A composite door is cut to the number it is given. It cannot be planed down on the doorstep the way a timber door can, and it cannot be sent back. That is the whole reason we send somebody out rather than working from a measurement taken over the phone.
Measure the opening, not the door that is in it
The door hanging there now may have been trimmed by somebody who had run out of patience, or fitted into a frame that was already out of square. What matters is the structural opening: brick to brick across, and from the step up to the underside of the head.
Take the width in three places, top, middle and bottom, and write all three down. Do the same for the height on both sides. Six numbers, and if they are within a few millimetres of each other the opening is square enough to be straightforward.
- Width: brick to brick, not frame to frame.
- Height: finished step or threshold up to the underside of the head.
- Take both in three places and keep all six numbers.
What we do with your numbers
We quote from them. That is all. They tell us whether the door is a standard size or an oversized one, which changes the price, and they tell us whether there is anything odd going on before we send somebody out.
The measurement the door is actually made to is the one our surveyor takes. If yours turns out to be twenty millimetres out, nothing has gone wrong and it costs you nothing, because it was never the number we ordered against.
The things people miss
Check what the floor and the step are going to be by the time the door goes in. A new tiled threshold laid after the door arrives will eat the clearance underneath it, and a door that catches on the floor is the most common reason anybody gets called back.
Look at what is above the door as well. A fanlight, a glazed panel or a shallow arch changes what can be fitted, and it is much better to find that out now than on the morning.
If you are buying supply only
Then the measurement is yours, and so is the risk. We will still tell you if a number looks wrong, but a door made to a measurement you gave us and cut to that size is not something we can take back.
If you are not completely confident, take the fitted route or pay for the survey on its own. It is a great deal cheaper than a door that does not fit.
Still unsure? Send a photograph of the opening with your question.
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