Coverage across the Highlands
There is no branch to visit in the Highlands; instead, specialist engineers working under our management travel to you. That keeps fire door hold-open devices available across the whole area, including smaller towns and rural addresses. The page for each of the 6 towns we list below sets out nearby places, guide prices and the questions people usually ask.
Towns listed in the Highlands: Inverness, Fort William, Nairn, Thurso, Wick, Portree.
What to think about for fire door hold-open devices in the Highlands
- Think about who tests the fire alarm each week at your building in the Highlands. Adding a walk past the held-open doors to that test is the easiest way to confirm they release.
- Hard-wired magnets need a power supply near each door. In buildings in the Highlands where that is awkward, battery units avoid running new cables along finished corridors.
- Residential blocks often have communal corridor doors that residents prop open. Hold-open devices give the same convenience while letting the doors close when the alarm sounds.
- Care homes in the Highlands usually want bedroom doors that residents can open easily. Free-swing closers suit this, provided the evacuation strategy for the home supports them.
- Doors that open too far from a wall for a wall magnet can use a floor-mounted unit or a magnet on an extension arm. The survey measures where each door rests when open.
Fire door hold-open devices in the Highlands: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £145 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Battery acoustic hold-open unit | £145 – £295 | per door, fitted, ex VAT |
| Hard-wired hold-open magnet linked to the fire alarm | £245 – £595 | per door, ex VAT; alarm panel work extra |
| Free-swing door closer linked to the fire alarm | £395 – £895 | per door, fitted, ex VAT |
Which hold-open device is suitable depends on your fire risk assessment. Linking to the fire alarm may need work by your alarm engineer.
Standards and rules in Scotland
Fire doors that are held open must close automatically when the fire alarm operates. Where hold-open devices can be used is decided by the fire risk assessment, which is the job of the person responsible for fire safety under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.
Hold-open devices and door release units linked to the fire alarm need regular testing as part of the building’s fire safety checks, and the results should be recorded.
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.
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 fire door hold-open devices and book a survey in the Highlands.
- 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.
For care homes, offices and schools in the Highlands, we survey, quote and fit alarm-linked hold-open devices. Get in touch to arrange a time that suits your building.
Fire door hold-open devices in the Highlands: questions
What will the survey in the Highlands look at?
The engineer checks that each door closes and latches from fully open, the condition of the closer and seals, where the door rests when open, nearby power supplies and the alarm panel or radio options. We also ask to see the relevant part of the fire risk assessment, so the quote covers only doors that can be held open.
How are prices worked out for fire door hold-open devices in the Highlands?
Our guide starts from £145 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in the Highlands confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Will you test the hold-open devices before leaving our site in the Highlands?
Yes. Every door is released from fully open and checked to close and latch. Where the alarm connection is complete, the doors are also tested with the alarm itself. You receive a schedule of the doors and devices fitted, ready to keep with your fire safety records and weekly alarm test log.
Do care homes in the Highlands use free-swing closers?
Many do. A free-swing closer lets residents open their bedroom door without pushing against a closer, and it still shuts the door when the fire alarm operates. Whether it suits each room depends on the home's fire risk assessment and evacuation strategy, which we read before recommending any device.
What happens to the old door when a new one is fitted in the Highlands?
If the work replaces an existing door, frame or operator, removal and disposal are listed in the quote. The old door comes out only when the new one is ready to go in, so the opening is not left empty for longer than necessary. Making good to the surrounding wall, floor or ceiling is included where the quote says so.
What does the free site survey in the Highlands 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 fire door hold-open devices, with drawings where the door type needs them.
Is a building warrant needed for a new automatic entrance in the Highlands?
Often, yes. Most building work in Scotland needs a building warrant before it starts, and the non-domestic Technical Handbook sets out what an accessible entrance should provide, including a clear opening of at least 800 mm. We tell you at the survey if your job is likely to need one.