Shopfront Door Replacement: A Survey Checklist for Installers

Replacing a failed aluminium shopfront door is almost always a time-critical job — the shop wants to reopen, the client wants the bill settled, and the installer is the one standing in the gap. Get the survey right and the fabricator can cut, glaze, and dispatch inside the published lead time. Get one dimension wrong and the whole programme slips by a week.

This is the survey checklist we wish every installer used before placing an order with us. It’s written for the fitter on site, not the end customer.

Before you step on site

Know what you’re dealing with.

• Frame system: is this the original aluminium system or has it been retrofitted? A replacement leaf won’t always drop into a 20-year-old outerframe without adjustment.
• Reason for failure: sagging, dropped hinge, bent leaf, failed closer, broken glass? The failure mode changes whether you need a like-for-like or a spec upgrade.
• Is the outerframe sound? If the outerframe is bowed, rusted through (rare in aluminium, common in steel), or pulling out of the brickwork, you’ll need a full replacement — not just a leaf.
• Current glass spec: single-glazed, 6mm toughened, 24mm IGU, laminated? Match or upgrade — don’t guess.

Core dimensions — measure twice

All dimensions in millimetres. Measure three times and take the smallest.

• Outerframe height (head to threshold, inside face to inside face)
• Outerframe width (jamb to jamb, inside face to inside face)
• Leaf height (top of leaf to bottom of leaf, ignoring threshold gap)
• Leaf width (hinge edge to lock edge)
• Hinge offset (centre of each hinge from top of leaf)
• Lock case height (centre of lock from finished floor)
• Threshold drop (floor finish inside to floor finish outside — critical for wheelchair access and DDA)
• Cill-to-head opening (for the clear structural opening if outerframe is being replaced)

Hardware to record

Photograph and note every piece before removal.

• Closer: make, model, arm type (slide vs. standard), fitted face (top-jamb vs. overhead)
• Lock: hookbolt, deadbolt, panic bar, night latch? Handed (left or right)?
• Hinges: butt, pivot, or continuous? Number fitted? Grade (commercial / heavy-duty)?
• Cylinder: standard, restricted, master-keyed?
• Panic hardware: single-point or multi-point? Touch bar or push pad?
• Threshold: low rebated, mobility, standard upstand?

Glazing & infill

• Leaf glazing: is the leaf bottom a solid panel or glazed right to the floor?
• Sidelight glazing: same question, different panel
• Glass thickness and makeup (e.g. 6mm toughened inner + 6.8mm laminated outer)
• Any graphics, manifestation dots, or client-branded film that needs replicating?

Clearances & access

Often missed, regularly catches out new installers.

• Internal clearance: anything behind the door that restricts swing? Planters, display units, counters?
• External clearance: pavement furniture, ramps, bollards
• Delivery access: can a 2m × 1m leaf get through to the installation point? Or does it need to be split / unglazed?
• Overhead clearance: enough to lift the leaf onto its hinges?

Site conditions

• Weather: is this happening in the wet? You’ll need temporary security (hoarding or boards) while the replacement is in fabrication.
• Operating hours: when can you fit? 24-hour retail and hospitality often restrict install windows to 4am–8am.
• Parking / unloading: realistic window for the delivery vehicle?

Take these photos

• Full elevation of the failed door (from at least 3m back)
• Close-up of every corner of the outerframe (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right)
• Close-up of each hinge, closer, lock, and cylinder
• Any damage / failure mode (document before removal)
• The frame section profile if you can access the top rail (we need to confirm system)
• The inside and outside of the threshold

What we need from you to quote

Once you’ve captured the above, send us:

1. A single PDF or email with labelled photos
2. The dimension list above, in mm
3. Hardware brand and model (if legible) or high-res photos
4. Preferred hardware spec if upgrading
5. Colour (RAL reference if known — otherwise we can match from a sample)
6. Glass spec (thickness, toughened / laminated, any acoustic or solar control requirement)
7. Target delivery date

Get all of that into one submission and we’ll come back with a quote the same day, and a fabrication slot booked against the published lead time for that product line.

Why this matters

Every piece of information missing from the first email adds a day to the quote cycle. A complete survey pack goes from enquiry to dispatch in our published working-day lead time. An incomplete one sits in the pending tray while we chase you for the lock handing or a photo of the closer.

We’ve built our workflow around installers who can survey properly. Our part of the job is to fabricate, glaze, test, and deliver. Your part is to measure, record, and fit. Done right, nobody’s on the phone to the other chasing missing information.

Want this as a downloadable PDF?

We’re putting together a 2-page printable version of this checklist with tick-boxes and photo prompts — something you can keep in the van. Get in touch and we’ll send it over when it’s ready.