A new contemporary patio door has become a staple in today’s home renovation projects. They not only need to be functional, secure and weather-resistant but also serve as a stunning feature that will enhance the aesthetics of the home and the enjoyment of living there.
Whichever you choose, when you buy patio doors from South East Doors, you’ll benefit from:
Best of all, you get all this at trade prices direct from the manufacturer. Read on for help in deciding whether you want the panoramic views of sliding doors or the ability to clear the doors to the sides on sunny days.
Of course, you are welcome to call us to discuss the options. Our experienced advisers will help you weigh up the pros and cons and give you prices.
Bifold and sliding doors are the two most popular types of patio doors. While French doors remain popular for smaller spaces, if you want to open up your home to let in maximum light, your choice will be between bi-fold and sliding.
When you are choosing patio doors for your home, it’s worth taking time to make the right choice.
The choice between these types of doors is often a personal one based on what you like the look of, but there are some things to consider that will make a difference to your long term enjoyment of your home.
While patio doors may not directly increase the value of your home, they do have the potential to make your home appeal to the mass market. This could put more buyers in competition which could help you realise the full price and even increase the asking price if several buyers are interested and bid against each other.
While we think that you should always create a home that you will love, it’s always worth bearing in mind what will affect the value if you do decide to move in the future.What is Your Home’s Style?
Your choice of patio doors can have an impact on your room that changes the perception of space letting more light in and creating a seamless integration with the garden. When people buy a new home, this type of home improvement is often on their wishlist. If you have already maximised the potential of the room whether it is part of a kitchen extension or just opens up an existing room, this knocks a major expense off their wishlist and can make your home more attractive if you decide to sell.
When you’re looking for extra wide patio doors, the choice between aluminium and uPVC is clear. Aluminium allows for wider and taller panels meaning that you can fill a space, up to approximately 13 metres with less panels. Fewer panels means less frame and more view.
The strength of aluminium also allows for thinner frames giving a sleek contemporary appearance. Older aluminium doors were not as energy efficient as uPVC but that is taken care of with modern alumium patio doors. The misconception is that aluminium windows are not as well insulated when compared to UPVC, but this is no longer true. The frames may feel colder to touch but the glazed areas can achieve exactly the same energy efficiency levels by using a thermal break.
Aluminium is also more robust and stable compared to uPVC. Although your initial outlay may be more for aluminium patio doors, it will pay off in the long run as they will last longer.
While both bi-folding doors and sliding doors can be used for wide expanses, there are essential differences between them that may help you to make up your mind.
The key difference is in the way that they open. Bi-folding doors will open fully to sit folded at the sides. Sliding doors stay in the track so they will never be fully open. One door slides over the other.
Let’s examine this in more detail. Although our prices for sliding and bi-folding are among the most competitive on the market, it will still be a big investment and a bit of time taken now will ensure that you love your choice for many years to come.
Bifold doors have become popular in the last ten years.They are aesthetically pleasing and come in a large variety of styles, colours and designs to suit any taste. They have the advantage that they fold to the side (or sides) when not needed, to provide a seamless integration with the patio.
Part of the reason for their popularity was that when they were launched, sliding doors had a reputation for being cold, difficult to manage and were a bit industrial looking.
Modern technology and design has caught up in recent years so whichever you choose, you won’t have to sacrifice energy efficiency, security or style.
When compared like for like using the same dimensions, it is probable that sliding doors would be cheaper than bi-fold doors. Consider a 7 metre run of patio doors where this could be made as three or four panels with sliding doors, the same run of bifolds is likely to be seven or eight doors. It makes sense that with nearly twice as much frame, the bifolds would be more expensive.
It is said that sliding doors let in more light than bifolds because there is less frame. Whether this is visble to the average person is debatable. The perception would also change depending on whether the frames inside were white or dark. More dark frame on the inside of bifold doors would give the perception of less light than sliding doors in the same space. White frames inside have the appearance of letting in more light. The amount of light that comes in shouldn’t be a major factor in deciding whether bifold or sliding doors are right for you but the next subject may affect your decision.
As we discussed earlier in relation to pricing, bi-fold doors have more visible frame than sliding doors and these will be in your view when you look outside. Take a moment to sit where you will most often see the outside and consider whether more frame will affect your enjoyment of it on a daily basis. Take a photo of outside and print off a few copies. You can then draw lines on the photo where the frames will be for both sliding or bifold doors.
If you are considering sliding doors, this will also help to decide on placement as you may prefer to frame the centre of the view with one large panel in the middle rather than frame down the centre. In other words, you may choose an odd number of door panes rather than even.
From experience, we would say that the biggest deciding factor for choosing between bifold and sliding doors is the way that they open. Sliding doors must slide behind each other which always leaves at least one glass pane in place. Bifolds can clear out of the way and fold back to the side. Take a look at where the bifold doors will sit when they open. If you need to know how much space your doors take up when folded, get in touch and we’ll work it out for you.
One last thing to think about when making your choice is how often you will use your patio doors as a regular entrance and exit. This will affect where your master door is. Bifold doors can have the master door anywhere – at the side, in the middle or anywhere along the run. Where ever it is, the doors either side will fold away in th at direction. The choice is a bit more limited when choosing sliding doors as there are less pains to choose from.
If you are building a new home or extension, allowance can be made for the track whichever patio doors you choose. As a sliding door could have a wider track, you may need modifications to the existing threshold. The more doors you have, the wider the track will need to be. We can advise you or your builder on this.
Before you plan your patio doors, you may wish to think about which type of window dressing you would prefer. If you still want curtains, you will need to think about where the track will go and where they will sit when open. Sometimes it’s worth leaving a bit of wall so that you can clear the glazed areas easily. If you have sheer curtains, they may be able to hang from a ceiling track but if you plan on having traditional lined curtains you will need space for a pole above the doors.
Integral blinds are the best options for privacy and glare protection with patio doors. They sit between the panes of glass, keeping them dust free. They are worth considering even if you want curtains as you will be able to tilt them one pane at a time rather than close the curtains fully on sunny days.
We are a local company with 35 years of experience in the double glazing industry. We deliver your doors with our own vans in the Kent and surrounding areas.
We know how important your home is to you and we also know that you want the best aluminium bi-fold doors that your budget allows.
That’s why we manufacture our own. We can control the quality and the cost, to provide superb bi-fold doors at trade prices for your builder to fit for you.
Builders and double glazing professionals are also welcome.
Get in touch or use our online bi-fold door designer. Once you have decided on your doors, we will give you a firm price and an estimated delivery date.
Get a Quick Quote from a member of our team or design your product online with our product design software.
