The Patio, The French and The Bi-Fold

We often talk to people who are uncertain which doors they should plump for when they’re getting quotes to sort out the back of their house. Ever keen to provide you with useful information, here’s the Home Improvement Quotes Back Door Shootout.

Firstly, the basics: In a nutshell, French doors open on hinges, Patio doors slide on rails and Bi-Fold doors concertina open. You can have doors made in uPVC, Hardwood or Aluminium. Most double glazing companies will also fit doors, and uPVC are the most common and the cheapest variety.

The Patio

The biggest plus side to patio doors is that they require less space. Because they slide instead of opening outwards, you don’t need to worry about leaving a space free on the patio for them to swing through. There’s also an important safety advantage to patio-style doors, because they won’t be blown shut suddenly by gusty winds which may exist.

Another advantage to patio doors is, of course, the possibility of running into Gwyneth Paltrow as she wonders through parallel dimensions.

The French

Whilst not gust-proof like their sliding counterparts (typically, you would overcome this using a hook to keep the door against the wall), French doors have the significant advantage of opening on both sides, which means you get the . This naturally comes in quite handy when hosting parties or BBQs,

The Bi-Fold

<p>Bi-Fold doors, as the name suggests, open concertina style, with each individual panel being able to fold up against the next as you slide them open. In some ways they provide the best of both worlds – they can’t blow closed, but they still open across the entire doorway. They also look fantastic – and can almost turn your patio into just another room of your house.</p>

So which is best?

Naturally, the best is a matter of preference, and it will depend on your needs, priorities and budget. If space is an issue then patio doors must be the ones to go for; for the thrifty or those on a small budget, French doors are probably the cheaper option. If we had to recommend the most practical, the most stylish and the one with the highest wow-factor, it would have to be the Bi-Fold, every time.

You can get free and instant online quotes for patio or french doors from WindowQuoter.co.uk. For Bi-Fold Doors, head to BifoldDoorQuoter.co.uk.

Composite Doors: Fad or Future?

In the days before interwebs and online pricing, if you wanted to keep out draughts coming under the front door you taught a grandchild how to knit, gave them some odd balls of wool, and waited until they’d knitted a length of multi-coloured design Tom Baker would have been proud to wear.

Then you’d sew it up, stuff it and make a ‘sausage dog’ draught excluder.

Depending on the length of knitting time contributed and the amount of wool you had, many such excluders would fall short of the task by quite a few centimeters – I can remember my own creation looking long enough to go around the bed, when in reality, it only stopped up half the door, allowing the freezing winter air to blow straight round.

Of course, nowadays, because its very difficult to get kids into knitting (there’s surely an idea there for Nintendo and their Wii), we have to rely on the double glazing industry to come up with ever-more effective ways of giving us not only a great looking entrance door, but one that also keeps out the weather, and is ultra secure.

uPVC has become the clear favourite of door buyers, particularly because uPVC doors tend to be really secure, and they also give your home great protection from the elements – particularly these ‘pleasant’ snow carrying breezes we’ve enjoyed in the last week or so.

These doors aren’t without flaws, though. In particular, many traditional uPVC door designs incorporate a raised sill that can make it difficult for the elderly or handicapped to step over. If you’ve ever tried to get a baby buggy through such a door design, you’ll know all about it.

There’s a new door in town, though, and it’s called the Composite.

....to read the full story on composite doors - head over to Home Improvement Quotes website - click here

You can find quotes for all kinds of doors from WindowQuoter.co.uk