A structural opening was formed in a wall and a sliding door installed and finished, making good the wall on both sides of the new frame.
This photograph shows a sliding door fitted into a newly formed opening, with the surrounding wall made good on both faces. Forming an opening in a load-bearing wall is not a task that can be picked up as a finishing job, and the work shown here was carried out as part of a wider repair to the property.
The sequence starts with making the area safe and confirming what the wall is carrying. Where the opening affects a structural element, a structural engineer assesses the wall and designs the support around the new opening, so the load that used to run through the wall is transferred safely to the new head and cill. Only then is the opening formed and the frame installed.
A sliding door is chosen as often for its practical reasons as its appearance. It needs no swing space in a small room, it keeps the opening clear in a tight corridor, and in a flat or maisonette it can turn a limited width of wall into a usable connection between two spaces without taking floor area away from the room itself.
For a homeowner, a managing agent or a landlord, the important part is what happens to the wall once the door is in. Making good the reveals, the head, the cill and both faces of the wall is what turns an opening into a finished installation, and it is where a great deal of the tidiness of the job is judged. We complete and clean the surrounding area before we leave.
We call you back within 15 minutes to confirm attendance, and confirm access, authority and any purchase order arrangements before the team travels.
The area is made safe and the wall is assessed, with a structural engineer involved wherever the opening affects load-bearing construction.
The scope of the opening, installation and making-good work is confirmed and priced in advance, before any cutting or demolition takes place.
The opening is formed, the door installed and the surrounding wall made good, with a full clean-down before the team leaves.
The practical difference this job makes to the people living in, managing or insuring the property.
Load is transferred properly around the opening rather than relying on the existing wall to carry it.
A sliding leaf gives you a full-width opening without a door swinging into the room.
The reveals, cill and both wall faces are finished properly, so the installation looks deliberate from either room.
Yes, but the wall has to be assessed first. Where the opening affects a structural element, a structural engineer determines the support required around the opening before the work is carried out.
We make good the reveals, the head, the cill and the wall faces either side of the frame, so the area is ready for a final coat of paint. If you would prefer us to complete that final decoration, we can include it in the scope.
The work is usually completed across a small number of visits: making the area safe and assessing the wall, forming the opening and installing the frame, then making good and finishing the surrounding surfaces.
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