Look through any bifolding door brochure or any bifolding door company website and you will find plenty of messages about the benefits of bifolding doors and how they can transform your living spaces, create masses of open space from the outside of your home to your patio or garden. The messages from home improvement magazines, websites and the double glazing industry point to the bifolding door being the must have in any type of home.
Doors such as these white powder coated Origin doors work well in many types of houses.
It is true that bifolding doors are hugely popular in the UK. They add an extra dimension to any home, can add value and are a striking feature of homes today. The bifolding door message is one of “modern living” but how can you incorporate a bifolding door in a traditional or even listed property?
Will bifolding doors in traditional properties work?
Homeowners who buy traditional properties do so for the character features and the period living feel these older houses give. So if you are about to embark on a renovation project in a character property and want bifolding doors what should you consider without compromising all the original charm of the house?
Variations of bifolding doors have been around for a very long time but in typical British homes they were never installed as part of the original sash windows or French doors. Bifolding doors can be fitted to any home but the choice of design and importantly the choice of material is even more relevant and important if you wish to make sure your new bifolding doors blend in with your home and do not look like an afterthought.
It is also important to remember that bifolding doors are generally fitted to new openings. If you are fitting a bifolding door to an existing opening you must make sure that that structural opening is plumb, square and the important threshold is also modified if needed.
Contemporary extensions on traditional properties.
Many older properties have already had extensions attached to the back that are far more contemporary than the front of the house. This is fine in many cases as when correctly designed, these new extensions can blend in and work with the overall back of the property. However in traditional houses with no extension where french doors need to be replaced with bifolding doors it will be important to look at the original window detailing and aesthetics and look to see how you can recreate these with your new doors to create a uniform look.
Of course the provision of a modern product can work with an older property but this will largely depend upon the overall design of the home and whether a modern bifold door can work with the property if it is done right.
Timber bifolding doors will be the best option for an absolute match as you can have glazing bars, astragal bars and other features custom made into your bifolding doors. With aluminium or PVCu this is much harder to achieve.
Aluminium and PVCu bifolding door systems today generally do not have the range of ancillary profiles to create traditional glazing features offered by astragal bars or georgian bars. You can of course have bars inset within your double glazed units but these do not look right on bifolding doors and should be avoided.
Some systems such as Smarts offer bifolding doors with deep bottom rails designed to replicate the deep rails found on original timber products and these are one option to consider. Timber will be your best option if you want your doors to have the bar design found in your existing and original sash or casement windows.
Sunflex, Timber Windows.com and other companies offer timber doors that come with accessories to recreate original features of timber windows.
Bifolding doors to match existing Crittall Windows.
There are few bifolding door products in steel but specialist manufacturers do exist. Steel bifolding doors tend to be used more commercially owning to additional fire rated properties and companies such as Schuco Jansen may be able to provide an ultra slimline alternative. Steel will be even slimmer than aluminium but it is important to ensure the sections match up well with any existing steel window frames. The steel bifolding door will be the most expensive option.
If you are set on an authentic option, French doors are a very good idea. “French doors remain a classic product and suit the period house,” admits Chris Wood of Lomax+Wood. “French doors are architecturally the more aristocratic product for the purist concerned with correct sightlines, as opposed to the more brazen bi-folding door addition to the rear of the house.”
The best of both worlds – timber and aluminium.
There are products such as the bifolding door by Senior Systems Hybrid range that consist of aluminium on the outside and wood on the inside. These are an option to consider if internal aesthetics are important and you will gain the benefits of long lasting powder coated aluminium externally that can be finished in any colour you like, including matching Farrow and Ball colours if required. Internally there are various wood options available.
Consider Budget and Aesthetics with bifolding doors for traditional homes.
For most period properties timber doors may be more suitable as they can be customised to match existing glazing bars in windows. (Image courtesy of Home Building and Renovation)
It is quite likely that timber doors will be the most suitable for the period home. Whilst this will be the most effective way of getting the look you require owing the bespoke nature of working with wood, it will probably be the most expensive option. Aluminium is available in wood effect sublimated colours that are a really authentic looking wood alternative compared to woodgrain foils found on plastic doors.
Here is our checklist when considering bifolding doors for older properties:
- If your home is largely timber windows and french doors, consider timber doors with astragal, Georgian or glazing bars to match any in your existing windows.
- Ask if your aluminium bifolidng door is available in wood effect and with deep bottom rails as this provides a more authentic appearance.
- Avoid bars in double glazed units. They look cheap and are not right for bifolding doors.
- Ensure any existing openings and floor levels are level as this is essential for the correct operation of bifolding doors.
- Consider hybrid systems consisting of wood internally and aluminium externally
- Check whether chamfered or ovolo profiles are available with your aluminium bifolds as they replicate the appearance of wood better.
- Contemporary doors can work well with traditional properties if design, colour and the overall installation is done right.
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