Installed UK-wide
uPVC doors
uPVC doors for houses, flats over shops and the rear or side entrances of commercial premises, fitted across the UK. They suit openings where low upkeep and a warm, draught-free door matter more than a period look. Every door is made to measure, so we survey the opening and quote in writing.
Consents this work tends to involve
- Planning permissionOccasionally
On a house, a replacement door similar in appearance to the old one is normally permitted development. Flats, Article 4 areas and doors on a shop’s street frontage are treated differently.
- Listed building consentSometimes
Any new door on a listed building needs consent, and uPVC in place of a historic door is seldom accepted.
- Building regulationsOften needed
A replacement door with more than half of its area glazed is building-regulations work: energy performance and safety glass.
An installer’s general guide; your council decides.
Does a new uPVC door need planning permission?
For a house, usually not. Householder permitted development covers replacement doors that look similar to the ones they replace. Three cases fall outside it: flats and maisonettes, which have no householder permitted development rights; houses where the council has made an Article 4 direction, typically in a conservation area, taking the right away; and listed buildings, which need consent whatever the material.
On a commercial building the question is whether the change materially alters how the building looks. A like-for-like back door rarely does. Replacing a timber door on a period frontage with white uPVC can, and in conservation areas councils regularly refuse it.
Who signs off the building regulations?
A door more than half glazed is notifiable. Either the installer belongs to a competent person scheme and self-certifies the job, or the work is notified to the council’s building control before it starts. Ask which route an installer will use before you agree a price, and keep the certificate at the end — a buyer’s solicitor will ask for it when you sell.
What makes one uPVC door more secure than another?
The hardware and the glass, more than the plastic. Look for a multi-point lock that throws hooks or bolts into the frame at several heights, a cylinder rated TS 007 three-star or SS 312 Diamond so it resists snapping, laminated glass in any glazed panel, and a doorset tested to PAS 24.
Standards and regulations
| Reference | What it covers |
|---|---|
| BS 7412 | Specification for windows and doorsets made from PVC-U hollow profiles. |
| PAS 24 | Enhanced security performance of doorsets and windows. |
| TS 007 / SS 312 | Ratings for lock cylinders that resist snapping and other attacks. |
| Approved Document L | Energy performance of replacement doors and windows in existing homes. |
Questions
Is a uPVC door suitable for the back of a shop?
Related
- Composite doors — Heavy, reinforced front doors in period styles, for houses and flats over shops.
- House windows — Replacement double- and triple-glazed windows for homes and flats, in uPVC or aluminium.
- Security doors — Steel doorsets for rear, side and service entrances, rated to a recognised attack standard.