Bifold doors can fold in or out, though outward doors won’t get in the way of furniture inside
Make an entrance
Create the right impression with a door that shows off the house to its full advantage. For a traditional home, the classic choice will match the style of those in the street, but fashions are moving on and for a distinctive look, or for a modern house, new looks include eyecatching wood doors with horizontal detailing and extrawide doors, some of which pivot, for a home where the hall can accommodate a wider frame.
Expect to pay from about £350 for a pre-hung door set in uPVC, complete with frame; a bespoke replacement timber front door, tailored with panelling, glazing and detailed to match an original one, can cost more than £4,000.
Inside story
Moving a door, or changing it to open inwards or outwards, can greatly improve the use of the space in a cramped home. Or consider a pocket door, which slides away discreetly, as an elegant alternative solution. The simplest style of internal door is a flush version, with no panels. If finished in a thick layer of quality hardwood veneer it will look and feel authentic.
Panelled doors come in solid softwood or hardwood, with pine being the cheapest. Pressed doors mimic panelled doors, using a moulded facing on a timber frame. The trend for folding-sliding doors for extensions is also a fantastic solution for interior spaces.
Before widening the opening in a structural, supporting wall, you’ll need the advice of a structural engineer, and if the work is close to the party wall, consult your neighbours, who may ask you to sign a party wall agreement. A new loft requires a fire door, and often changes to the other doors in the home or a sprinkler or mist system so check with Building Control.
The rear view
Taking out much of the back wall of the house and replacing it with an expanse of glazing blurs the boundary between the indoor and outside space.
‘With sliding doors you have the opportunity to incorporate much larger panes of glass in proportion to frame. However, the flexibility of bifold doors enables you to fully maximise an opening by folding back the doors,’ says David Clarke, marketing manager at ID Systems. If you’re simply replacing existing patio doors, usually planning permission isn’t needed. But if you’re widening the opening, building an extension, or are in a conservation area or listed house, check with your local council.
Whatever your project, you must always meet Building Regulations, and the glazed area must not make the house less energy efficient.
Pairs of folding sliding doors start at about £1,500 from DIY stores; expect to pay considerably more for bespoke sizes, specific types of glazing and frames from a specialist firm.
See more clearly
Original windows are worth keeping hold of but need regular maintenance. ‘Aside from the obvious cost benefit, refurbishment of existing windows improves their performance while preserving the historical integrity of the building and can be completed without a lengthy manufacturing delay,’ says Richard Dollar,
managing director of The Sash Window Workshop.
To meet current energy regulations new windows must normally be doubleglazed, but if you’re in a listed building or conservation area, seek advice from your council’s conservation officer first. Generally, uPVC is the cheapest material, followed by softwood, then hardwood, steel or aluminium and composites.
When selling your property, you’ll need a certificate for any replacement windows installed since 2002, showing that the installer was registered with the FENSA scheme, or from your local authority’s Building Control, to prove they comply with Building Regulations.