Cobham presents a specific set of constraints, and they shape what a sliding door has to be here. Much of the area sits within the Metropolitan Green Belt, the Downside Village conservation area carries its own scrutiny, and the high-value private estates around Fairmile and Burwood Park expect a standard of finish that most stock products cannot meet. A homeowner on River Hill or Fairmile Lane is not choosing between steel and a cheaper alternative on price alone. They are choosing the product that will satisfy a planning officer, suit a heritage setting, and still look right in ten years.
Most aluminium alternatives can approximate the slim sightlines of steel from a distance, but they rarely hold up to the close inspection a Cobham project tends to invite. For a Grade II-listed cottage on River Hill, or a large open-plan kitchen extension on the Fairmile Estate, the material matters as much as the specification. Steel frames are stronger than aluminium, allowing noticeably slimmer sightlines without structural compromise, and the finish is more durable over time. The difference is immediately apparent in person, which is why we bring samples to the survey so you can compare the two in your own space before committing. For hinged and pivot options alongside the sliding range, see our steel doors in Cobham.
Our internal sliding range covers the four configurations most commonly specified across Cobham’s varied housing. Pocket doors slide into the wall cavity and disappear completely, which suits the period cottages and converted properties along Church Street and River Hill where maintaining the visual integrity of a historic room is the priority. Traditional side-hung doors run on a track within the head. Barn-style doors make a feature of the mechanism, working well in the open-plan ground floors and kitchen extensions typical of the Fairmile and Burwood Park developments. Telescopic systems handle the largest openings. Every door is powder-coated to your chosen RAL colour, with matt black (RAL 9005) and deep charcoal (RAL 7016) the most common specifications in Cobham’s period properties, and pure white (RAL 9010) and warm grey finishes increasingly popular in the contemporary Burwood Park interiors.
For external applications, the W50 thermally broken range achieves a certified U-value of 1.2 W/m²K, satisfying Part L of the building regulations and delivering the energy performance high-value Cobham properties require. Its slim profiles also satisfy Elmbridge Borough Council’s material requirements in conservation areas and Green Belt-adjacent settings more readily than heavier framing systems.
The process involves no subcontracting at any stage, which matters on the planning complexity a Cobham project tends to carry.
1. Enquiry and quote. We work from your drawings, photos, sketches or measurements to provide a free quote, and we can arrange a site visit with product samples.
2. Site survey within a week. Les visits the site to take accurate measurements, assess your finish options against your interior, and discuss the technical documentation Elmbridge Borough Council is likely to require for properties in the Downside or Church Cobham conservation areas.
3. CAD drawings within a week. Detailed drawings are produced from the survey measurements and sent for your approval. Nothing goes into manufacture until the drawing is signed off.
4. In-house manufacture. 6 to 8 weeks for the W20 range, 7 to 9 weeks for the thermally broken W50. Jason oversees each project from the initial conversation through to installation sign-off, with progress photographs available on request.
5. Installation by our own team. Our installers fit the doors, working to the same quality standard that applies in the workshop, and only sign off when you are fully satisfied. The 5-year warranty covers both manufacture and installation when our team carries out the fitting.
In most cases, internal sliding doors do not require planning permission. External sliding doors on the principal elevation of a property within the Church Cobham or Downside Village conservation areas will typically require a planning application to Elmbridge Borough Council. We provide full technical documentation as part of our service, including CAD drawings, thermal performance certificates and product specifications showing compliance with Part L, and can advise at the quotation stage whether your specific project is likely to require an application.
Properties along Pointers Road, Downside Road and Plough Lane that face or back onto the River Mole sit within the Metropolitan Green Belt, where development near the watercourse is subject to additional scrutiny. The slim profiles and material appropriateness of a steel sliding door are a significant advantage over a bulkier framing system. We can provide the planning documentation and material specifications that applications in Green Belt and riparian settings require, and are happy to advise before you submit anything to the council.
Yes. We produce full CAD drawings for every project as a standard part of the process. For properties in Cobham’s conservation areas or within the Metropolitan Green Belt, we also provide thermal performance certificates, product specifications showing Part L compliance and supporting material documentation. Architects and interior designers working on Cobham projects can contact us directly for a detailed specification pack.
The large detached houses on the Fairmile Estate are among the most consistently high-specification properties in Surrey, connecting a kitchen to a garden room with slim sliding doors over a ground-floor open-plan space. Our telescopic and wide-format sliding systems are well suited to those openings, and the W50 thermally broken range is the correct specification at this price point.
Permitted development rights may be reduced or removed for properties within Elmbridge’s Green Belt, particularly for those adjacent to the River Mole or within the curtilage of a listed building. Whether a planning application is required depends on the specific property, the nature of the works and any Article 4 directions that apply. We can advise on the likely planning position for your property at the quotation stage and provide the technical documentation Elmbridge Borough Council requires if an application is needed.
BFRC registered, Made in Britain certified, and 25 years of manufacturing experience behind every project. Because we design, build and install everything ourselves, the standard set in the workshop is the standard delivered on site. For the heritage settings and high-specification homes Cobham is known for, that consistency of quality and oversight is exactly what the work demands.
“My experience with Unique Steel Windows has been excellent. I did a lot of research into different suppliers of steel heritage and Crittall-style doors and they were very competitive on price. Now the door is installed I can confirm the quality is top notch too. Communication was great throughout, and the attention to detail in identifying a very slight issue with one of the handles, and the speed in which they rectified it, speaks to the pride they take in their work. Would definitely recommend and hope to use them again for the next project.” *Benjamin, verified customer review*
We also serve Esher, Oxshott, Leatherhead and the wider KT area from the same workshop. If you are working on a project in Cobham, call 02394 370020 or email Enquiries@uniquesteelwindows.co.uk, and browse the full sliding door range or read how our process works before you get in touch.
Find us: Unique Steel Windows, The Grange, Palmer Place, North Mundham, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 1JW. View us on Google.
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