When an entrance door is engineered, manufactured, and supplied to spec from the design stage, the architect ends up with the door they actually drew. When the door is sourced separately at the build stage, a series of small compromises start adding up.
We work with architects, designers, and builders on entrance projects across Melbourne. The work falls into two patterns. The good pattern: we get involved at the design stage, before the door schedule is locked. The harder pattern: we get the call after the build is underway, when the architect's drawing has been quoted by a generic supplier and the answer that came back was "we can do most of that."
Most of that is the problem. Most of that is where the compromises start. The proportions get adjusted to suit a stock size. The pivot system comes back as a smaller-rated mechanism because that's what the supplier carries. The timber substitution is presented as "equivalent." The architect ends up adjusting the design around the door instead of the door fitting the design.
Early consultation prevents this. If you bring us in at the schematic stage, we can engineer to your design rather than asking you to redesign to our defaults. Door dimensions, pivot point geometry, weight calculation, structural reinforcement, perimeter sealing strategy — all of it gets worked out at the drawing stage where changes are cheap, instead of on site where they're expensive.
Shop drawings before manufacture. Every spec'd project gets full shop drawings from us before anything gets cut. The drawings show every dimension, every reveal, every junction with the surrounding structure. The architect signs them off, the builder gets a clean reference, and the door that comes out of the workshop is the door on the drawings — not a close approximation.
Engineering consultation on oversized and pivot applications. Anything past 2340 × 920mm or any door on a pivot system is engineering work, not just door work. We calculate the door weight, size the pivot mechanism, specify EverFrame™ steel reinforcement where needed, and detail the perimeter sealing for the swing arc. If your project includes a 2700mm-tall pivot in a double-height entry, that's a structural calculation, not a catalogue order.
Working with builders. If you're a builder or project manager rather than an architect, the same applies — bring us in early and we can build to your scope. We coordinate with your team on opening sizes, threshold details, and delivery timing. For volume work or display suites, we've done a few jobs with Otto Builders and others, and the consistent feedback is that having the door supplier engaged at the build planning stage prevents the last-minute scrambling that usually happens around door delivery.
What we need from you. Drawings (DWG, PDF, or hand-sketched is fine), the door schedule if you have one, photos of the surrounding context if it's a renovation, and a phone call. Most of our spec'd jobs start with a 20-minute call where we walk through the project together. From there we can usually scope, price, and lock the design within a couple of weeks.
If you're an architect, designer, or builder with an entrance project in the pipeline, the best move is to get in touch at the design stage rather than the build stage. We'll save you problems later.