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What changes the cost of a fire door?
A fire door quote changes with whether you need a whole doorset, whether the frame can stay, and whether the door is in a house or in a block of flats, and this guide does not print a price. A fire door is not an ordinary internal door with a closer added.
Last reviewed:What you are buying
A fire door quote is easy to misread because the thing in the catalogue looks like a door. The Approved Document B questions treat a fire doorset as a complete installed assembly: the door, the frame and the ironmongery are considered together [S1]. A quote that prices a leaf and assumes your old lining, your old lock and your old closer will do is a different product from a quote that prices the assembly.
This guide does not print a leaf price or a fitting price. It tells you what to make the fitter write down. Hanging an ordinary internal door is the home sequence for a normal door in a sound frame. Do not use it here. Replacing a door frame is the frame when the lining itself is the job, including when a fire doorset needs the frame considered rather than ignored.
A landing in Crewe, a loft stair in Nantwich or a flat entrance in Sandbach can all be called a fire door and still be three different quotes. Name the building, in Cheshire or elsewhere. Anyone in the UK can post the job. Say which building you are in before you compare totals.
Two different buildings
Keep these apart. Mixing them is how a householder gets a flat-block rule, or a leaseholder gets a house rule.
A house, and a protected stair. The Approved Document B questions say a protected stairway should be enclosed with fire resisting construction and fire doorsets so people escaping down the stairs are protected from a fire in the rooms [S1]. Cupboards may not always need a fire doorset if they are small and the risk is low. A bathroom might be included inside the stair enclosure instead of having its own fire doorset [S1]. None of that tells you that every door on your landing is one of those doors. Ask whoever is designing the loft or the stair, or ask building control, which openings are in the enclosure.
A block of flats with common parts. The fire door guidance for the Fire Safety (England) Regulations is for buildings that contain two or more homes and common parts people would use to get out [S2]. It says regulation 10 applies to blocks of flats with common parts, purpose-built or converted, and that flat entrance doors are included in the meaning of common parts for that legislation [S2]. Routine checks of fire doors are required only in blocks where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level, which the guidance describes as typically a building of more than four storeys [S2]. Information to residents about flat entrance doors is described separately, for blocks with common parts, not only for the taller ones [S2]. If you live in a house, that checks regime is not your homework. If you are the responsible person for a block, read the guidance itself rather than this summary.
GOV.UK sets out building regulations approval. GOV.UK: building regulations approval. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
What the quote should list
| Line | What good writing includes | What a thin quote skips |
|---|---|---|
| Which opening | House stair, cupboard, bathroom, or flat entrance | "Fire door" with no location |
| Assembly | Door, frame and ironmongery as one doorset, or a stated reason the frame stays [S1] | A leaf only |
| Frame | Retained, altered, or replaced. Stops and fixings if the frame stays [S1] | "Use the existing lining" with no look at it |
| Gap | The fitter's responsibility. The loft-conversion answer says usually 3 to 4 mm as a minimum gap [S1] | Left for you to judge by eye |
| Closer | Whether the door must self-close, and who tests that it does | A closer in a box, not fitted |
| Seals | What the door's own evidence requires, not a guess from a photo | Strips added because a neighbour had them |
| Paperwork | Who tells building control, or which competent person scheme applies [S3] | Silence |
| Making good | Architraves, plaster, decoration | A fitted door and a damaged lining |
| Waste | The old door leaves the site | Left on the landing |
| VAT | Included or extra. Registration sits at £90,000 of taxable turnover [S4] | A surprise on the invoice |
What the loft-conversion answer actually says about frames
Question 4 on the Approved Document B page asks whether, when new fire doorsets are provided in an existing house as part of a loft conversion, the existing internal frames also have to be replaced [S1].
The answer says that in most cases it should be possible to retain the existing frame. If in doubt, the test report for the door being installed includes details of the frame it was tested in [S1]. Fire doorsets are often thicker and much heavier than other internal doors [S1]. Where the frame stays, it may be necessary to replace or relocate the stops and to put additional fixings back to the structure. The joint between the frame and the surrounding structure should be adequately fire stopped. The operating gap should be kept to a minimum, usually 3 to 4 mm [S1].
That is a lot of work hiding inside "we will use your old frame". Ask the quote to say whether the frame stays, and what happens to the stops, the fixings and the joint. The frame guide is where a rotten or twisted lining is the whole job. A fire doorset that needs a tested frame is not a rotten lining, and it is not a reason to plane the door down to suit a casual gap.
Flat entrance doors, and the duty not to panic-replace
The fire door guidance was revised because people had been told to replace flat entrance doors that were not manufactured and certificated to current standards for new fire-resisting doors [S2]. The page says the purpose of the regulations is not to ensure existing flat entrance doors satisfy the current standards for flat entrance doors in new blocks, as imposed under the building regulations [S2]. Changes in legislation following the Grenfell Tower fire, in particular the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as amended, have not resulted in any material changes to the fire performance required of flat entrance doors in existing blocks [S2]. The requirement is that the fire performance of the door is adequate to address the risk to residents from fire [S2].
It expects that, in the majority of circumstances, a door that met the standard when the block was built or the door was manufactured will still protect the means of escape in the common parts, if the door is undamaged and the gaps are not too large [S2]. The absence of intumescent strips and smoke seals, and the absence of any form of certification, does not imply the door is unfit for purpose [S2].
