Berkshire Bespoke Carpentry
External Door Repairs — Weathering, Rot & Settlement
Sticking doors, dropped hinges, rotted frame sections and settled openings across Berkshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire — not break-in damage. Free assessment, then a fixed itemised written quote.
Local to Berkshire
Experienced Carpenters
32 years in the trade
Fully Insured
High-Quality Finish
If your door was forced or damaged in a break-in, see our burglary damage repairs page instead — it covers that specific damage, plus emergency boarding and frame strengthening.
Our Approach
Everyday Wear Is Different From a Break-In — But Often the Same Fix
External doors take a constant, quiet beating from weather and daily use long before anything dramatic happens to them. Rain gets into end grain at the bottom of a frame; a hinge wears a fraction of a millimetre a year until a door finally drops; a property settles slightly and a frame that was square for twenty years starts catching at one corner. None of this is forced-entry damage, but it is exactly the kind of thing that, left alone, ends up looking like it.
The repair techniques are often genuinely identical to what we use after a break-in — a timber splice at a rotted or split section, a re-hung door, a new lock and cylinder — which is why, where the underlying job is the same, we price it the same way rather than inventing a different figure for what is mechanically an identical repair.
We work across Berkshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, as a team rather than one person doing everything, and every repair starts with a free assessment visit so you get an honest answer on whether a section can be repaired or the frame genuinely needs replacing.
What We Repair
External Door & Frame Repair, Not Caused by Forced Entry
Weathered & Rotted Frame Sections
Years of rain and sun break down timber at the most exposed points of a frame — the bottom corners, the cill, and anywhere paint has failed. We cut out the affected section, splice in matching timber, and prime it ready for decoration, in the same way we splice a frame after forced entry — because the underlying timber repair is genuinely the same technique.
Sticking & Binding Doors
A door that has started sticking is usually either a swollen leaf from moisture, a frame that has moved slightly, or hinges that need adjusting — not necessarily a sign the whole door needs replacing. We diagnose the actual cause during the assessment before recommending any fix.
Dropped & Worn Hinges
The most common reason an external door drops out of alignment over time. We adjust, re-hang, or replace hinges as needed, re-aligning the door to close and lock properly again.
Settled & Out-of-Square Frames
As a property settles over years, a frame can move slightly out of square, making the door catch at the top or bottom. We assess whether the frame can be re-set and packed correctly, or whether the degree of movement means a new frame gives a more lasting fix.
Lock & Cylinder Replacement
Euro cylinders, multi-point mechanisms and mortice locks wear out or seize over time independent of any break-in. We fit new hardware matched to the door and frame — the same lock and cylinder work we carry out after a forced entry, priced the same way because it is the same job.
Threshold & Weather-Seal Repair
A worn threshold or failed weather seal lets in draughts and water long before the frame itself fails. We repair or replace thresholds and seals so the opening is weathertight again.
Scope
What We Leave to Other Specialists
- We do not cover forced-entry damage on this page — if your door was forced, see our burglary damage repairs page, which also covers emergency boarding and frame strengthening.
- We do not replace sound frames and doors unnecessarily — where a repair will genuinely last, we will recommend that over a full replacement.
- We do not fit FD30/FD60 fire-rated doorsets under this heading — see our fire doors page for that specific, manufacturer-tested work.
- We do not carry out general frame, lining or threshold replacement unrelated to repair — see our door frames, linings & thresholds page for that general carpentry work.
How It Works
From Assessment to Repaired Opening
Assessment
A free site visit to look at the door, frame, hinges and threshold, and confirm the actual cause of the problem.
Diagnose
We confirm whether it is rot, hinge wear, frame movement, or hardware failure — and whether a repair or replacement is the honest answer.
Written Quote
A fixed, itemised quote covering the repair or replacement and any hardware needed — agreed before any work starts.
Repair
We splice in matching timber, re-align or replace hinges, and fit new locks or seals as required.
