Dio-Met designed, fabricated and installed a fully bespoke hinged glass double door system for a period property in Burwash, East Sussex. The brief called for a floor-level access point over an existing stone staircase leading to a lower room, all within a characterful home featuring exposed timber framing, herringbone parquet flooring and original stonework.
Project Overview
| Client | Brendan, Residential |
| Location | Burwash, East Sussex |
| System | Bespoke hinged glass floor double door |
| Frame/Finish | Powder coated black mild steel |
| Glass | 25.5mm toughened laminated (2 x 12mm) |
| Operation | Gas strut assisted opening |
| Hardware | Streamline handle, both doors lockable with interchangeable keys |
| Design | Full site survey with templating, AutoCAD design |
| Scope | Supply and install |
The Brief
This was not a standard rectangular opening. The floor aperture was broadly L-shaped and completely irregular in size and shape, dictated by the existing structure of a period property built long before anyone was thinking about floor hatches. A stone staircase of considerable age descends to a lower level directly beneath. Brendan needed a system that provided safe, flush floor-level coverage when closed, full access when open, and the ability to lock the doors securely when the property was unoccupied. The property is used as a holiday home with infrequent occupation, which influenced several of the design decisions.
What Dio-Met Designed and Built
An opening this irregular required a full templating service during the initial site survey to capture the exact geometry. Those templates were drawn up in AutoCAD back in Sheffield, where the steelwork was designed and fabricated to match every angle and dimension of the actual opening precisely.
The frame was constructed from mild steel, powder coated black to complement the property's dark exposed timber beams throughout. Steel support brackets were fabricated and fixed directly into the existing stone walls beneath the floor level, providing a solid structural base for the frame and hinges. The brackets are visible in the photographs from below and give a good sense of the engineering involved in transferring the load of the glass doors safely into the historic masonry without compromising the original stone.
The double door configuration allows either one or both panels to be opened independently, each assisted by gas struts for smooth, controlled operation. This is particularly important on heavier glass floor doors where the weight of 25.5mm laminated glass across a large panel would make manual lifting impractical without mechanical assistance. The gas struts hold the doors open safely in the raised position without any additional prop or latch.
Each door is fitted with a streamline handle and a lock, both operating on interchangeable keys so that a single key operates the whole system. When closed, the glass sits flush within the frame, allowing natural light to pass through to the staircase and room below while providing a safe, walkable surface rated to the appropriate load specification.
See the System in Operation
Watching the doors open gives a much better sense of the operation than photographs alone. The gas struts provide a smooth, assisted lift and hold the panels open in a stable position throughout.
Installation in a Period Property
Dio-Met's installation team fitted the system on site in Burwash, securing the steel support brackets into the original stone walls and setting the frame into the existing floor structure. Working within a period property always brings its own considerations — uneven stone, old timber, and surfaces that were never designed with modern metalwork in mind. Every bracket position was marked and drilled on site to suit the actual wall geometry rather than a drawing.
Given the property's use as a holiday home with infrequent occupation, the risk assessment determined that no permanent balustrade was required around the opening. This is a practical consideration for floor hatches of this type — a continuous handrail cannot flow through the glass when the doors are closed, and the usage pattern of the property meant the risk was manageable through other means, including the lockable doors themselves. We always recommend discussing balustrade requirements with your building control officer early in the project — our glass floor building regulations guide covers this in more detail.
Technical Insight
Irregular openings like this one are exactly the kind of project we enjoy. Off-the-shelf products simply do not exist for this geometry, which is why we template on site, draw everything up in AutoCAD, and fabricate to match. The powder coated black finish was a good call from Brendan — it ties the steelwork into the existing timber frame of the property rather than fighting against it. The bracket detail from below is worth looking at closely in the photographs: what looks simple is the result of careful positioning to find solid stone in a rubble built wall while keeping the frame level and true throughout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Dio-Met make a glass floor hatch for a non-standard shaped opening? Yes. Every system we build is made to measure in our Sheffield factory. For irregular openings like this Burwash project, we carry out a full templating service on site to capture the exact shape, then draw everything up in AutoCAD before fabrication begins. Whether the opening is L-shaped, triangular, curved or completely irregular, we design and fabricate the steelwork to fit.
What glass is used in hinged glass floor doors? This installation used 25.5mm toughened laminated glass, made up of two layers of 12mm. Laminated glass is specified for floor applications because if one layer were ever to break, the second layer and the interlayer hold the panel together and continue to carry load. Glass thickness and specification will vary depending on the span and expected loading.
Why are gas struts used on glass floor doors? Gas struts provide controlled, assisted opening for heavier glass panels where manual lifting would be impractical or unsafe. They hold the door open in a stable position without the need for a separate prop, and provide a smooth, damped closing action. For larger or heavier panels, our fully electric motorised versions remove the need for manual operation entirely.
Can you install glass floor systems outside of Sheffield? Absolutely. This project was in Burwash, East Sussex, and we regularly install across the UK. For larger or more complex projects like this one, our installation team travels to site. We also offer supply-only options for customers who prefer to arrange their own fitting.
Do I need a balustrade around a glass floor hatch? It depends on the application and how the space is used. For a hatch providing access to a non-habitable space such as a cellar or storage area, building control requirements can be less prescriptive than for a primary staircase. We always recommend discussing this with your building control officer early in the project. Our glass floor building regulations guide covers the key considerations in detail.
How long does a bespoke glass floor system take to manufacture? Typical lead times are 6 to 10 weeks from sign-off on final dimensions, though this varies depending on complexity and finish. We confirm a lead time when we quote.
Explore More From Dio-Met
- Wine Cellar Doors and Glass Floor Hatches - full range of hinged glass floor systems
- Electric Motorised Glass Floor - hands-free electric opening version
- Stock Glass Floor Hatches - ready to ship options for standard sizes
- Glass Floor Building Regulations Guide - what you need to know before ordering
- Bespoke Glass Floor Pond Hatch, Chiswick - further bespoke glass floor project
- Underground Wine Cellar, Sheffield - related wine cellar project
- Walk On Glass Floor with Steel Framework - structural walk on glass panels
Thinking About a Similar Project?
We'd love to hear about it. Call us on 0114 243 9009 or email sales@diometonline.co.uk — or request a quote online.
Tags: bespoke glass floor, hinged glass floor doors, glass floor hatch, L-shaped glass floor, period property glass floor, glass floor Burwash, powder coated glass floor, laminated glass floor, wine cellar glass doors, bespoke metalwork East Sussex
