Door Adjustment & Hinge Repair in Bristol

Family-run Bristol business · 20 years trade experience · Send us an enquiry with photos and we'll get back to you

Alignment problems and what they usually mean

Here are the alignment faults we're asked about most, what they usually point to, and the likely fix. These are general guides; send us a few photos and we'll confirm before any work is agreed.

What causes doors to drop or go out of alignment?

The most common cause is hinge wear. Front doors — particularly composite doors — are heavy, and the hinges bear the full weight every time the door opens. Over time the screws work loose or the hinge body wears, and the door drops a few millimetres. That's enough to make it catch.

The second cause is building movement. Older Bristol properties — Victorian and Edwardian terraces especially — shift slightly as the structure settles. The door frame pulls out of square, and the door no longer fits cleanly. The door itself is fine; the frame has moved around it.

Poor original fitting is another common one. A door hung by a general builder rather than a door specialist often isn't set perfectly square or adjusted correctly in the first place, so it starts catching or dropping far sooner than it should. We see it regularly — and it's usually straightforward to put right.

Sometimes it's both: a worn hinge in a frame that has shifted. Trickier to diagnose, but still fixable without replacing the door.

How we fix it

We start by examining the hinges and the frame to identify exactly where the problem is coming from. The fix is then one or more of the following:

• Hinge adjustment: Modern uPVC and composite door hinges have adjustment screws that allow the door position to be moved in multiple directions. Sometimes a careful hinge adjustment is enough.
• Toe and heel: repositioning the glazing packers inside the door so its weight is carried correctly and the door is brought back square in the frame — often the real fix for a door that has dropped, not just nipping up the hinges.
• Hinge replacement: If the hinge is physically worn and no longer holds the door correctly, we replace it. We carry a range of common uPVC and composite door hinges.

Once the door is realigned we'll test the latch, the multipoint lock (if fitted), and the overall closing action. If the keep needs adjusting to match the new door position, we do that too.

What does it cost?

We agree the price before starting any work.

When you might need a new door instead

Realignment repairs work in the vast majority of cases. Replacement is only worth considering if:

• The door frame itself is severely warped — not just the hinge position
• The door slab itself is twisted or warped (rare with modern uPVC and composite)
• Multiple things are failing at once on an ageing door and repair is no longer cost-effective

We'll give you an honest assessment. If the door can be fixed, we'll fix it.

For a plain-English run-through of every common cause, see my door won't close — causes and fixes. If you'd rather know the likely cost first, we've set that out in how much door repair costs in Bristol.

Frequently asked questions

• My door won't lock in hot weather — what can I do?

  uPVC and composite doors expand in the sun, so a door that locks fine in the morning can stick by the afternoon. If it was already a little stiff to lock before the hot weather, the heat is just tipping it over the edge. A realignment (£145 + VAT, £174 inc VAT) gives it more room to keep locking on hot days — we can't promise it beats every heatwave, but it usually helps.

• It was adjusted before and it's dropped again — why?

  Usually because the symptom was adjusted, not the cause. If a hinge is worn, or the door or window wasn't fitted properly in the first place, adjusting it only buys a few weeks. We look for why it dropped — a worn hinge, the glass not sitting right in the frame, or how it was fitted — and fix that. If it can't be put right properly, we'll tell you straight.

• My uPVC door is draughty — can you fix it?

  Usually, yes. A draughty door is normally out of line, and a realignment (£145 + VAT, £174 inc VAT) sorts it.

• How much does it cost to realign a door?

  £145 + VAT (£174 inc VAT), and it is normally a single visit.

• My door needs lifting or shouldering to lock — can that be adjusted out?

  Usually, yes. That is the classic symptom of a door that has dropped or moved on its hinges, and realignment is exactly the fix. If the lock mechanism itself has been damaged by the strain, that is a separate repair.