- Postcode district
- PO16
- Survey
- Free for new and replacement doors
- Typical lead time
- Typically 6–8 weeks from survey sign-off
- Guide price
- From £6,595 inc VAT
- Nearby
- Gosport, Portsmouth, Waterlooville
- Building rules
- England
Is an external pocket sliding door a good fit for your home in Fareham?
The right door depends on the opening, the room and the way you use the garden. Here is how external pocket sliding doors tend to work out in practice:
Want the whole width of your Fareham kitchen open to the garden but prefer the look of sliders to bifolds? A pocket gives you both, at the cost of more building work.
Solid brick, cavity block or timber frame: the way your Fareham wall is built decides how the pocket is formed, which is why the survey looks at it closely.
- A lined and drained pocket carries rainwater running along the track out of the wall, protecting the structure as well as the rollers.
- When closed, a pocket door looks like a large-paned slider, with slim meeting stiles and plenty of glass instead of the many frames of a folding door.
- Pockets can be formed on one side or both, so a wide opening can part in the middle with panels sliding away in each direction.
Sunlight, glass and orientation in Fareham
At the latitude of Fareham, the midday sun climbs to about 63° in late June but only about 16° in late December, when daylight lasts around 7 h 56 min against 16 h 31 min in midsummer. A south-facing external pocket sliding door lets that low winter sun deep into the room; on a west or south elevation, solar-control glass keeps summer afternoons comfortable.
Typical costs for external pocket sliding doors around Fareham
Guide prices include the door, fitting and structural calculations, including VAT. They include forming the opening and the pocket in the wall; Building Control fees are set by your council and are extra.
| Overall width | Typical panels | Guide price (fitted, inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 m | 2 panels | £7,495–£9,195 |
| 4.0 m | 2 panels | £9,895–£12,095 |
| 6.0 m | 3 panels | £12,895–£15,795 |
See every size on the external pocket sliding doors page or try the guide price tool.
What happens when you order external pocket sliding doors in Fareham?
Here is the usual sequence in Fareham: guide price, free survey, written quote, any building work, then manufacture (typically 6–8 weeks from survey sign-off). Fitting typically takes 3–5 days of building work to form the opening and pocket, then 1–2 days to fit the door. Nearby, we also survey in Gosport, Portsmouth and Waterlooville.
Rules for external pocket sliding doors 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.
Choosing the specification
- Internal finish. Plastered, panelled or tiled finishes on the pocket wall, with the access panel set discreetly into it.
- Colours. Single or dual colour powder coating, so the exposed edge of the panel matches the frame inside and out.
- Pocket side. A single pocket to one side, or pockets on both sides so a wide door parts in the middle.
Questions about external pocket sliding doors in Fareham
Do you fit external pocket sliding doors in Fareham?
Yes. We survey and fit external pocket sliding doors in Fareham and across Hampshire, including nearby Gosport and Portsmouth. Start with a guide price online or call us, and we will arrange a free survey for a new or replacement door.
How wide can an external pocket sliding door be?
An external pocket sliding door in our range typically gives a clear opening of about 1.8 m to 6 m, using one panel at the narrow end and two or three panels on wider doors. Wider openings usually use pockets on both sides, or a multi-track pocket so the panels stack inside the wall. Sizes are confirmed after survey and the engineer's design.
How much wall do I need for an external pocket door?
An external pocket door needs a clear length of wall beside the opening at least as long as the panels that slide into it, plus a little for the frame. For a single 2 m panel that means just over 2 m of wall with no windows, radiators, sockets or pipes in it. A two-sided pocket splits the panels between both sides, so each side needs less length.
Do external pocket doors need Building Regulations approval?
External pocket doors need Building Regulations approval in England, because forming the opening and pocket is structural work needing an application, structural calculations (included in our guide prices), and usually a steel beam or lintel. If the steel bears on a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 (England and Wales) may apply. Scotland needs a building warrant; Wales and Northern Ireland have their own building control rules.