FAQ
Questions people ask before they call
Grouped into repairs, new doors and openers. If yours is not here, the person who answers the phone fixes doors for a living.
Can I open the door if a spring has broken?
Please don’t. A broken spring leaves the full weight of the door, often 70 kg or more, on the cables and the opener. Forcing it strips the opener’s gears and can drop the door. Unplug the opener, leave the door shut and call us.
Why do you replace both springs when only one broke?
They are the same age and have done the same number of cycles, so the second one is rarely far behind. Replacing the pair costs £245 together; replacing them one at a time costs two visits.
Do you charge a call-out fee?
No. We look at the door, tell you what is wrong and give you a fixed price at the door. If you would rather not go ahead, you owe nothing.
How quickly can you come?
Book by 2pm on a weekday and a van is with you the same day, usually within four hours. Saturdays run until 5pm, and on Sundays we come out for doors stuck open or stuck shut.
What does the two-year guarantee cover?
Every part we fit and the work to fit it, for two years from the visit. If something we replaced fails, we come back and fix it free.
How long does a new door take?
Every door is made to measure after a free survey. Up-and-over doors are ready in about a week, roller doors in two, sectional doors in three and side-hinged in five. Fitting itself takes most of a day.
Do I need planning permission?
Replacing a garage door like for like almost never needs it. Listed buildings and conservation areas can be different, so check with your council if your house is in one. We can give you drawings for the application.
Will a new door fit my opening?
Nearly always. Doors are made to the size of your opening, and sectional and roller doors can go behind the opening when the frame is out of square. The survey tells you exactly what will fit.
What happens to my old door?
We take it away on the day for £95 (single) or £135 (double) and recycle the steel. Timber doors go to a reclaim yard where they can.
Do you take a deposit?
We take 25% when you order so the door can go into the factory, and the rest when it is fitted and you are happy with it.
Can you add an opener to my existing door?
Usually, yes. Sectional, up-and-over and side-hinged doors can all take one if the door is balanced and in good order. We check the balance first, because an opener on a heavy door wears out in months.
My opener strains. Is the motor dying?
Rarely. An opener only moves a balanced door the last few kilos; the springs carry the rest. A straining opener nearly always means a spring has weakened. We test the balance before we condemn any motor.
What if there is a power cut?
Every opener we fit has a release cord so you can open the door by hand from inside. For garages with no other way in we fit an outside release lock, or a battery backup for £95.
Can I open the door from my phone?
Yes. Most openers we fit take a small Wi-Fi receiver for £75, so you can open, close and check the door from an app.
Door stuck open, or stuck shut? Ring before 2pm.
Tell us what it is doing and you get the fixed price on the phone. A van with the parts on board is with you the same day.