Hi-fold and slide and swing.

[Screech20]

hey guys.

I have heard bi-fold doors can be quite problematic and was advised against them and go for lift and slide. Problem is, that only opens up half the glazed area.
I’ve seen these slide and swing type doors, has anyone got any experience on them?


Thanks.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Have you got any companies in mind?

Andy

 

[Notch7]

I think you've been given poor advice, there is nothing wrong with bifold doors.

It may be the person you've spoken to has experience of a poor quality product, or has experience of bad fitting.

Are you looking at aluminium, upvc or timber?

 

[Gazman16]

Bifolds are great you just need a good make and a good fitter (window/bifold fitter not a random builder). Avoid PVC/timber and go for aluminum.
Lots of good quality makes at varying prices out there.
Smart & Origin are 2 good ones I know personally. I'm also hearing good things about Aluk recently.

 

[Notch7]

Avoid PVC/timber and go for aluminum.

Hey, we make timber bifolds........they are fine

Just made a 4 leaf set, of sorts......3 doors bifolding, fixed post, then a bottom hung, open in, raked head window.

 

[Gazman16]

Hey, we make timber bifolds........they are fine

Just made a 4 leaf set, of sorts......3 doors bifolding, fixed post, then a bottom hung, open in, raked head window.

Haha sorry mate.
I'm just really not a fan of timber. Have fitted hundreds of timber windows and doors and they cause nothing but callbacks.
Have fitted loads of makes, Loads of types of woods form big companys down to small local joiners and I now do anything I can to talk customers out of timber.
For the most part I think modern timber just isnt as good as it was in the old days combined with the fact customers expect it to be pretty much maintenance free like PVC.

I'm currently hoping a customer will let me rip out some timber bifolds and fit Ali. I didnt supply or fit them just did the rest of the house but they are constantly jamming up when they swell. It doesn't help that other people have played around with it in the past to be fair.
They have replaced the multipoint locking with the wrong type and loads of other silly things.

 

[God]

We fitted a couple of sets of the doors you described when they first came out. New wave doors they were called. Had to go back to one in Sussex as the top bracket snapped. We don't do them anymore. Bi folds are fine but we seem to be doing more lift and slides. Like you say only half opens but they are going to be closed more than open in this country so most people go for the larger glazed area. Reynaers cp130 with both sides sliding

 

[Notch7]

I'm just really not a fan of timber. Have fitted hundreds of timber windows and doors and they cause nothing but callbacks.
Have fitted loads of makes, Loads of types of woods form big companys down to small local joiners and I now do anything I can to talk customers out of timber.

You must be fitting them wrong (joking!)

We use accoya, iroko, engineered siberian larch and European oak.

Very rarely do we get issues with bifolds. French doors are fine as long as deadbolt multipoint locks are used, hook ones are no good with timber movement.

I dont make in softwood, engineered or otherwise, it moves too much.

Sometimes we make oak or iroko windows, left totally without any finish. Surprisingly they do pretty well -even made a set of iroko bifolds left untreated!

It is of course not a maintenance free product, although designed correctly, for paint, it shouldn't need much maintenance. We get conservatories we made 8 years ago now needing a re paint.