Finish
Repaired sections primed ready for decoration, and the door and hardware checked to operate properly before we leave.
Get Started
Request a Free Assessment
Tell us what the door is doing — sticking, dropped, rotted, or a worn lock — and we will arrange a free, no-obligation visit.
Pricing
What Does an External Door Repair Cost?
Where a repair here is mechanically the same job we carry out after a break-in — a localised timber splice, or a lock and cylinder swap — we use the same figures already published on our burglary damage repairs page, rather than invent a different number for an identical repair:
| Repair | Typical Range (all-in) |
|---|---|
| Frame timber splice repair (localised section) | £180 – £450 |
| Lock and cylinder replacement | £90 – £220 |
For everything else on this page — hinge adjustment, re-aligning a settled frame, threshold and weather-seal repair, or a fuller frame rebuild — we do not have an existing published figure to draw on, and the range genuinely depends on the extent of the damage, so we describe it only qualitatively here: the free assessment visit gives you an exact, itemised price once we have seen the door and frame in person.
Common Questions
External Door Repairs — Frequently Asked Questions
My door was forced in a break-in — is this the right page?
No — please see our burglary damage repairs page instead. That page covers forced-entry damage specifically, including emergency boarding if the property needs securing straight away. This page covers general wear, weathering and settlement damage, not break-ins.
How do I know if my door problem is weathering or something more serious?
Soft, darkened or crumbling timber, especially at the bottom of the frame or door, usually means rot from water ingress. A door that has started sticking without any visible timber damage is more often hinges or frame movement. We confirm which during the free assessment, rather than guessing from a description alone.
Can you repair just the rotted section, or does the whole frame need replacing?
In most cases a localised splice repair — cutting out the affected section and fitting matching new timber — is enough, provided the rest of the frame is structurally sound. Where rot has spread more widely, or the frame has failed in more than one place, full replacement is usually the better long-term answer, and we will say so.
What does a frame splice repair cost?
A localised timber splice repair to a frame — the same technique whether the cause is weathering or a forced entry — typically falls in the £180–£450 range depending on how much timber needs replacing, the same range we quote for this repair on our burglary damage repairs page. We confirm the exact price after assessing the extent of the damage in person.
What does lock and cylinder replacement cost?
New euro cylinders, multi-point mechanisms and mortice locks typically run £90–£220 fitted — the same job and price range whether the lock is simply worn out or was damaged in a break-in. The free assessment confirms the exact figure for your hardware.
Why has my door started dropping on one side?
Almost always worn or loosened hinges, sometimes combined with the door having absorbed moisture and become heavier over time. We adjust or replace the hinges and re-align the door — a quick, inexpensive fix in most cases, rather than needing a new door.
Do you repair composite and uPVC doors, or just timber?
Our core expertise is timber doors and frames. For composite and uPVC door hardware issues — a dropped multi-point lock mechanism or a misaligned hinge — we can often help; for structural panel or frame damage to composite or uPVC doors specifically, a specialist installer for that product may be the better route, and we will tell you if that applies.
Do you cover areas outside Berkshire, such as Gerrards Cross?
Yes. We work across Berkshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, including Gerrards Cross and Stoke Poges. Call or send photos and we will confirm whether your postcode falls within our usual working area.
Related Services
Often Confused With This Page
Burglary Damage Repairs
If your door or frame was forced in a break-in, this page covers that damage specifically, including emergency boarding and frame strengthening.
Door Frames, Linings & Thresholds
For general frame, lining and threshold replacement as part of a renovation, rather than repairing existing wear or damage, see this page instead.
Doors
Back to the door carpentry hub — internal doors, fire doors, and both external door pages in one place.
Request a Free External Door Repair Assessment
Tell us what the door is doing and we will arrange a free, no-obligation visit, with a fixed itemised written quote to follow.
We carry out external door repairs across Berkshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire: