Before the door come the street, the carriage entrance and the courtyard
In the very centre, simply reaching the door is already part of the job. The streets around Saint-Pierre are narrow, and much of the grid around rue Sainte-Catherine is pedestrianised and filtered by retractable bollards: the equipment often makes the last part of the journey on foot, from the nearest place to park. Then comes the carriage entrance with its keypad or entryphone, the inner courtyard, and finally the staircase. When you call, give the name shown on the entryphone, the floor and the position on the landing: in large flats subdivided into smaller units, three doors can look identical.
In the outer neighbourhoods, the logic is reversed. The door opens straight onto the pavement, with no hallway or landing, but the house almost always has a second way in. An échoppe in Saint-Genès or Saint-Augustin opens at the back onto a small yard, a former chai or a garden; in Caudéran, the side gate and the service door play the same part. Before anything else, it is worth walking round the property: a French window left ajar sometimes settles the matter without anyone touching the cylinder.
Period doors, recent doors: what lies behind the doorbell
Landing doors in the centre and the Chartrons are frequently the originals: solid timber, a rim lock or a lever lock, sometimes a pair of door leaves topped by a glazed fanlight. The dimensions match no current standard, and the door frame set into the stone is solid but unforgiving of rough treatment. Inspecting the door on site determines the method we use: we explain what we find, what we intend to do and what it means for your cylinder, then we draw up a detailed quote before any work starts. You are always given an invoice.
In Bacalan, at the Bassins à flot, in Ginko or in the Belcier developments, the picture changes completely: communal access control at the entrance, then a recent landing door fitted with a shielded multipoint lock. Two situations not to be confused. A lost fob leaves you stuck in the lobby, and that is a matter for the building managing agent (syndic) or the site manager, not a door opening. A key left inside concerns your own front door: tell us if the lock is shielded, as that completely changes how it has to be dismantled.
How does this service work?
Techniques, typical situations, standards and things to watch out for: it is all on our door opening page. This page focuses on what the service involves in Bordeaux.