Trusted Composite Door Installation Specialists
What Actually Happens When We Fit Your Composite Door
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- 25+ years experience
- Composite door specialists
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The Survey, the Spec and Getting the Measurements Right
Every installation starts with a free survey. One of us comes out, looks at the existing opening, checks the brickwork and the threshold, and measures the aperture itself rather than the old door. That matters more than it sounds. Old doors are often out of square, packed out or badly fitted in the first place, so measuring the door instead of the opening is exactly how you end up with gaps to fill later.
While we are there we go through the spec with you: style, colour, glazing, handle and letterplate finish, threshold type and the locking hardware. If you want to read up on the options before we visit, our composite doors page covers the range in detail. You then get a written price with nothing buried in it, and once you are happy the door goes into manufacture.
There are two ways to work with us. Supply and fit is the usual route, where we source the door, install it and stand behind the whole job. Fitting only is for people who have already bought a door elsewhere and need it put in properly, and we are glad to do that too, though we will want to see the door and the opening before we commit to a date.
- Free survey - no charge, no obligation, and it happens before we quote rather than after
- Measured from the opening - the frame is sized to the brickwork, not to the door currently hanging there
- Spec agreed in writing - colour, glazing, hardware and threshold all listed on the quote so nothing is assumed
- Manufacture time - every door is made to measure, so allow a few weeks between order and fitting date depending on colour and glass
- No deposit - the door is ordered and made before you have paid us anything
Installation Day, Step by Step
We confirm a date and a rough arrival time in advance. All we ask beforehand is that you clear the hallway near the door, move anything breakable off shelves close by and keep pets somewhere safe, because your front door is going to be standing open for part of the day.
After that it is a set sequence, and we work through it in the same order every time. A straightforward single door is normally about half a day. We allow a full day where there is making good to do or the opening needs work first.
- 1. Protect the area - dust sheets go down inside and the new door stays wrapped and out of your way until it is needed
- 2. Old door out - the leaf comes off first, then the old frame is cut and eased out rather than knocked about, which protects your plaster and brickwork
- 3. Opening checked - reveals cleaned back, threshold checked for level and soundness, and anything that would stop the new frame sitting true dealt with there and then
- 4. Frame fitted and packed - the new frame is set square, packed and fixed properly so the door hangs right instead of relying on the hinges to disguise a lean
- 5. Door hung and adjusted - hinges and keep plates set so the door closes with an even seal the whole way round and the locking engages cleanly
- 6. Sealed and weatherproofed - insulated around the frame, then sealed externally so wind and rain stay on the outside where they belong
- 7. Finished off - trims and beads inside and out, threshold or cill detail tidied, and any making good completed
Mess, Weather and Keeping the House Liveable
Taking a front door out makes dust and there is no honest way around that. What we can control is how much of it ends up in the rest of your house. Sheets go down, the old frame is cut out rather than smashed out, and we clear as we go instead of leaving one big pile until the end of the day.
Your house is only genuinely open for a short window in the middle of the job, usually an hour or two while the old frame is out and the new one goes in. We do not start pulling a door out at four in the afternoon and hope for the best. Ordinary British weather does not stop us, but it does change how we sequence things, and an open aperture never sits exposed to driving rain for longer than it takes to get the frame in. In genuinely extreme conditions we would rather move the date than rush a door in badly.
The old door, the old frame, the offcuts and all the packaging leave with us. That is part of the price rather than an extra line on the bill.
- What to move - hallway floor clear, coats and shoes out of the way, anything fragile taken off the wall next to the door
- Pets and children - the door will be open and there will be tools about, so another room is the safest place for them
- What we need - a socket for the tools and somewhere reasonable to park close to the house
- Waste removal - old door, old frame, packaging and offcuts all taken away and disposed of by us
- Left secure - you are never left overnight without a working, locking door
Final Checks, Keys and What the Guarantee Covers
Before we call a job finished we go round it properly. The door is opened and closed repeatedly, the multi-point locking is thrown and tested with the door both open and shut, hinges are adjusted if the seal is not even, and the beads, trims and sealant lines all get a last look over. We would far rather find something while we are stood in your hallway than get a phone call about it a fortnight later.
Then we show you how it all works: the lift and lock handle action, how the cylinder and keys operate, which key is which, and the small amount of upkeep a composite door needs, which is mostly keeping the hinges and cylinder lightly lubricated and not slamming it. Every key goes to you before we leave.
