Here are our top tips and advice about buying Bifolding Doors. Whether you are replacing your old sliding or French doors, or building a new extension, bifolding doors are a logical choice. The decision making process does not have to be complicated once you understand the basic principles about how Bifolding doors differ from conventional doors. Unlike a typical door a bifolding door comprises complex running gear, sophisticated design so that it can slide, swing and fold.
What are the advantages of bifolding doors?
Over recent years many people have chosen to extend and upgrade their homes rather than move to a new house.
This popularity in home renovation is also reinforced by the plethora of home improvement programmes, lifestyle shows and much more.
As more and more people choose to improve their homes rather than sell, for this reason the bifolding door has become very popular. Bifolding doors are the only product that can completely fold back to open up an entire wall and create a substantially larger clear opening than a hinged or sliding door. Additionally, they are also flexible. What you may not know is that bifolding doors do not need to be folded back all the time. They can be designed with one or more access doors giving you easy access and exit without having to fold all your doors back.
It is in the summer months that bifolding doors prove why they are so popular. No other product can connect the inside to the outside of your home like a folding door.
Are there planning considerations with bifolds?
If you are replacing older doors such as a large patio door, generally there are no planning considerations. However planning rules differ from area to area, so it is wise to check beforehand with your local authority.
Most installations of bifolding doors come Permitted Developments.
If you are building a new extension, you will most likely have used an architect and of course a competent builder. Your architect will already have the knowledge about planning and design considerations and will be helpful to you.
Choosing between PVCu or Aluminium doors.
Do your research around bifolding doors and you will see that the vast majority of quality and well engineered bifolding doors are made of aluminium.
We believe every product has its place, but aluminium is far superior to PVCu doors for many reasons. Whilst plastic bifolding doors have come a long way in recent years, the nature of PVCu as a material still means it is thicker, bulkier and less attractive than aluminium.
PVCu doors cannot be made as large as aluminium doors and are therefore restricted by size. Furthermore PVCu expands roughly two and a half times more than aluminium which means in the heat, the doors will expand and may cause operational and reliability issue.
What colour should you choose for bifolding doors?
In recent years, technology in both PVCu and aluminium doors has enabled far more colour choice than ever before.
PVCu doors in a colour will either be wet sprayed or have a coloured foil applied.
We recommend aluminium powder coated bifolding doors. The processes used in powder coating aluminium doors means the finish is far more durable, more resistant to UV rays and is available in a much wider choice of colours, textures and finishes.
There are over 200 possible colour combinations available today so you can choose literally any colour you like with with a powder coated door.
Are Bifolding Doors safe and secure?
You have the peace of mind that most quality bifolding door systems have passed stringent security testing. There are many different types of security testing by professional testing institutes meeting current British or European Standards.
Whatever standard doors have passed, this means they have been subjected under controlled conditions to a variety of attack tests, timed test, attempts to prise doors apart and much more.
All of this means that your new bifolding doors will be secure.
This also applies to our own frameless bifolding doors. Despite their minimal aluminium and large glass panes, they are as secure as any all aluminium bifolding door.
Compare more than one bifolding door.
Bifolding doors are not cheap and you are making a large investment in your home. It makes sense therefore to try out the product.
We recommend you look at the different frame options, handle designs, threshold options and how the doors operate.
Once you have seen your typical aluminium bifolding door, we invite you to have a look at our glass frameless doors that will give you the very minimum in frame and visible aluminium and the most in maximum glass area.
The importance of bifolding door installation.
One of the most important factors in ensuring the long term reliability of your new bifolding doors is ensuring they are expertly fitted.
The precise install of a bifolding door is crucial bearing in mind the large structural opening that doors will be fitted to. Builders will often not create a truly square opening despite their best efforts.
But even so, the precise installation of bifolding doors, making sure glass is packed correctly, doors are adjusted precisely and the correct fitting of the door frames and leaves will all help make your doors reliable for many years to come.
Let us help you choose the best bifolding door for your home.
Our unique frameless sliding and folding doors have been designed by us from the ground up. We manufacture them in our own factory and install them all over the UK.
We can also customise your doors to create glass screens, internal room dividers, glass porch doors and much more. Contact us and find out why our bifolding doors are like no other you will see on the market.
