A practical composite door survey and ordering checklist

Confirm the opening using your normal professional survey method and record the details your ordering process requires. Note the surrounding construction, finished floor levels, external ground or landing, reveals, existing frame and any condition that could affect removal or finishing.

Photographs taken from consistent positions can help the office and supplier understand unusual details, but they do not replace measurements and written confirmation.

Record the viewed side used by the order system, hinge side, opening direction and how the door should operate in everyday use. Check that the proposed leaf, handle and any pull bar work with the available space.

Discuss thresholds, steps and access requirements early. The final solution must suit both the surveyed opening and the customer’s practical needs.

Confirm the required frame, reinforcement, cill or threshold arrangement, drainage-related details, extensions and ancillary items using the supplier’s terminology. Record any side or top panels and how the complete assembly is divided.

If a detail is unusual, include a clear sketch or marked photograph and obtain written confirmation before manufacture.

List the door style, external and internal colour, frame colour, glass design, glass position, privacy requirement and hardware finish. Confirm every item from both sides of the door rather than assuming the inside matches the outside.

Online door designers are useful for inspiration. Final size, layout, glass and hardware availability must still be confirmed against the surveyed and quoted specification.

Confirm the locking operation, cylinder, handle or pull bar, escutcheon, letterplate, knocker and any access-control requirement as one compatible set. Consider how the customer expects to enter, exit and secure the door.

Do not rely on a visual design alone where an operational choice changes the locking arrangement or day-to-day use.

Before ordering, read the specification from the beginning as if you had not surveyed the job. Compare the order acknowledgement against the survey notes and the customer-approved choices.

Resolve contradictions in writing. A short pause before manufacture is normally far less costly than discovering an assumption on the fitting day.