stages of getting inside french doors and outside double doors

bs0u0128

firstly, i want to get doubledoors that open out into the garden inplace of what is already a upvc big window, itll have to have steps leading from the doors to the garden as the levels differ fairly greatly --- are these patio doors, french doors? double doors? or is that all the same thing lol -- would the builders knock money off to take away the upvc window? or should we keep it ?

also i want to get the supporting wall between lounge and dining room opened up and pine wood doors with glass in them to let us open and shut that room off as we like - how long would this be likely to take, and how do they cope with the gap in the floor between the rooms?

assuming the above went smoothly, how much do you think this would be on average, for both materials and to get it all done and finished?

also, would we buy the doors and then employ builders to fit them, or do we tell them what we want, they go and buy it and fit it?

and finally, the house has had no work done at all, but would we need to get building regs involved, and if so hows that done?

many thanks

alanobrien

bs0u0128 wrote: »

firstly, i want to get doubledoors that open out into the garden inplace of what is already a upvc big window, itll have to have steps leading from the doors to the garden as the levels differ fairly greatly --- are these patio doors, french doors? double doors? or is that all the same thing lol -- would the builders knock money off to take away the upvc window? or should we keep it ?

also i want to get the supporting wall between lounge and dining room opened up and pine wood doors with glass in them to let us open and shut that room off as we like - how long would this be likely to take, and how do they cope with the gap in the floor between the rooms?

assuming the above went smoothly, how much do you think this would be on average, for both materials and to get it all done and finished?

also, would we buy the doors and then employ builders to fit them, or do we tell them what we want, they go and buy it and fit it?

and finally, the house has had no work done at all, but would we need to get building regs involved, and if so hows that done?

many thanks

They are French doors. Patio doors are the sliding variety.
Is the existing window the same size as the french doors will be ?
If not and you are altering the brickwork then the new doors will probably be made to suit.

Your talking about a fair bit or work so i would discuss with your local planning office. In my experience they are very helpful and will send you details of what you need to know and do. Dont forget the need for FENSA certification for the new windows, you will need it when you come to sell.

bs0u0128

thankyou, is it really that much work? the existing window is big but probably will need doors to be a bit bigger spacewise, it wouldnt need planning tho would it? surely the most id need would be building advice for the rsj? (been reading since lol)

all advice grateful!

marybishop

Removing the supporting wall will definitely need B Regs - speak to Building Control at your local authority for advice.

JennyW_2

when we moved into our flat we wanted french doors to open onto the garden (as you do). We removed the existing door and window, had to remove loads of brickwork to accommodate the french doors and make good again.

PS: We got building regs for our doors. They will need to be Part L compliant

bs0u0128

thankyou, how long did it take from start to finish?

JennyW_2

my husband and his father did it all in a weekend. My husband is very competent with this type of work and had done similar work before so he was confident . The building inspector is happy with what we've done too which always helps!

It's messy work as bricks had to be taken out plus he had to make good which involved plasterering and making good the outside wall which is pebbledashed but a good job has been done

must admit, out of all the rennovation work we've done, it's one of the best things we've done. It's lovely to have the doors opening out from the lounge into the garden - it really is like having another room.

if you buy the doors yourselves, we found Wicks to have the best prices and they have loads of sizes too. We have 4ft doors with 2 side panels. You can just have large doors if you want but we had the side panels as it was more suited to the size of the hole in the wall we had!

susy_2

JennyW wrote: »

PS: We got building regs for our doors. They will need to be Part L compliant

alanobrien wrote: »

Dont forget the need for FENSA certification for the new windows, you will need it when you come to sell.

Ooops! My DB and BIL put french doors in for me a couple of years ago, (in place of a window), but I didn't know anything about certs or regs? Is this going to be a problem?

alanobrien

susy wrote: »

Ooops! My DB and BIL put french doors in for me a couple of years ago, (in place of a window), but I didn't know anything about certs or regs? Is this going to be a problem?

Not if it was replacing a window size for size. Yes if they had to chop the brickwork down to the floor. Either way you need a Fensa cert for the new window/french door.

susy_2

alanobrien wrote: »

Not if it was replacing a window size for size. Yes if they had to chop the brickwork down to the floor. Either way you need a Fensa cert for the new window/french door.

It was replacing a standard window for doors. What should I do now?

alanobrien

susy wrote: »

It was replacing a standard window for doors. What should I do now?

Well i assume they were not Fensa approved to install them ?
If not they cannot self certify so you will need to go to the council to get them to do it. Cost will be around £150. You only need the certification when you move so if your not planning to go anywhere soon i would leave it until then if i were you