Front door replacement. Who to install? Regs/Fensa required?

andrew-b

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olibrofiz

Hi Andrew, haven't got any answers for you but I'll watch with interest as I want to replace my front door. Old 1900 terraced house - need a new wood frame and door (d/g not appropriate cos it's in a village). Had two people out in the summer to have a look - carpenter and builder , both quoted £200-£300 to make and fit new frame and hang door, this was with me providing door and accessories. Hadn't thought about FENSA.

danuk

olibrofiz wrote: »

Hi Andrew, haven't got any answers for you but I'll watch with interest as I want to replace my front door. Old 1900 terraced house - need a new wood frame and door (d/g not appropriate cos it's in a village). Had two people out in the summer to have a look - carpenter and builder , both quoted £200-£300 to make and fit new frame and hang door, this was with me providing door and accessories. Hadn't thought about FENSA.

also no help but i too want to replace my old wooden door with a nice new wooden one so will watch with interest.........

dazzareece

1st post I work for FENSA. I cant comment on price or design but I can confirm you only need building regs or a FENSA certificate if the door you replace has 50% or more total glass area or if the door has top/side lights or decorative side panels as they are classified as windows which require registration.

www.fensa.org.uk

amaseal

I have a 1930s house with a upvc door. I did look for a good wooden door, the only new ones that I liked were from http://www.bigwoodendoors.co.uk/
I found it cheaper to buy an old one one on ebay ( still over £220) and I am replacing the stained glass myself. I have a quote from a joiner to fit it with a side window for £500. It costs £60 for building regs approval but I probably won't bother. I already have run into trouble with a window replaced with doors in the kitchen. The Building Inspector said that the Pilkington K glass is a grade below what is required for new doors, I imagine all sorts of problems with stained glass too.
I realise that we will need to pay for indemnity cover if we sell up.

Homestyle_Improvements

Andy,

Your right traditional PVC front doors are more for looking good & being maintenance free than security. They are sold with very good locking sets but they are only held in the door frame with a small bead, granted we do sell & install these door's if that is what the customer wants but we would rather install a composite pvc door made by Rockdoor.

They have all the maintenance free & looks that pvc have but they also have the strength & security of a timber door. There are wide range of designs & colours to pick from too.

They are a touch dearer than its competitors but are worth the investment.

1) Where is the best place to buy a decent quality wooden door and frame? Are Wickes or B&Q wooden doors decent quality? Or should i go elsewhere? Online or otherwise? My preference would be for a complete pre-hung doorset - assuming it's a standard size door opening.

Find a local hardwood specialist

2) Who would be the best tradesmen to fit such a door? Joiner/carpenter? Builder?

A Joiner or carpenter would be the best bet as they should give it a good finish when it comes to chiseling out for locks ect

3) How much should i expect to pay for removal of old door and frame, and installation of frame and door - including locks.

Anything between £450 & £850 for a good door fitted by a pro

4) How long is it likely to take?

1/2 a day to a day

5) Is it DIY-able within a day or would i be best off getting a professional to carry out installation

If you have a good idea what your doing around the house & have the tools then have a try but i would not recommend it incase you have a mishap & end up paying for it twice :-)


Good luck!

Steve (Homestyle)

thebaldwindowfitter

Homestyle_Improvements wrote: »

Andy,

Your right traditional PVC front doors are more for looking good & being maintenance free than security. They are sold with very good locking sets but they are only held in the door frame with a small bead, granted we do sell & install these door's if that is what the customer wants but we would rather install a composite pvc door made by Rockdoor.


Steve (Homestyle)

:rotfl:
i suggest you change your supplier then .we fit both upvc doors and rockdoors and there is no difference in the way the locking mechanism fastens into the frame infact staff at rockdoor have made comment on the yale mechanism we use as to how secure it is in the frame just as the winkhaus mechanism rockdoor use.agreed rockdoors are far superior though and we use gap panels made by rockdoors parent company

Homestyle_Improvements

a6windows wrote: »

:rotfl:
i suggest you change your supplier then .we fit both upvc doors and rockdoors and there is no difference in the way the locking mechanism fastens into the frame infact staff at rockdoor have made comment on the yale mechanism we use as to how secure it is in the frame just as the winkhaus mechanism rockdoor use.agreed rockdoors are far superior though and we use gap panels made by rockdoors parent company

the sets are fine & use the same panel supplier, i was just pointing out that the panel is only held in the frame by the internal bead so a composite door is better choice if security is at the top of the list

[Deleted User]

We bought a new oak door and frame online and had it fitted by a local carpenter. Fitting alone was £250 (took 2 days).

thebaldwindowfitter

Homestyle_Improvements wrote: »

Andy,

They are sold with very good locking sets but they are only held in the door frame with a small bead,


Good luck!

Steve (Homestyle)

thats not how it reads there is no mention of panel only the locking mechanism.Panel is held in the sash with a bead (not the frame) and in 19 years of business i have never known the bead holding the panel in giving up and only 3 panels broken into one was hit by a 13kg gas bottle repeatedly in broad daylight and the others the glass was removed /smashed

a11waysindebt

andrew-b wrote: »

Sorry to bump an old thread but i never got this one sorted.

Today my key got jammed in the eurocylinder of the current uPVC door - something which is becoming quite a regular occurrence. Of course the obvious solution would be change the lock but someone has mangled up the head of the screw holding the lock in position so i'm waiting for some screw extractors that i won on ebay so i can replace it.


Andy

I would have just hit the lock with a good lump hammer and chisel.Then use the new lock to open door.or better still depending on what locks are on it use a screwdriver around 12 to 15 inches from the bottom of the door to open the locks.

Most of the locks are crap anyway.