New and widened openings for sliding doors across Somerset
A few practical points decide whether sliding doors for new openings suit a particular room and opening:
Turning a Somerset kitchen window into a door to the garden? Check where drains, gullies and air bricks sit outside, because they can affect the new threshold.
Thinking about a wider opening in Somerset but unsure of the size? Mark it out on the wall inside and out with tape, then picture the furniture and the view before you decide.
- Structural calculations are included in the guide price, and the Building Regulations application is handled as part of the project, so you are not left coordinating engineers and inspectors.
- Making good the reveals and head after the steel goes in leaves a square, plumb opening, which is what a precision-made sliding door needs to run smoothly.
- The door is measured from the finished opening rather than from drawings, so it fits the opening as built, not as it was intended to be built.
Guide prices for sliding doors for new openings in Somerset
Use these guide prices to budget for the whole job in Somerset: the door, the steelwork, making good and the engineer's calculations, including VAT. Building Control or warrant fees are charged by the council on top.
| Overall width | Typical panels | Guide price (fitted, inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8 m | 2 panels | £6,995–£7,795 |
| 2.1 m | 2 panels | £7,495–£8,295 |
| 2.4 m | 2 panels | £7,895–£8,895 |
| 6.0 m | 4 panels | £13,295–£15,095 |
Every size is on the sliding doors for new openings page.
Daylight and glass in Somerset
At the latitude of Somerset, the midday sun climbs to about 62° in late June but only about 15° in late December, when daylight lasts around 7 h 52 min against 16 h 35 min in midsummer. A south-facing sliding door for a new opening lets that low winter sun deep into the room; on a west or south elevation, solar-control glass keeps summer afternoons comfortable.
Towns we cover in Somerset
We survey and fit sliding doors for new openings in 17 towns across Somerset, including the BA11, BA16, BA2, BA20, BA4, BA5 postcode districts.
Approvals in England
In England, forming or widening an opening is structural work that needs a Building Regulations application, structural calculations and usually a steel beam on padstones. The new door is also a controlled fitting (U-value 1.4 W/m²K or better if more than 60% glazed). If steelwork bears on a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
Questions about sliding doors for new openings in Somerset
Is the price different in Somerset?
No. Guide prices for sliding doors for new openings are the same across mainland Britain, including Somerset. The fitted price depends on size, system, glass and finish, and any structural work, all fixed in your written quote after survey.
Can you turn a window into a sliding door?
Yes, a window opening can usually be extended down to the floor and often widened to take a sliding door. The work involves removing the masonry below the window, forming a new threshold, and fitting a steel beam or lintel if the opening is widened. Drains, air bricks and floor levels outside need checking, and the work needs a Building Regulations application.
Do I need building regulations to widen a door opening?
Yes, forming or widening an opening is structural work and needs a Building Regulations application in England, supported by structural calculations. Building Control inspects the work, typically including the steel and its bearings. In Scotland a building warrant is needed. Wales and Northern Ireland follow their own building regulations through local authority or district council building control.
Does the Party Wall Act apply to my new opening?
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 (England and Wales) may apply if the new steel beam bears on, or is cut into, a wall you share with a neighbour, as is common in semi-detached and terraced houses. If it applies, you must serve notice on the neighbour before the work starts. A rear wall entirely on your own property is less likely to be affected.