Fire exit doors: our service in Reading
We provide fire exit doors in Reading (RG1 and the surrounding postcodes), from the first survey through to a documented handover.
In and around Reading, fire door work covers everything from hotels to care homes. We plan each job around the people who use the building.
Shops, warehouses and schools in Reading each need exit hardware matched to who will use the door in an emergency. Before quoting for an exit door in Reading, we check whether it needs fire resistance, so you only pay for what the strategy requires.
Is every fire exit door a fire door?
Not necessarily. A final exit door leading straight outside often does not need fire resistance, but it must open easily in the direction of escape and be secure the rest of the time. If the exit door also sits in a wall that the fire strategy requires to resist fire, it needs to be a certified fire doorset as well. We check which applies before quoting, so you do not pay for fire resistance you do not need, or miss it where you do.
As standard, the work covers:
- Outside access devices and alarmed options
- Single and double exit doors in steel or timber
- Assessment of whether fire resistance is required
- BS EN 1125 panic hardware or BS EN 179 emergency hardware
Rules and responsibilities in Reading
In Reading, as elsewhere in England, the starting point is the Fire Safety Order 2005: whoever controls a workplace or the shared parts of a residential block must make sure its fire doors work. When doors are replaced, the Building Regulations and Approved Document B set the standard the new work has to meet.
Blocks above 11 metres have a specific routine under regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: quarterly checks of communal fire doors and annual best-endeavours checks of flat front doors. If your Reading building is a higher-risk building under the Building Safety Act 2022, we confirm the approval route with the Principal Accountable Person before any work is ordered.
Who needs fire exit doors in Reading?
Typical settings for fire exit doors include hospitality venues, warehouses and shops. In Reading, as anywhere, the duty holder varies: a responsible person for a workplace, a landlord or managing agent for a block or HMO, or a homeowner after building work. We adjust access, timing and paperwork to suit whoever commissions the work.
How a Reading job runs
- Check the fire strategy and who uses the exit
- Select door type, rating and exit hardware
- Order doorset and hardware set
- Remove the existing door and prepare the opening
- Install, seal and weather the doorset
- Test exit operation, closers and security features
Prices for fire exit doors in Reading
Budget around £1,100–£2,600 per exit doorset with hardware, supplied and fitted, ex VAT for fire exit doors. Our guide prices are the same in Reading as elsewhere; what changes the cost is the doors themselves. Use our guide-price tool for a quick estimate.
Covering Reading and nearby
As well as Reading, we cover neighbouring towns including Lower Earley, Wokingham and Crowthorne. The survey and quote are free.
Questions
Do you cover RG1 and nearby postcodes?
Yes. We cover Reading including RG1, and nearby towns such as Lower Earley and Wokingham. The survey and written quote are free.
What happens on a survey in Reading?
We look at every door in scope: the leaf, frame, gaps, seals, hinges, closer, glazing and how the frame is fixed. You then get a written quote that prices each door separately.
Can a fire exit door be locked?
It can be secured against entry from outside, but it must open from inside without a key whenever the building is occupied. Panic and emergency exit hardware are designed for exactly this.
Do fire exit doors have to open outwards?
Exit doors generally open in the direction of escape, especially where many people use them. Your fire strategy or risk assessment sets the requirement for each door.