Hello, if you don't want sight lines then I wouldn't have Crittall to be honest (unless you wanted Crittall without the cross bars of course?? as they are super busy and won't give you a clear view of the garden) We opted to go for bi-folds with slimmer sight lines and wider panes so there would be less lines. On your size opening, it would take 3 bi-fold panes which means the central one is just glass. If you had sliding doors then you would likely have 2 panels with the bar being right in the middle (unless you can slide them into pocket doors!) Bi-folds - they even do frame-less bi-folds now or ones with the lines super narrow so I would get prices for those. It also depends on your garden - as you say, because we had the bi-folds leading directly onto a patio area. If you have to step down then the garden will feel quite separate anyway and so you don't benefit from having an open 'room' as you would with a semi flush or flush threshold and bi-folds doors. In that case, Alu french doors with side panels that don't have all the cross bars would likely be the cheapest option for you.

Installing large #slidingdoors to this hallway allows a generous amount of natural daylight within the internal spaces. The sliding doors offer access to and from the hallway out onto the outdoor terrace, due to the flush threshold this transition between spaces feels seamless. The beauty of the base track available with the #minimalwindows system is that there is only a 12-13mm track depth for the wheels and the resulting base track is completely flush to the floor level for a neat an minimalist finish. Discover more about the base options here > > https://www.minimal-windows.co.uk/adaptations/base-options-for-minimal-windows/

minimal windows #slidingdoors were installed to the extension of this family home to add more living space on the ground floor. A 3-pane sliding door was installed to one face of the extension which leads onto the large patio in the garden. The sliding doors not only flood the new living space with light, they also provide ventilation and access into the garden. The beauty of the #minimalwindows sliding doors in that the surrounding frame can be hidden within the finishes of the wall and ceiling to enhance to #framelessaesthetic achieved with this system. Read more about this project on our website here >> https://www.iqglassuk.com/projects/uphill-road-perpendicular-rear-extension/s15992/

Hi! A belated thank you to everyone who helped me finally make a decision! I went with a 3 pane sliding door (on a 3.7m opening) allowing me to open over half the width. I figured that with bifolds you would still have the frames stacked to one side which takes up a chunk of the opening as well. I chose the XP Glide from Express Bi-folds. Have found them professional and easy to deal with, we are just awaiting delivery now! The only bug I had is that their choice of handles were pretty basic, either a chunky (in my view an eye sore!) steel bar or a regular lever handle. They only come in black, grey or white! I was initially going with a very sleek 2 pane sliding door from Ultraline that had an integrated handle within the frame but the cost was too high for me to change it to a 3 pane. If I had the budget though I would have gone with them instead. Express Bi-folds do a slimmer framed option than XP Glide, I think it is called XP Panoramic. The 3 pane was more than Ultraline I think though. The consultant at Express-Bi-folds also advised against slimmer framed bonded glass options as if for any reason you damage the glass you have to replace the whole frame as well which is a major structural headache. Most slim framed options use this method though (as opposed to beaded - correct me if I am wrong!) so I would have chosen to ignore his advice if my budget allowed :-)