- Postcode district
- ZE1
- Survey
- Free, area covered by arrangement
- Typical lead time
- Typically 6–8 weeks from survey sign-off
- Guide price
- From £6,595 inc VAT
- Building rules
- Scotland
Is an external pocket sliding door a good fit for your home in Lerwick?
Before you settle on a door type, it helps to know what external pocket sliding doors do well and what to check before you order.
However sheltered or exposed your Lerwick home is, external pocket sliding doors need a drained pocket and a clear external channel so rainwater running along the track never sits inside the wall.
Want the whole width of your Lerwick 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.
- Open panels are hidden inside the wall rather than stacked in view, keeping the opening clean-lined compared with a bifold stack at one side.
- 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.
- Parked inside the wall, open panels are protected from weather and knocks, and garden furniture can sit right up to the edge of the opening.
Sunlight, glass and orientation in Lerwick
Sun angles matter for big glazed doors. Around Lerwick, midday sun reaches about 53° in summer and drops to about 6° in winter. That low winter sun is free heat through south-facing glass; high summer sun is easier to shade with a roof overhang, and solar-control glass helps where there is none.
External pocket sliding doors prices in Lerwick
These figures are for the door supplied and fitted, with the engineer's 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. Your price is fixed in a written quote after survey.
| Overall width | Typical panels | Guide price (fitted, inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 m | 1 panel | £7,095–£8,595 |
| 3.6 m | 2 panels | £9,295–£11,395 |
| 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.
Timescales for external pocket sliding doors in Lerwick
Surveys in the ZE1 district are booked at a time that suits you. Once the opening is ready and measured, manufacture is typically 6–8 weeks from survey sign-off; on fitting day the frame is set level and sealed, and the panels are adjusted so they glide properly. Fitting usually takes 3–5 days of building work to form the opening and pocket, then 1–2 days to fit the door. Lerwick is in an area we cover by arrangement: the survey is still free, and survey dates, delivery and any travel cost for delivery and fitting are confirmed in your quote before you order.
Rules for external pocket sliding doors in Scotland
A new opening in Scotland is warrant work: the council needs structural information for the beam and opening before building starts, and the finished door must meet the Scottish standards.
Choosing the specification
- Colours. Single or dual colour powder coating, so the exposed edge of the panel matches the frame inside and out.
- Threshold. Low or flush thresholds, with the external drainage channel continuing past the pocket.
- 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 Lerwick
Can you match other doors and windows in my Lerwick home?
Usually, yes. Most aluminium and uPVC systems come in standard RAL colours and finishes, and we can quote dual colour where the inside and outside need to differ. Bring photos of existing frames to the survey.
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.
Are external pocket doors secure?
External pocket doors are secure when the panels lock to the frame with multi-point hardware, the glass is laminated, and the pocket is closed off so the panels cannot be reached from outside. Once shut, the front edge of the panel locks into the frame just as on a standard slider. Systems are available tested to PAS 24, and the locking specification is set out in your quote.
How do you maintain rollers inside a wall pocket?
You maintain pocket door rollers through the access panel built into the inside of the pocket wall, which lets the track be vacuumed and the rollers adjusted without opening up the wall. Keep the outside drainage channel clear so water cannot back up into the pocket, and run the panels fully in and out now and then. If a panel starts to rub inside the pocket, a small roller height adjustment through the access panel usually cures it.