Choosing doors
Your front door will be one of the first things any visitors to your home will interact with, so it plays an important role in setting the tone for your entire dwelling. Cost and style will be important factors, but also efficiency and security. You’ll see that some products have Secured By Design (SBD) accreditation, which is a standard certified by the police.
The door needs to suit the overall style of your property, as well as other external features, such as windows and cladding. Contemporary trends tend to be minimalistic with clean lines – pairing with glazed panels will maximise light. Panelled doors with traditional accessories, such as an antique knocker or conventional handle, work well to create a more heritage aesthetic. The size of the door will have a bit impact on the result, too. Oversized units boast wow factor and can look strikingly modern. However, be careful that the proportions you’ve selected for the front door work with the rest of the house.
Different materials have individual pros and cons:
PVCU Available in a range of colours and styles, these doors are often cheaper than other materials. Low-budget versions can be quite weak, but splashing out on an Sbdapproved door will give you peace of mind.
Timber Heavy and robust, most modern doors are fully finished in the factory and have an 8-10 year guarantee – it’s only after that point that you might need to think about regular maintenance. Almost all timber units are made from engineered wood, which means they can be insulated internally and that they are highly stable.
Composite These typically comprise a tough steelreinforced frame with an insulated core. Many are clad in GRP (glass reinforced plastic), which is high quality and low maintenance. Other finish materials are available.
Metal Aluminium is the most popular option for metal front doors, but you can find anything from bronze to steel. Modern thermally-broken designs are highly efficient. They can be powder-coloured in almost any shade, which makes them ideal for creating a contemporary look.
Sliders
This glazed door design is great for producing a sleek, minimal look. The frames can be super slim, offering uninterrupted views out, plus large panes of glass are possible, which can create striking, wow factor features.
The panels glide to and fro on a fixed floor track to sit one in front of the other, creating an opening of around 60% of the full aperture. As the glazed leafs sit parallel when the doors are open, you won’t need to leave space for them to stack, as you would with bifolds. This makes sliders a smart choice for homes that are limited on space.
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“Don’t overlook how easy it will be to operate the doors,” says Idsystems’ Edward Stobart. “Sliders with incredibly narrow frames at the base tend to have smaller running gear wheels, which can make the doors feel heavier to operate.” If you’re looking for a convenient way to nip in and out of the garden, multi-panel sliders may not be best.
The cost of your glazed sliding system will depend largely on whether you go down the off-the-shelf route, or have a bespoke design made up. “There’s a huge variance in the price and quality of sliders,” says Matt Higgs from Kloeber. “At the lower end expect to pay
£500 per m2, and £1,200 per m2 at the upper end.”
Bifolds
If your goal is to create an unbroken transition between the house and garden, bifolds provide a great solution. This design comprises a series of panels that concertina back to sit one in front of the other, perpendicular to the floor track. While this does mean you’ll need to allow some space (either inside or out) to accommodate the panels when the doors are open, you’ll achieve a broad opening spanning up to 90% of the full aperture.
Depending on how you want to use the doors, various configurations are available. For example, a centre-parting design with an even number of panels and a French-style opening in the middle could create an eye-catching focal point and entrance. Or an odd number of panels with a single access door at one end could be handy for when you need to pop in and out without opening the entire run.
Remember that, as this type of setup generally features more panels than sliding arrangements, views of the outdoors tend to be more obscured by the vertical mullions in the frame. So if you want the glazed entrance to frame a glorious view, sliders might work better.
With bifolds, you get what you pay for. “The minimum budget for an off-the-shelf setup should be £600 per m2, which could save you up to 20% on a bespoke system,” says Matt Higgs. With any product, if you opt for a made to measure solution, it makes sense to choose a design, supply and installation service. That way, if anything is wrong, responsibility lies with the company.
French doors
This style offers a timeless solution – particularly if you’re creating a traditional-style home. Out of all the products mentioned here, French doors are the most cost-effective route to incorporating a glazed entrance. Plus there are lots of looks and finishes available.
French doors are often the preferred choice for smaller areas. If your goal is to let in plenty of sunshine, incorporate fixed glazing around the door. Timber is the traditional option, although PVCU is great for tighter budgets. Crittallstyle doors with steel framing and distinctive glazing bars can infuse your home with a modern, industrial flourish.
If you’re going bespoke, it’s really important to get the proportions right. “You don’t want the entrance to look too wide or squat. The ideal size is 1.7m x 2.3m,” says Rob Owens from Westbury Windows & Joinery (www.westbury joinery.com). “From a design perspective, it is better to set the frame back from the face of the external wall. This will help with weathering and looks better. Ensure you don’t set the doors in further than 50mm from the brickwork or render so the projection hinges fully fold back.”
An off-the-shelf set of PVCU French doors could cost less than £400, however, it’s a wise move to budget £600+ per m2 for bespoke timber versions.
Pivot doors
For openings too large for standard hinged doors but too small for bifolds or sliders, a pivot design provides an innovative solution. Rather than being affixed directly to the adjoining frame, the hinge is found at the top and bottom of the glazed leaf, roughly 200mm from the edge.
This option is perfect for making a contemporary design statement. “You can achieve large openings with a pivot door – up to 3m width,” says Tony Culmer from Maxlight. Bespoke pivots from Maxlight are priced from £5,000 per unit, depending on the size, design and glass specification you go for. From pivots to bifolds, most tailor-made glazed doors require a lead time of around eight to 12 weeks – so be sure to factor this into your overall build schedule.