Patio and bifolddoors
Wide glazed openings that bring the garden into the kitchen, extension or garden room.
When one door isn’t enough
For a wide opening onto the garden, there are two main choices. Sliding patio doors have large panels that glide past each other, so they never swing into the room. Bifold doors are made of several narrower panels that fold back against each other, so almost the whole width opens up.
The black doors in the photo open from a rear extension onto the patio, with slim frames that keep the glass area large.
Sliding patio doors
A patio door has two, three or four panels, with one or two sliding on rollers. Because nothing swings open, they’re ideal where a table or sofa sits close to the doors, or where the patio outside is narrow. Large panes mean big views, even when the doors are closed.
Bifold doors
Bifold doors fold back in sections and stack to one or both sides. When they’re fully open, the room and garden become one space, which is why they’re popular on new extensions. A traffic door in the set lets you use one panel like a normal door day to day.
Which is right for you?
- Want the widest possible opening for summer? Bifold.
- Want the biggest panes of glass and the slimmest frames when closed? Sliding patio.
- Short of space inside or out? Sliding patio, because nothing swings.
- Opening onto a new extension? Either works, so we’ll look at the size and how you’ll use the space.
Building Regulations
Large glazed doors need toughened safety glass and must meet energy standards. If you’re making an opening wider, a correctly sized lintel is needed above it. We register door replacements with FENSA; structural work to widen openings may need building control, which we’ll explain at the survey.
Patio or bifold: the main differences
Patio
- Panels slide, nothing swingsSpace-saving
- Larger panes and slimmer framesMore view
- Opens one panel’s width
Bifold
- Panels fold and stack to the sideWidest opening
- Traffic door for everyday use
- Needs room for panels to swing
Both
- Toughened safety glassStandard
- Choice of colours
Common questions
Can’t see your question? Call 07733 408235 and ask.
Are bifold doors draughty?
Not when they’re well made and properly fitted. The fit matters most: frames must be square and level so every panel seals. That’s what our surveys and fitting are for.
Can patio doors be fitted in an existing opening?
Yes. Replacing an old patio door with a new one in the same opening is straightforward. Making the opening wider needs a new lintel and may need building control approval.
What colours are available?
White, anthracite grey, black and woodgrain finishes are common, and many doors can be a different colour inside and out.
Everything else we fit
Everything we fit is measured, supplied and installed by our own team, and registered with FENSA.
Get your free quote
Tell us what you’d like fitting and roughly where you live, and we’ll arrange a free survey.
07733 408235