Anyone used The London Door Co. ?

[BubsMaw]

Hi, I'm on the lookout for a new front door, and I was wondering if anyone has used The London Door Company? If so what was your experience of them? I've had a few quotes from different places but would like to hear from an existing customer before spending the cash.

Another contender for my custom is TimberWindows who also do doors. Both companies have such a very similar offering, and the price quoted is very similar too. It's a lot of money I'll be spending, and I know very little about either company. I suppose new doors are bought so seldomly, I don't know anyone in RL who's done it recently.

Thanks!

[BubsMaw]

Thanks Magichomes! That indeed is the company based in Battersea.

I got 3 quotes so far, the price for a bespoke glazed door with fanlight and surround from London door co is £6k !!! I also got quote from TimberWindows for £5k, though this price included real stained glass, I think their door looks nicer but DH doesn't agree with me on this!

I also got a quote from Anglian who tried to hard-sell me a UPVC door, which I don't really want as it wouldn't be right for our home. They wanted over £3k for the same door in UPVC, which they insisted was a discounted price. This was a bigger shock than hardwood at £5k.

We do have a big space to fit, including the glass and surround the doorway is 2.5m wide and similar height. I'm considering getting a local joiner to quote, but I don't really know where to start with this, yellow pages is a bit of russian roulette, and my neighbour has only ever had bad experiences with joiners, so no recommendations there!

If anyone has any advice or experience I'd be glad to hear it, but I don't want to reveal my exact location as I don't like putting too much personal info on t'internet.

Thanks again.

[barbarapym]

I got a quote from LDC in 2004 for a glazed panel Victorian front door without fanlight. It was £3.5k - was v shocked and used a very good local joinery instead ( SW London), which made me a lovely door ( exact copy of neighbour's original) for about £1400.

[SparkyUK]

Just bumping in case BubsMaw is about and wants to share the name of her joinery...

[Wiifitmama]

I just had a quote from them for over £4000 with no stained glass. Was very shocked and will not be using them.

[Milco]

Am interested in this thread. I used them about 10 years ago and was thinking of using them again for our new house. I moved out of the place they worked ages ago - in fact probably about 10 years ago! - as it was my then boyfriends and we split up. So remember too much about it but I remember being impressed by the design aspects of their work.

Admittedly I was not massively knowledgeable then (nor now for that matter) but I wonder whether at least part of the price is the fact they are willig to sit down with you and help come up with a solution specific to your house. If you already know what you want you probably don't need this.

I used a local joiner - I'm in north herts - a couple of years ago and I really missed not having a designer (I know they are sales people too) to help me turn my ideas into something that would really work in the room - this was for internal dividing doors and a built in cupboard. I don't feel the end result was as good as it could have been.

But this might have been in part the firm I used. A friend has given me another local recommendation and after this thread I'll definitely try them for the new things I have in mind. So thanks!

[RedorLead]

This thread is making me feel much better - we've paid a staggering £4k for our door complex - it's lovely but I'm still shocked at the price, builder had a joinery firm up North make it to my design.

[Nancy66]

I recently got a front door from them - the door looks amazing and I'm very pleased with it - however I have since found that they are not nearly so friendly and helpful once they have your money.

I needed to contact them about something minor and they didn't return a single call/answer an email - something they were very quick to do when they wanted my business

[Bumblebubble]

Hello, I recently bought a front door from them too. Reason being was that, I knew they did nice looking doors, they would do the entire job for me and I assumed at such a high price I would have no problems and a good quality door.
Unfortunately I was wrong.
The door does look good, but soon after the brush at the bottom fell apart and a chunk of wood came off the side. They were not interested in offering me any explanation as to why the quality of the door was so bad despite the fact that we bought the most expensive wood.
And they did come and fill in the bit of wood that came off the side, but suggested I finish the job and and and touch up the paintwork myself! They went off with no intention of coming back, I asked to speak to the manager again, but he never called me back.
I think for a 5k door you would expect them to at least fix the issue.
I would not recommend them at all.

[Pooka]

We had them round for a quote. It was phenomenally high!

Our builder had a carpenter friend who built a hardwood door, solid as can be, to match the period doors that still existed in a couple of neighbouring houses. The builder fitted it and painted it. It is lovely. Cost about a third of the door co.

[Pooka]

We were quoted about 6k I think by LDC. It's a huge door with fixed panels on either side (part glazed) and above (glazed). Joiner much cheaper and did an excellent job.

[puffdragon1]

We got a quote this week for a new door, half side panels and all along the top. It was over £6k and I nearly fell off my chair! We are in Surbiton so if anyone knows of a really good local joiner, I am really interested to get their details for a quote. I also have a friend who has the exact same door to be replaced so it could be two jobs. Thanks.

[belledejour]

We had LDC to replace all the interior doors in our house when we first moved in, about 10yrs ago. They did a lovely job and we have solid, heavy, good quality doors that feel expensive and as if they will last a lifetime. From memory, the job was expensive but not astronomical.

Last year I had them back to look at installing a back door for me. The space is slightly wider than normal, but too narrow to fit proper French windows. The salesman suggested a very modern-looking chunky, 1 x metre wide , single-panel glass door, which I did not feel would suit the architecture of the house (Victorian) or the style of the kitchen.

I kept pushing him for something more fitting but he was not imaginative or good at alternative solutions. The final price for the job was over £5k for a glazed back door. I was really unimpressed and did not go ahead.

I second local joiners - a friend of mine used local joiners to match her neighbours' front door - it was not cheap either but about half the price of my back door quote for a much bigger and more detailed Victorian-style door with glazing and they did a very nice job.

[VBlack]

A friend on my hubby's in London asked LDC for a quote and was shocked by the price.

He eventually bought a door from a company in the north called "Big Old Doors" (strange name!) and had his joiner fit it.

The overall cost was half what they were quoted by the London Door Co and the joiner said it was a pleasure to fit.

[ClaireTreacher]

We had double doors fitted by the Penge branch. Yes, they were expensive and we thought long and hard beforehand, but the difference they make to the front of our house makes them worth every penny. Everybody comments when they arrive, three neighbours have also since used them on the two roads next to ours. We had a couple of problems recently with the door sticking slightly in all the cold weather, LDC sent their fitters straight out to resolve. Without doubt, the money we invested in the doors has gone straight on to value of the house (and more). Even my penny pinching husband says they were worth the money. They make us happy every time we arrive home. I would recommend to anyone.

[Helendouglas72]

My hubby found these guys online, we're getting them over for a quote, lovely website www.voyseyandjones.co.uk/

[BrendaSScott]

My partner found these guys online www.cotswood-doors.co.uk/ we had a lovely chap called Neil over to fit our patio doors. We are in the middle of quite an extensive build to our property on fotheringham road so it was nice to get at least one thing sorted..

[han2313]

Can anyone recommend a good joiner/carpenter in the SW please? I have tried mybuilder.com but without success, they either do not show up to appointments, give quotes and then I cannot get hold of them or are not interested and do not respond! We need to replace our front door and also have some sash windows repaired this summer so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thanks

[misstiggiwinkle]

han2313 did you find a good joiner/carpenter in the end? I am on the look out for one in SW London also! Just about to undertake a big refub project so any recommendations are really helpful!

[PinkHat1]

We ordered our door from Greenwich Joinery (based in South East London) which will be fitted sometime in the first week of December so can't comment yet until it's installed. So far so good and half the price of quote we got from LDC.