opens them on power failure, sensor failure and fire alarm.