Bifolds for a 5m gap

[eviled]

These are mine, 3.6m solid oak clad in aluminium, long warrenty in hardware and finish.

They are triple glazed so amazing for heat and sound insulation, u-value of 1.2!
All for £3600 with a bit of discount.

Vufold have a stand at he home building exhibiton in March and hand out discount codes then usually.
If you can go then it's great for testing doors, there are well over 10 suppliers in attendance

 

[platypus]

They look really nice @eviled thanks for posting. Did you get them fitted by Vufold themselves?

 

[the_r_sole]

Why do you hate bifolds out of interest?

For me, as most of my design work is scotland based, bi-folds have a number of draw backs.
If they are external opening they catch the wind when open, with sliders you can crack the door open a little to give ventilation but with no danger of it catching the wind.
Or if they are internal opening they need a lot of clear floor space - with sliders you can have furniture right to the edge of your space for the 99% of the year the doors are closed.
The frame to glass ratio on bi-folds is significantly higher than large sliders, so you end up looking at frames rather than having a large expanse of glass (which goes back to how often they are likely to be fully open)
Cheaper bi-folds tend to need adjusted when the weather changes, or tracks get jammed up and the expensive ones are just that, expensive - there are a huge number of moving parts to get these things working and no body does the proper maintenance
With a 4m opening I've actually done a massive fixed panel and just an opening door at one side, it was cheaper than bi-folds and made the space work better as the fixed door position meant the furniture was easy to place in a relatively small addition.
The other thing is, they are no more practical than a standard door/sliding door etc so they will fall out of fashion soon enough...

 

[platypus]

I think she has her heart set on bifolds - but I do appreciate your comments. I'll run them past her .

 

[tom_nieto]

The first door on most bifolds will act as a single door without having to slide the whole lot open. I wouldn't have them with one door opening one way and the rest opening and sliding the other as it just adds to bulk and clutter.

 

[psd99]

I think she has her heart set on bifolds - but I do appreciate your comments. I'll run them past her .

the r sole has actually come up with some good points there.

That design looks good as well, one big panel and then a door on one side.

Sometimes you just go to grow a pair and tell 'em (the trouble and strife) wife
put her straight and it'll cost less too!

 

[eviled]

On mine the first leaf from the left opens out to the left, as a single access door

Next the second leaf from the left opens right as a complimenting French door setup

Then then 3rd and 4th fold back to allow full outside/inside effect

The doors stick together on magnetic catches so don't blow around, and I've added and catch and stop to the single door for the same reason.

Vufold do slim frame versions but at the expense of thermal efficiency.

My patio is the same and my internal floor so opening them out gives a great effect that sliders or fixed windows wouldn't.

Vufold don't do fitting but builders said they were very easy to fit, one adjustment few months later after everything had settled and all has been fine for 18 months since

 

[platypus]

I think the concern with no fitting is where the warranty lies.

 

[signs]

no regrets here about having BI -folds love the inside outside feel

 

[a1ex2001]

The first door on most bifolds will act as a single door without having to slide the whole lot open. I wouldn't have them with one door opening one way and the rest opening and sliding the other as it just adds to bulk and clutter.

Only works if you have an odd number of panels other wise you have to slide and fold the first pair.

We had our bifolds open loads last summer if the sun was out the doors were open it makes our garden and kitchen dinner feel like one big space and will be even better when the patio and Astro turf go down this year!

 

[Amp34]

the r sole has actually come up with some good points there.

That design looks good as well, one big panel and then a door on one side.

Sometimes you just go to grow a pair and tell 'em (the trouble and strife) wife
put her straight and it'll cost less too!

That one reminds me of a cheap 1970s “prefab”. There were thousands built in my town with that large window and small door. It looks old already.

On the other hand the huge double slider looks really interesting.

 

[the_r_sole]

That one reminds me of a cheap 1970s “prefab”. There were thousands built in my town with that large window and small door. It looks old already.

On the other hand the huge double slider looks really interesting.

Tbf, if you use cheap manky profiles like most developers any arrangement will look terrible!

 

[a1ex2001]

That one reminds me of a cheap 1970s “prefab”. There were thousands built in my town with that large window and small door. It looks old already.

On the other hand the huge double slider looks really interesting.

The large fixed panel would drive me mad I'd be constantly wanting to open it! I'd consider sliders on a massive opening!

 

[Cosmic182]

Another for bi-fold express!

 

[platypus]

Is that https://www.expressbifolds.co.uk/?

 

[kefkef]

Yep, they’re who we used also. The integrated blinds are very handy and reduce the need for curtains/external blinds., but pricey at £250+vat per panel but they do look good.