Covering Folkestone and nearby
Sites across the CT19 and CT20 postcode districts are visited by specialist automatic door engineers working under our management. They travel to Folkestone for touch-free and push-button activation 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.
Weather matters for entrances that face open car parks, which is common on retail and business parks around Folkestone and elsewhere in Kent. Exposed doors can be pushed by wind and let heat escape, so draught lobbies, good seals and correctly set sensors are worth considering.
Nearby towns we also list for touch-free and push-button activation (straight-line distance): Dover (7.0 miles), Ashford (13.5 miles), Deal (14.1 miles), Canterbury (14.2 miles), Faversham (20.1 miles), Herne Bay (20.2 miles).
What to think about for touch-free and push-button activation in Folkestone
- Clinics and surgeries in Folkestone often want touch-free switches on every door patients use. Sealed switch faces that stand up to cleaning products are worth specifying.
- Think about who should open the door out of hours. A key switch or timer can change the mode at night without affecting how the door works by day.
- Wireless devices need batteries changing from time to time. Choose wired switches for the busiest public doors, and wireless where wiring would be difficult or would spoil a finished wall.
- Keep switch heights and symbols consistent across a site. People with sight loss or memory problems find doors easier when every switch is in the same place.
- Listed buildings in Folkestone may restrict new fixings on historic walls. Wireless switches mounted on posts or glazing can avoid cutting into original fabric, and are easy to move later.
Touch-free and push-button activation in Folkestone: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £145 ex VAT (£174 inc VAT).
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Touch-free switch or push pad, fitted | £145 – £395 | per switch, ex VAT; homes £174 – £474 inc VAT |
| Radio push-button kit | £195 – £495 | buttons and receiver, ex VAT; homes £234 – £594 inc VAT |
| Key switch or programme switch | £145 – £345 | fitted, ex VAT; homes £174 – £414 inc VAT |
| Replacement motion (activation) sensor | £195 – £495 | fitted, ex VAT; homes £234 – £594 inc VAT |
Standards and rules in England
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.
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
- Start with a short enquiry. Use the form, phone or email. Tell us whether the work is a new door, an upgrade or an opener for a home, and we arrange the next step for your site in Folkestone.
- Measured survey. The free survey confirms what will fit and what the entrance needs: opening width, door type, activation, safety sensors and behaviour on power loss or fire alarm, matched to how the building is used.
- Written price, no surprises. A fixed, itemised quote sets out the specification, the work involved, the expected lead time and the warranty terms. You can ask questions or change the specification before accepting it.
- Installed and commissioned. The door is installed with as little disruption as possible, then set up and tested for its hazard zones. Before leaving, the engineer explains the controls and hands over the documents for your records.
For homes in Folkestone, ask about fobs, wristbands and wheelchair switches for your door opener. The home survey is free.
Touch-free and push-button activation in Folkestone: questions
Can you move a push pad that is in the wrong place at our building in Folkestone?
Yes. Moving a pad to a side wall or a post, away from the swinging leaf, often makes a big difference for wheelchair users. We set the new position at survey, quote the work, and test the door with the pad in its new place before we leave.
How much should I budget for touch-free and push-button activation in Folkestone?
Our guide starts from £145 excluding VAT (per switch fitted), the same guide price we use across the UK. For homes that is from £174 including VAT. The free site survey in Folkestone confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Our door in Folkestone keeps opening for passers-by. Can you fix it?
Usually, by adjusting or narrowing the sensor field, or by changing to a switch on that side. If the sensor is old or faulty, it may need replacing. A visit to adjust or replace a sensor is priced in writing before anyone attends, as that is care work.
Can you supply switches for several sites in Folkestone?
Yes. We can survey several doors or buildings and quote each one separately, keeping switch types, heights and symbols the same across all your sites. That makes doors easier to find and use for visitors and staff. Larger orders can be phased site by site.
How are payments structured for work in Folkestone?
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.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Folkestone?
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.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Folkestone?
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.