What is best a bi folding door or a patio door? Part 1

Without doubt the bi folding door market has exploded in recent years with a huge range of products now being available.  This means that consumers have real choice when it comes to aluminium bi folding doors with a diverse range of products available.

Bifolding Doors are designed to open up your living space but would patio doors be more suitable?

Many home owners are adding stunning extensions to the back of their properties usually with a lantern roof or skylights and further enhanced with a fantastic door to lead onto their gardens on patios.

When it comes to bifolding doors we recommend that you are not governed the cheapest product.  Aluminium bifolding doors should always be considered over pvc bifolds. Whilst pvc bifolding doors do have their place, our article explains why you should choose aluminium bifolding doors over upvc.

Whilst the current trend is very much towards the bifolding door, think about how you will use the new doors you are proposing to buy.  Sliding Patio doors also have their place in many properties and should be considered at the same time.

With sliding doors you can choose from a more standard aluminium patio door such as an Aluk patio door or a Smarts Visoglide patio door.  Then there are the more luxurious premium sliding doors.  These offer premium hardware and running gear, the best quality hardware and designed for high performance. The excellent and recommended Aïr lift and slide door is a great example of these.

Also worth considering are the ultra slim aluminium doors that are designed to offer the bare minimum of aluminium sight lines. These are more expensive needing specialist manufacture and installation.

What should you choose? A bi folding door or a patio door?

The main advantage to bifolding doors is that when folded back, they will open up your entire wall.  This will truly open up your living space bringing your outside space into your home seamlessly.  This is the key feature of bifolding doors and should not be overlooked.  If your main requirement is to completely open up the space, then a bifolding door is for you.

Consider also the British Climate. The fact remains that most of the year your doors will remain closed and you will be looking out into your garden through your closed doors.  Bifolding doors when closed will give you less glass area than patio doors.

Sliding patio doors by design enable you to have much larger door leaves than bifolding doors and  therefore a much larger glass area to look out of. When patio doors are closed you will be looking through more glass and less aluminium than you will with bifolding doors.  This should also be considered when deciding between a bifolding door or a sliding patio door.

How many back doors to you have that lead to your garden or outside space? If your bifolding doors will be your only doors leading out into your garden a reputable installer will correctly advise you to think about having an “access leaf” on the one side of your bifolding doors that you can use as a normal swing door to go in and out of your garden without having to fold the doors back.  The remaining leaves can be folded back to open up the space only when needed.

It could be argued that this access leaf is more practical than having to slide a patio door open, however modern patio doors despite their weight have excellent gearing that makes them light in operation.  Again there is no better or worse between a sliding patio door and a swing or sliding door.  It is purely choice and getting the right information from your window company.

Click here for Part 2 of whether to choose a bi folding door or a sliding patio door.