A door that will not lock is the kind of problem that gets fixed today rather than next month, and that means most people are trying to work out the cost while they are stood at the door with a key in their hand.
Here is an honest explanation of what a uPVC door repair actually depends on, why we do not publish a fixed price for it, and how to find out what yours will be without anyone charging you to look.
The short answer
Almost every uPVC and composite door repair costs less than a new door, and usually by a very long way.
Doors are built out of parts. The slab, the frame, the hinges, the handles, the cylinder and the locking mechanism are all separate items that can be replaced on their own. When a door stops working it is nearly always one of those parts that has gone, not the door. Replacing a part is a fraction of replacing the door, so a repair almost always wins on cost.
What it will not do is land on one number for everybody, because it depends entirely on which part it is.
What you are actually replacing
The cylinder
The barrel the key goes into. This is the cheapest thing on the door and the quickest to change. If your key turns but nothing happens, or the key has snapped, this is often all it is. It is also the part worth upgrading if you are worried about security, because an anti snap cylinder costs very little next to a new door.
The handles
Spinning, floppy, stiff or snapped handles are a common call and a small job. Most uPVC door handles come in standard patterns and screw centres, so the part is usually straightforward.
The hinges
A door that catches on the frame, drags on the floor or has gone out of square has usually dropped on its hinges. Sometimes that is an adjustment and costs almost nothing. Sometimes the hinge itself has worn and needs replaced.
The multipoint mechanism
The long strip down the edge of the door with the hooks and rollers on it. This is the most expensive part of a door repair and it is the one that gets misdiagnosed most often. If the handle lifts but nothing engages, or you have to lift and shove at the same time to get it to lock, the mechanism is the likely culprit. Even so, a mechanism is still far cheaper than a door.
The gaskets and seals
Draughts and rattles are usually seals rather than anything structural, and this is one of the cheapest fixes there is.
The glass or the panel
If the door has a misted glass unit or a cracked panel in it, that comes out and a new one goes in with the door staying exactly where it is. We fit replacement door panels as well as glass.
Why we do not publish a door repair price list
Because the same three words on the phone can mean four different jobs.
“My door will not lock” might be an adjustment that takes ten minutes, a worn keep on the frame, a failed cylinder, or a snapped multipoint gearbox. All four sound identical when you describe them and all four cost different amounts. If we published a single figure for a door that will not lock we would either be undercutting ourselves on the hard version or overcharging you on the easy one.
We would rather look at it and tell you what it actually is. There is more on how we price work generally on our prices page.
What we never charge for
There is no call out fee. There is no charge for coming out, no charge for diagnosing it and no charge for the quote. If you decide not to go ahead you owe us nothing.
You pay for the work done and nothing else.
The one thing that really does change the price
Whether the part is a standard pattern or a discontinued one.
Most uPVC door hardware is made to common sizes, and when it is, the part is easy to get and easy to price. Occasionally a door has hardware from a manufacturer who has stopped trading or changed their pattern, and then it has to be matched to something that fits or ordered in specially. That is the main reason two door repairs that look identical can come out differently.
How to get a price without waiting
Send us a photo. Two, ideally. One of the door from the front, and one of the edge of the door with it open so we can see the mechanism and the hinges. If it is a handle, a close up of the handle is enough.
Send that on WhatsApp with a line about what it is doing and we can usually tell you what part it is and what it will cost, often the same day. We are on 01698 604 278 from eight until five, Monday to Friday, or you can use the contact form.
Is it ever worth replacing the door instead?
Yes, occasionally, and we will say so.
If the slab itself has delaminated or bowed, if the frame has gone out of true, or if the door is old enough that nearly every part on it is at the end of its life, then repairing it piece by piece is throwing good money after bad. That is a small minority of the doors we see. The much more common story is a door that is perfectly sound with one failed part in it, and somebody has already been out and told the owner they need a whole new door.
If we think a repair is the wrong answer we will tell you, even though the repair is the job we would be getting. There is more on that in choosing a window repair company.