Our simple guide to buying bifold doors

5 min read Doors

Renovating the back of your home? Then you’ve probably heard the phrase “bifold doors” quite a lot, but we wouldn’t judge you for not knowing exactly what they are. Essentially, they’re a more modern form of rear patio door that work excellently to flood the home with beautiful views of your garden while letting in lashings of light, too. They’ve become increasingly popular with UK homeowners in recent years for both these reasons and more – hence why Sheerwater Glass is proud to offer bifold door installations.

Want to know more about how bifold doors might make sense for your home? That’s lucky because we’ve put together this simple guide to buying bifold doors for beginners…

black aluminium bifold doors

What exactly are bifold doors?

Simply put, bifold doors refer to a form of sliding patio door made from a series of glazed panels that fold up against your wall concertina style. Bifold door panels fold in and neatly stack up against one another to help you conserve space both inside and outside the home, helping you blur the line between the two areas like never before. No longer do you have to sacrifice living space in your garden or patio when wanting to open up the home. Plus, thanks to their innovative smooth sliding action, bifold doors are easy to operate despite their lavish design.

Bifold doors are regularly considered one of the most versatile patio door solutions out there, offering a modern look and function that makes the style a perfect fit for a wide array of house types. What’s more, we at Sheerwater Glass can install and design your set of bifold doors to be completely custom. Your revitalised home will be a result of glazed panels and slim door frames totally unique to you.

bifolding doors in open plan kitchen diner

What is the best material for bifold doors?

Bifold doors can be installed using a range of different materials, but by far the most common is aluminium. This is because aluminium’s strength-to-height ratio is almost unparalleled, allowing homeowners to have bifold doors containing large glazed panels installed without fear of them being too heavy. Aluminium’s strength also means homeowners get to enjoy minimalist frames sporting some of the slimmest sightlines around – outside views will be totally unobstructed.

uPVC and timber bifold doors are incredibly rare by comparison for the reasons outlined, but feel free to contact us for a free quote and we’d happily discuss options. In the meantime, another benefit to aluminium bifold doors is the impressively high level of security. Fitted using a multi-point locking system alongside locking shoot-bolts, security hinges, and toughened glass, Sheerline aluminium bifold doors from Sheerwater Glass come PAS: 21:2012 certified. You’ll have complete peace of mind.

What benefits do bifold doors bring to the home?

The chief benefit of any aluminium bifold doors is their ability to open up your home by blurring the line between outside and indoor living space. In practical means, however, replacing your existing patio doors for a set of bifolds could also mean enjoying improved energy efficiency. This is because of the high-performance frame profiles we install, which come double rebated on the top and bottom tracks to better lock in heat and achieve an overall U-value of 1.5W/m²K. The back of your home could be more energy efficient (and warmer) than ever.

We’ve already touched upon the unrivalled security, improved outside views, and additional sunlight in previous sections, but all these are a result of an unabashedly modern design. When compared to classic styles like French patio doors and conventional sliding, bifold doors are a sleek and responsive rear home solution with manyfold practical and aesthetic benefits. For the full list of benefits feel free to contact us for a free quote.

grey aluminium bifolding doors

What bifold door configurations are available?

When we said that bifold doors are inherently flexible, we meant it. To the extent that we can install them in almost any configuration you can think of, depending on the size of the aperture at the back of your home. Open in, open out, left sliding, right sliding, one glazed panel, six glazed panels… the only limit is your imagination. Standard sizes start at 1800mm (that’s for a two-panel set of bifold doors), all the way up to 4800mm for a set of six.

The type of bifold door configuration you choose will be informed by several factors, namely if you want the panels to open inwards or outwards, whether or not a traffic door (one that opens normally) will be fitted, and if you intend them to close left, right, or even both ways for increased ease of use. The maximum width we at Sheerwater Glass we can cover using a set of bifold doors is 7 metres – a generous amount for most styles of home.

grey timber bifolding door

Open your home to warmth and light with bifold doors from Sheerwater Glass

If you’re based in Surrey or any of its surrounding areas and would like to know more about the benefits bifold doors can offer, feel free to contact us for a free quote. Our aluminium bifold doors come highly recommended by previous homeowners we’ve worked with, and we’d love for you to be able to easily enjoy the most modern style of patio door too.

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