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

Signs your door needs realigning

• The door scrapes or catches on the frame or threshold when you close it
• The door closes but won't latch without lifting it slightly
• There's a visible gap at the top or bottom of the door when it's closed
• The door sticks in warm weather
• The latch or lock doesn't engage cleanly when you close the door
• The door sits unevenly in its frame — higher on one side than the other

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. Most are put right with an adjustment or realignment, without needing a new door. These are general guides; send us a few photos and we'll confirm before any work is agreed.

Not sure what's causing it? Send us a few photos of the door and the gap around the frame and we'll tell you whether it's an adjustment, a hinge, or something more involved.

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; other times the door needs toe and heeling, keep adjustment, or replacement hinges.
• 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?

Door adjustment and realignment is £135 + VAT. We carry some common hinge parts, so many jobs can be completed in a single visit.

Job	Price (+ VAT)
Door adjustment / realignment	£135
Door hinge replacement	£180
Keep adjustment / replacement	Included where practical; parts quoted if needed

We agree the price before starting any work. We'll tell you which repair applies after inspecting the door — there are no hidden charges.

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.