Shopfront Door Replacement: A Survey Checklist for Installers

Replacing a failed aluminium shopfront door starts with deciding whether the opening needs hardware, a replacement leaf or a complete doorset. A clean survey lets the fabricator price the correct scope and confirm the made-to-order lead time without avoidable queries.

This is the survey checklist we wish every installer used before placing an order with us. It’s written for the engineer or installer 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 level access and Approved Document M)
• 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 your team install? 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 the fabricator can review the scope without piecing the information together across several messages. At Kingsland, the quotation confirms the current product lead time, any exceptions and the point from which the clock starts.

Why this matters

Missing information holds the quotation at the review stage while the fabricator asks for the lock handing, threshold detail or a clearer photo of the closer. A complete survey pack gives the workshop a reliable basis for the quotation, drawing approval and fabrication schedule.

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?

Use the free printable replacement survey checklist with tick boxes, measurement fields and photo prompts — ready to keep in the van or save as a PDF.