You pay once the door is in and you are happy with it, never before. Our installation work carries a 10-year guarantee and the door itself is covered by the manufacturer's warranty on top of that. After 25 years of trading we are still here to pick the phone up, which is the part of any guarantee that actually counts.
- Operation checked - locking tested open and closed, handle and cylinder both running smoothly
- Seal checked - even compression all the way round, no draught and no rattle
- Finish checked - trims, beads, sealant and any making good looked over with you before we pack up
- Keys handed over - the full set to you, with the locking action demonstrated first
- Guarantee - 10 years on our installation work, with the manufacturer's warranty covering the door itself
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5 star ratedComposite Door Installation
Free survey
no charge, no obligation, and it happens before we quote rather than after
Measured from the opening
the frame is sized to the brickwork, not to the door currently hanging there
Spec agreed in writing
colour, glazing, hardware and threshold all listed on the quote so nothing is assumed
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to install a composite door?
A straightforward single door is normally about half a day from arrival to clean up. We allow a full day where the opening needs work, where there is making good around the frame, or where side panels and a top light are involved. You will be told which of those applies to your job at the survey, not on the morning.
Do I need to be at home while you fit it?
Someone needs to be there at the start to let us in and at the end for the handover and the keys, and it helps if that is the person making the decisions. You do not need to hover over us all day. Plenty of customers get on with their own work in another room.
What do I need to do before you arrive?
Clear the hallway floor by the door, move coats, shoes and anything breakable out of the way, and take pictures or mirrors off the wall right next to the opening. Keep pets and small children in another room for the day. That is genuinely all we ask of you.
Will there be a lot of mess?
There is always some dust when a front door comes out, but we work to keep it contained. Sheets go down inside, the old frame is cut out rather than smashed out, and we clear as we go. The hallway is swept and tidy again before we leave.
Will my house be left open to the weather?
Only for the short period in the middle of the job when the old frame is out and the new one is going in, usually an hour or two. We plan the day so the opening is never sitting exposed for long, and we never start pulling a door out so late that it cannot be finished.
Do you fit composite doors in winter?
Yes, we install all year round. Cold weather is no problem and we simply work quicker through the open stage. Heavy driving rain changes the order we do things in, and in genuinely extreme conditions we would rather rebook than fit a door badly.
Can you install a composite door I bought myself?
Yes, that is our fitting-only service and we do it regularly. We would want to see the door and the opening first so we know the size and the hardware are right, because a door measured by somebody else is the one part of the job we cannot vouch for. Fitting-only work is quoted separately from a supply and fit price.
Do you remove and take away the old door?
We do, and it is included rather than charged as an extra. The old leaf, the old frame, the offcuts and the packaging from the new door all go on the van when we leave. You will not be left with a door propped against the garage waiting for a tip run.
When do I pay for the installation?
When the door is fitted, checked and you are happy with it. We take no deposit at any point, even though every door is made to measure, so we carry the cost of manufacture until the job is done. There is no staged payment and nothing up front.
What happens if the opening needs making good?
It gets picked up at the survey wherever possible, so it is priced in rather than sprung on you mid-job. Old frames sometimes hide tired plaster or a worn threshold underneath, and we make that good as part of finishing the installation. If we find something genuinely unexpected we stop and talk to you before doing anything that changes the price.
Do I need building regulations approval for a replacement front door?
Replacing an external door is controlled work under the building regulations, so the finished job has to meet the current standards for thermal performance and safety glazing. The doors we supply are made to meet those standards. How the work is certified or notified is worth confirming with us directly when we quote, and we will go through what applies to your particular job at the survey.
How long is it between placing the order and fitting day?
Composite doors are made to measure, so allow a few weeks between approving the quote and the fitting date, depending on the colour, glazing and hardware you have chosen. We give you a realistic timescale up front and keep you posted as the date firms up. The fitting itself is then a single visit.
What happens if something is not right after you have gone?
Ring us and we come back. A composite door can occasionally want a small hinge or keep adjustment once it has settled and been through a proper temperature swing, and that is a quick visit rather than a problem. Our installation work is covered by a 10-year guarantee and the door by the manufacturer's warranty.
Composite Door Services
Composite Door Installation Near You
Book a Free Survey, Pay Nothing Up Front
Get your composite door installation surveyed and quoted in writing by PH Windows & Doors. No deposit, no pressure, 10-year guarantee on our work. Call 07900 985699.