If a fire risk assessment finds the door inadequate and it needs replacing, that replacement must be done by a competent person [S2]. A quote that starts from "it has no certificate, so it must go" is not what that page says. Ask to see the reason for replacement in writing.
Building control and the installer
GOV.UK's guide to building work, replacements and repairs says many jobs need to be told to a building control body, your local authority or a private approved inspector, unless the installer is on a competent person scheme and can self-certify [S3]. Replacement of window and door units is one of the examples of work you do need to tell them about, unless you use such an installer [S3]. Replacement windows, doors, roof windows or roof lights in dwellings are listed against competent person schemes that include FENSA [S3].
If the installer is on the relevant scheme, the same guide says they look after the building regulations and you should receive a certificate of compliance within 30 days of completion [S3]. If they are not, you contact a building control body before the work starts [S3]. Ask which of those two paths the quote is on. Do not assume a joiner who can hang a bedroom door is on a scheme for a flat entrance door.
FENSA says it is a government-authorised scheme that monitors building regulation compliance for replacement windows and doors, and that you can only get a FENSA certificate if a FENSA installer does the work [S5]. A fire doorset may or may not be the sort of replacement door FENSA is describing. Ask the fitter which scheme, if any, covers this opening. This guide will not pretend one scheme covers every fire door.
How to compare, including money rules that are not a door price
Citizens Advice says to try to get written quotes from at least three traders, that a quote is a fixed price and an estimate is a rough guess, and that some traders charge for quotes, so ask about this first [S6]. Comparing them helps you decide if you are getting a fair price [S6]. Fair, on this page, means the same opening and the same assembly.
If the work will take a long time and a deposit cannot be avoided, push it down, do not agree to more than 25%, and get a receipt [S6]. A business registers for VAT when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 [S4]. Ask if VAT is in the total.
Our joiners, carpenters and builders pages are the trades people search. The registration that matters is the one for this kind of door, which QuoteZila does not look up for you.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Loft conversion, existing landing doors. Please say which openings need fire doorsets, whether the frames can stay, and price the stops and the fire stopping of the frame joint. Do not price a leaf only."
- "Flat entrance door onto a common stair. Please do not assume it must be replaced because it is old. If a competent person says it is inadequate, quote the replacement and name the scheme or the building control path."
- "Bedroom door is a normal door and I do not think it is a fire door. Please look for a label before you quote to hang a new one, and stop if you find one."
Posting the door
Photos of both faces, the top edge and the frame, taken from the floor, are the useful set. Up to five matched local businesses can send a quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Questions about fire door quotes
How much does a fire door cost?
This guide does not print a figure. A door leaf in an existing lining is a different quote from a full doorset, and a flat entrance door is a different quote from a bedroom door on a house stair. Ask for the door, the frame and the ironmongery as separate lines if they are not one assembly.
Is a fire door just the slab?
GOV.UK's Approved Document B questions say a fire doorset should be regarded as a complete installed assembly, so the door, the frame and any ironmongery should be considered when assessing whether it is suitable. That answer is about providing new fire doorsets in an existing house as part of a loft conversion. It is the reason a quote for a leaf only can be the wrong shape of quote.
Does my house stair need fire doors?
The same questions page says a protected stairway should be enclosed with fire resisting construction and fire doorsets, to protect people escaping down the stairs from a fire in the accommodation. It also says it may not always be necessary to provide fire doorsets on cupboards if they are small and the fire risk is low, and that a bathroom can sometimes sit inside the stair enclosure instead. This guide cannot say which doors in your house are on that stair. A designer or building control can.
Do I have to replace a flat entrance door because it is old?
The GOV.UK fire door guidance says the purpose of the regulations is not to ensure that existing flat entrance doors satisfy the current standards for doors in new blocks. In the majority of circumstances, a door that met the standard when the block was built, or when the door was manufactured, will still protect the means of escape in the common parts if it is undamaged and the gaps are not too large. The absence of intumescent strips and smoke seals, and of any certification, does not imply the door is unfit for purpose. The guidance is about blocks of flats with common parts, not every house.
Who should fit a replacement?
Where an existing door in that blocks guidance is inadequate and needs to be replaced, the guidance says this must be done by a competent person. Separately, GOV.UK lists replacement of window and door units among work you need to tell a building control body about, unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme. Hanging an ordinary internal door is not this fitting.
What gap is mentioned?
In the loft-conversion answer, GOV.UK says the operating gap between the door and the frame should be kept to a minimum, usually 3 to 4 mm. That figure sits in that answer. It is not a measurement for you to set on a certified door with a kitchen knife and a plane. Ask the fitter to own the gap.
Does QuoteZila check door fitters?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
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- Fitted Wardrobe Costs: What Changes the Price. What changes fitted wardrobe costs in Cheshire: bespoke or modular units, doors and finishes, awkward walls, interiors, lighting, and what to ask first.
- Floorboard repair: what changes the price. Floorboard repair in Cheshire depends on how many boards have failed and whether the joists are sound. No repair price is printed. See what to ask a joiner.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and FAQ copy.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
- S1: Approved Document B: fire safety frequently asked questions, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/approved-document-b-fire-safety-frequently-asked-questions
- S2: Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire door guidance, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022-fire-door-guidance/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022-fire-door-guidance
- S3: Building work, replacements and repairs to your home, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-work-replacements-and-repairs-to-your-home/building-work-replacements-and-repairs-to-your-home
- S4: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S5: FENSA, FENSA. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.fensa.org.uk/
- S6: Before you get building work done, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/