Guide to statement DOORS
Statement doors can give you a great outlook on the garden and make joining indoors and out easy. Get the lowdown on what’s on offer and how to choose the best design for your home
How to add impact
There’s so much fabulous choice these days when you fit doors to access the garden. Designs like bi-fold and sliding doors can be used across a wide opening to bring light to the interior of the room in which they’re sited, create expansive views, and open the inside to the outside in moments.
Less widely known about, but just as impressive, are pivot doors, which make a stunning feature, allow great garden outlooks, and boost light. A further possibility, if you want doors that are eye-catching, are industriallook steel-framed versions.
To select the best door type and style for your home, you’ll need to consider issues such as whether maximising the opening or maximising glazing is your goal; and if you want the view to the fore or for both the door and outlook to be the focus. Standardsized doors can make a style statement for less, but you could also consider bespoke designs for a stunning and individual feature. Whatever your objectives, find all you need to know when you’re buying and get inspiration for your home in our guide.
WHAT TYPES OF DOOR ARE ON OFFER?
Bi-folding doors are a popular option and are the top choice if being able to create a wide opening – including across a whole wall – between your room and the garden is your priority. They’re made up of leaves that fold together, so you can easily move them right out of the way of the aperture for a seamless link between a patio or deck and a living or dining space. Bear in mind that the wider the leaves
of a bi-fold door, the more glazing rather than frame will be in your eye line from the inside of your home when the door is shut.
Bi-folding doors can open inwards or outwards, with the latter often preferable because the outside offers more space to accommodate it. They can open from left to right or right to left. For doors with more than two leaves, different opening configurations are available to suit your home and how you like to use the door. When you’re buying, it’s worth opting to include a traffic door that works independently for quick access to the garden.
Sliding doors have leaves that slide one behind the other to open. Their advantage is that there is more glass and less frame on show when the door is closed compared to bi-folds. On the downside, you won’t be able to open the room as fully to the outside. The exception to the rule is if you opt for a pocket design, where the doors slide into a wall. These doors have an advantage when it comes to the space they require as you won’t need to accommodate the panels inside or outside the room when it’s open. But you can’t have a separate access door if you opt for sliding doors.
As an alternative to either sliding doors or bi-fold doors, slide and turn doors are growing in popularity. The panels, which aren’t connected, slide to one end of the opening, then turn and stack together to open the aperture like a bi-fold does.
Pivot doors aren’t hinged at the side, but instead are attached at the top and bottom of the frame. These doors can be large with slim frames and generous glazing, and while they’re sleek, they also stand out from the crowd and create visual interest.
Steel or other metal-framed industrial-style doors could be your best option if you want a striking feature that captures a series of great views to the outside through its glazed panels, and provides good natural light in your room.
They won’t create a maximum width opening, but can still give a generous
link to the garden, and they’ll look good from both inside and out.
WHAT STYLES ARE THERE?
If you want a strong contemporary look, opt for sliding doors, bi-folds or pivot doors with the slimmest of metal framing. They’re ideal for new homes, or an extension that makes itself distinct from the original property. Wood-framed bi-folds and sliding doors have a more traditional appearance, and could suit older homes better. Industrial-style doors can fit well in older homes, or complement interiors with industrial elements.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLATION?
Statement doors can be fitted in a new extension relatively quickly and easily as they’re planned in from the start. Fitting new doors to an existing opening can be quite straightforward as well. However, your project might require a new opening and support for a loadbearing wall. A structural engineer can make the necessary calculations.
As far as the law is concerned, building regulations apply, and the door needs to meet these standards. When it comes to fitting, you could use a registered installer who can self-certify their work. If not, either local authority building control or an approved inspector would need to check compliance with the regulations.
Your new door may be considered a permitted development (PD) for which you don’t need to apply for planning permission. It is best to check with your local authority as it may have restricted these rights – especially if you live in a so-called designated area like a Conservation Area or national park. If your home is a flat, you don’t have PD rights, and you’d also need listed building consent if yours is a listed home.
HOW MUCH DO THEY COST?
Both frame material and the dimensions of your door will influence the cost. UPVC doors are generally the least expensive, while aluminium and steel doors are more costly.
Standard sizes could cost from around £500 per square metre, and industrial-style steelframed doors from around £1,200. Bespoke doors can have hefty price tags, especially if they’re sizeable.