Curtains or Blinds for BiFolds and Glass Roof, yay or nay?
I'm currently in the middle of a kitchen renovation and we have installed bifolding doors and a glass roof to bring in lots of light and open up to the garden, which is the next project on the list. However, as much as we want lots of light it can be over bearing during the summer, I'm wondering what others think and if they would choose some kind of blind, curtain or sail or not cover at all? all ideas and suggestions welcome! p.s the kitchen design is very black and industrial..
Comments (13)
PROAt No 19
4 years ago
rinked
4 years agoRelated Discussions
bifold or not?
Comments (49)My first ever comment on Houzz. Bifolds are great, but then, so are sliding doors. Our bifolds were from Express Bifolding Doors (as recommended by George Clarke - CH4 etc.) and we're very happy with them. We have two runs, one of 6m+ and one of 3m+, we chose the XPView range of doors, as they can be built to be wider per panel than normal. There are some issues with bifolds, some of which have already been covered, like the way they protrude out when open (they can be designed to open inwards, but this is uncommon). It all comes down to personal choice. For us, I designed our extension to have an overhang, so the doors remain covered by the roof, even when open. Several advantages to this, but the main one being that they never get wet, so hardly ever need cleaning, and the track remains free of debris (leaves etc.) - Of course this would apply to sliding doors too. It also creates an almost automatically 'clear' space - it simply doesn't feel right to leave things on the patio underneath the overhang - this means that the doors are always free to open. Careful thought needs applying whether sliding or bifolds are used, each have their benefits. How you are going to transition from inside to outside is probably more important - are the two floor levels going to be level with each other? - should you rebate the track to provide a seamless transition? Or are you going to have to step over a raised threshold every time? It's all in the final detail. ps For those decrying any sort of opening door, citing the weather in England, I should point out that we're in Northumberland, and through the Summer months (yes we do get a Summer up here!) we have both sets of doors open. The trick is to be shielded from the prevailing wind, our doors face North & East so the wind doesn't blow in. pps I should also point out that, for us, easy access to the patio area was a must; we considered, but rejected, sliding doors on these grounds alone, as opening a sliding door to get to either the bins, or the BBQ (we do a lot of outdoor cooking) was going to be more hassle than simply opening a single door. (Top Tip, if installing bi-folds, always make sure you have an odd number of doors in a run, then the last door can always be opened independently - an even number of doors requires a minimum of 2 doors to be opened at a time!)...See MoreBiFolding doors, internal blind yay or nay
Comments (3)Hi Christine If you haven't already purchased the doors, an option you could consider is the Centor Integrated Folding Door. It's available in a range of configurations – a 5 panel option is available. Designed for homes, you can choose a built-in blind and/or insect screen, both of which are fully serviceable. Regarding thermal properties, the use of an integrated Blackout blind can improve the U value by 0.2. Good luck with your search and please get in touch should you have any questions. Kind regards Lydia...See MoreSwing and slide door suppliers
Comments (35)Hello everyone...this is SO very helpful - and thanks Kathryn for all your advice! We're going through the exact same routine for slide & tilt doors - and needs some other windows too. Our shortlist is Sunseekers or IDsystems. We are edging towards IDS, as they can offer the doors AND all other glazing we need - whereas SS only offer the doors (and also saw a few dodgy reviews for them too). IDS are few grand pricier. However your experience makes me feel they may be worth the extra. May I ask you, Kathryn, how much more glazing did you have (re negotiating price down), and what size are your (beautiful!) doors - are they 950mm panels? How much more did you pay for the special colour? THANKS so much,!...See MoreSliding doors or bi folds for 8m expanse
Comments (57)Excellent. Thanks for the visual. Always helps as builders are only at the foundation stage at the moment! 28m3 of concrete pumped on the site last week as our house built on higher ground so extension has to match ground level and we're adding a first level extension too. A long way to go but take each day at a time. No more projects for you then?!...See More
obobble
4 years agoWhat direction do the widows face? Also, what ventilation do you have? We have a north facing glass wall about 4 m wide with two veluxwindows above and have found we need no shading. There are also two opening casements in the window in the o5her half of the kitchen.
Gillian Curtis
4 years agoGillian Curtis
4 years agoGillian Curtis
4 years ago
Emily B
4 years agoHi Gillian it looks stunning. We had electric roller blinds in white voile on our bifolds and we are really happy. will attach a video from Instagram and a photo of them closed during the day. I think grey anthracite voile could look good with your industrial style. They do keep the heat out during the hot summer days when we are out but otherwise we only close them at night as we do need the privacy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsX5Mm7ngmD/?igshid=15ke0buxlgjx1
Emily B
4 years agoGillian Curtis
4 years agoGillian Curtis
4 years agoEmily B
4 years agoGillian Curtis
4 years ago
Ellie