By Restoration Glazing, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh · Last updated 30 September 2026
At Restoration Glazing in Chandler's Ford, most dropped or sticking uPVC doors are fixed by adjusting the hinges and keeps, typically £60–£90 for a hinge adjustment (30–45 minutes on site). Every visit has a £180 minimum charge, so the per-job figure applies when we do other repairs in the same visit, and a single adjustment on its own comes to £180.
uPVC doors expand and contract with the seasons, and after a few years the hinges loosen so the door drops by about 2–5mm. That small drop is enough for the latch and hooks to miss the keep, so the door scrapes the threshold, sticks on the frame, or only locks when you lift the handle hard.
Heat makes the door swell and stick. Cold opens a gap and you get draughts. Forcing the handle to lock a dropped door is what wears out the multipoint gearbox, so an early hinge adjustment often saves a bigger lock job later. Full prices are in our uPVC door repair cost guide.
If the handle lifts but the key won't turn, or the door only locks when you lift hard, check the hinge side before assuming the multipoint has failed. Around 70% of "won't lock" calls we see on uPVC doors are a few millimetres of drop, not a dead gearbox.
| Symptom | Likely fix | Typical price (fitted) |
|---|---|---|
| Scrapes threshold / latch misses keep | Hinge adjustment (up/down) | £60–£90 |
| Sticks on hinge or latch side | Hinge lateral + keep adjustment | £60–£120 |
| Draughts or uneven compression | Hinge compression + seals check | £60–£90 (seals £40–£90 if needed) |
| Handle lifts, key won't turn, door looks square | Multipoint gearbox | £120–£250 |
| Floppy or drooping handle | Handle replacement | £40–£80 |
| Cracked or worn hinge leaf | Single hinge / set of 3 | £70–£110 / £140–£220 |
| Minimum charge per visit | £180 |
Keep and striker plate adjustment is included with multipoint or hinge work on our price list. If the door still won't lock after the hinges and keeps are right, that's when we look at the multipoint lock.
Want an exact price? Call 023 8001 2328 or get a free quote online. Upload a photo of the hinge side and the latch side.
Most Hampshire uPVC doors we see use flag hinges or butt (T) hinges, and both usually have three adjustment directions: up/down, left/right, and in/out (compression).
French doors usually have the same hinges on each leaf. Sliding patio doors run on rollers in a track, so they need roller and track work, not hinge screws.
Restoration Glazing adjusts flag and butt hinges on the visit (up/down, side to side, and compression), typically 30–45 minutes, £60–£90 on existing hinges. Every visit has a £180 minimum.
If the door won't lock, a hinge is cracked, or you can't support the door, send photos rather than adjust it yourself.
Draughts are usually uneven compression or a hard, shrunk seal. On the visit we check compression with a paper test: close the door on a strip of paper and pull. If it slides out easily at one edge, that side needs more compression or a new seal (£40–£90 on our list).
If the rubber has shrunk back from the corners or gone flat, adjustment alone will not fix it. New gaskets and hinge work can go in the same visit, which helps against the £180 minimum.
French doors drop the same way as a single leaf. We adjust both leaves so the meeting stiles line up and both compress onto the seals, then check the shootbolts or multipoint still throw into the head and sill keeps.
Sliding patio doors do not use flag hinges. If a patio sticks, jumps or will not lock, that is usually the rollers, a dirty track or the patio lock. Send photos via the quote form and say it is a slider.
Stop and call us if any of these apply. Continuing often turns a £60–£90 hinge job into a multipoint replacement.
We check whether the fault is hinges, keeps, seals or the multipoint, then adjust or replace parts in one visit where we can.
A typical realignment takes 30–60 minutes. Straight hinge adjustment on sound hinges is usually 30–45 minutes. More on our door alignment repair page.
A photo of the hinge side, a photo of the latch/keep side, a line about the problem and your postcode are enough to start pricing.
Our door alignment quote form has photo upload. You can also email photos to enquiries@restorationglazing.com or call 023 8001 2328.
Restoration Glazing adjusts and realigns uPVC and composite doors across Southampton, Eastleigh, Chandler's Ford, Winchester, Romsey and the rest of Hampshire, plus Salisbury, Basingstoke and Guildford, from our base at Unit 28 Monks Brook Industrial Park, School Close, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh SO53 4RA.
Restoration Services & Glazing Ltd (company 14354307, incorporated 2022) is FENSA registered (44665). Local detail: uPVC door repair Southampton.
At Restoration Glazing, hinge adjustment on existing hinges is £60–£90, and door drop / alignment work sits in the £60–£120 range. There's a £180 minimum charge per visit, so it's best value when you combine related faults in the same visit.
We do it on the visit. Don't keep turning screws if the door still won't lock or a hinge is cracked, because that often turns a £60–£90 job into a multipoint replacement.
uPVC expands in the heat. A door that has already dropped a few millimetres can clear the frame in winter and bind when the leaf swells. Realigning the hinges and keeps fixes both the summer stick and the winter draught.
In many cases yes. The cost guide notes a 30–60 minute hinge adjustment fixes it in around 70% of "won't lock" cases we see. If the door is square and the key still will not turn, the multipoint gearbox usually needs replacing (£120–£250).
Yes for hinged French doors (both leaves). Sliding patio doors need roller, track or lock work rather than hinge screws; send photos and say it is a slider.
Typically 30–60 minutes on site for a standard realignment, or 30–45 minutes for a straightforward hinge adjustment when the hinges are sound. We aim to finish in one visit.
Call Restoration Glazing on 023 8001 2328, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, or get a free quote online and upload photos of the hinge and latch sides. You can also email enquiries@restorationglazing.com.
