Bi-folds or sliding doors ?

6 years ago

Hi everyone. I wanted your views/thoughts.

we are building a large modern extension (to house a kitchen/diner and snug) to a Victorian listed house in Birmingham. It is about 12m long and will sit at 90 degrees to the house.

To contrast with the main house it is a modern design with floor to roof 3m glass panels.

we will have two sections (from the dining area and snug) that open to the garden.

Ive been thinking about bi-folds vs sliding doors. I have a preference for the latter as I'm not so keen on the 'bunching up' and thicker surrounds of the bi folds.

any thoughts on this and any recommendations on where to look for slimline sliding doors ?

thanks.

Featured Answer

PRO

Marienne Pachonick Architects

6 years ago

I would recommend Maxlight who does minimal profile sliding panels in quite large sizes.

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Comments (13)

Jonathan
6 years ago
I am also over folding doors and have the same bunching criticism as you. However everything has its place.
I think folding doors work well if your opening is small and you want the aperture to feel big when walking through. The bunching criticism is less noticeable if there is a wall for them to fold back onto which may be the case with your 90degree extension.
But my preference would be sliding doors.
rustumshah thanked Jonathan
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rustumshah
Original Author
6 years ago
Many thanks Marienne, I shall give them a try.
PRO
Skyglaze Ltd
6 years ago
We prefer sliding and offer two solutions with slim interlocks and also schuco bifolds
Sarah W
6 years ago
We've been looking at the same thing and are most likely going for sliding doors - one thing that swung it for me was the fact that you can just crack a sliding door slightly open to let air in, even on a rainy or windy day. That's a bit more awkward with a bifold! We're most likely getting these http://m.arkaywindows.com/Pages/DocumentManager/Arkay_InfiniGlide3_Brochure.pdf they are probably stocked by one of the specialist door companies in Birmingham!
dorsetdor
6 years ago
Bifold -BUT I think it depends how wide the aperture is and what you want to achieve - our kitchen / dining area isn't all that wide and we love opening the bifolds to the max (when its dry) so we feel part of the outdoors. If you don't want to open up the whole of the glazed area then slidingis good. A door stop works fine if you want to stop a door from flapping in the wind when only the door panel is open.
PRO
sully builders
6 years ago
Skyglaze.co.uk 01932354821 have 2 options stunning affordable options for minimal sliding doors
PRO
Centor Europe Ltd
6 years ago
Hi Rustumshah

Johnathan has touched on some valid points in regards to each option.

Some other important points to consider when looking at large doors are your requirements for privacy and light control. Will your living space be overlooked by neighbours at night or will bright sunshine need to to be filtered out.

Since the doors will be overlooking a garden, you might also want to consider installing insect screens to keep out unwanted pests.

As you are in the planning stage it’s the perfect time to consider integrated options that have insect screens and shades built-in. If this sounds like something you are interested in take a look at our Integrated Doors that are available in Folding and Sliding options.

Good luck with your build!

Kind regards

Emily
PRO
Wood Window Alliance
6 years ago
I have lift and slide Rationel timber doors in my house, which are very successful (incredibly energy-efficient for so much glass).
Bi-folding and sliding doors · More Info
If you want a slimmer frame profile, try Velfac, who do an ultra-slim aluminium-clad timber slider (a bi-parting slider too, which is fun).
Bi-folding doors · More Info

Have a look at some options.
PRO
Michael Nicholas Design
6 years ago
If the elevation is 12 mt long - I would recommend 3 or 5 panels (an odd number always preferable to an even number as otherwise results in a central division, which is not easy on the eye.

Not sure if 4 mt panels possible but 2.4 definitely are in the case of 5.

Try finelinealuminium.co,uk for slim frames.

Good luck
rustum_shah
6 years ago
thanks everyone
PRO
Synseal Group
6 years ago
Have a look at Warmcore bifolds - they are slim and stack well
PRO
IDSystems
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I'll start my response by saying we have been supplying and installing
award-winning bifold doors and award-winning sliding doors right across
the UK for 17 years, so we have plenty of experience - and unlike some others on Houzz we have no bias
towards either system.

Without seeing the plans it isn't easy to advise completely, but given your comments Rustumshah I think sliding doors are the best option for you.

We offer two slim sliding doors, theEDGE which is our award-winning system with ultra-slim 24mm sightlines and Grand Slider II which is our hugely popular slider with 83mm profiles.

In terms of choosing between systems, one of the key factors alongside visual appearances is the usability of the doors. If you get the chance to try the doors before you order then I would highly advise it. Historically some of the other systems on the market have been very heavy to open and close so if you can get to one of the exhibitions like Grand Designs Live, Homebuilding & Renovating or Build It Live where you can compare systems then that may assist your decision making.

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If you want to discuss your particular project where we can answer
questions and provide a quote for your project then
simply give us a call on 01603 408804, visit or website www.idsystems.co.uk or email us at info@idsystems.co.uk.