Advice on bifold door width / space left over either side

newuser2011

URGENT ADVICE NEEDED PLEASE!

Hello,

We are about to order bifolds (either Origin or Schuco, both look similar) but the opening is being created today and someone has just commented to us that our proposed 1.2m wide door panels may be too wide?

The opening could be either:
- 3.6m wide with 3 x 1.2m panels (cost £4944 incl VAT and manual magnetic integrated blinds)
- 4.0m wide with 4 x 1.0m panels (cost £6234 incl VAT and manual magnetic integrated blinds)

Also, do you have a view on the amount of wall typically left over either side of the bifolds (in terms of how it looks, not construction feasibility) - the wall is 5m in total so the 3.6m wide bifolds would have 70cm left over on each side and the 4.0m wide bifolds would have 50cm left on each side.

Thank you so much in advance!

Doozergirl

The wall is 5m on which side? Outside?

Why do they think 1.2 is too much? Weight?

Bifolds aren't the most reliable items in the world and have a tendency to drop. 1.2 is pretty big to manoeuvre and although expensive, these aren't top end doors. If I wanted panels that wide I'd opt for sliding doors, but I've been there and done bi-folds and will go for sliding doors next time anyway.

newuser2011

Thanks Doozergirl.

The total rear wall available (inside face to inside face) is 5m.

Yes, 1.2m potentially being too heavy although I doubt in reality they are much different from 1.0m?

Do you have experience of both 1.0m and 1.2m - do you think they are similar in difficulty to manouvere?

Sliding doors look great but are even more money then bifolds so will have to stick with bifolds.

starving_artist

Do you need doors which will open right across the aperture? How about one fixed panel window + a narrower pair of bifolds or a pair of French doors? Obviously you would lose the possibility of fully opening up across the width but the same is true of sliding doors.

newuser2011

Hi Starving Artist.

Thanks for your message. We would like the doors to open as wide as possible across the back wall so bifolds are the preferred option.

Cheers

EssexExile

We have a 3.4m bifold which is divided into 4. It's alluminium & triple glazed so quite heavy but still easy to manoeuvre. I much prefer it to the old sliding doors, much bigger hole when open unless your sliding doors go into a pocket.

Can't comment on wall either side, ours takes up the whole width of the room.

System

Any time I have priced them the schueco doors are usually cheaper in the sliding system over bi-fold...

anyway - what height is the ceiling in your room, the nicest detail would be to have the opening with the same dimension to walls and ceiling.

why do you only have two choices of arrangement? most of these systems are made to order and not off the shelf, so it should be possible to have any arrangement/size you want.
There will be a noticeable weight difference in the 1m to 1.2m - they won't be difficult to manoeuvre on installation it's just after they have settled and need adjusted again you might notice this.
If i had to chose I think three panels would be better - not point in having a big opening then filling it with door frame for 90% of the year

Doozergirl

I'm sure that most of ones we've installed are around 800mm. Remember the larger sizes are going to stick in/out a fair way as they concertina is that going to get in the way of something?

I would leave a larger gap to wach side so that furniture can be placed on the wall at a right angle to the windows without crossing the window opening.

I've redesigned my friend's kitchen and we've been limited in choice just because the windows are so close to the walls. Annoying as the room wouldn't be changed much by slighter smaller massive windows

theonlywayisup

I've just measured ours. They are 840mm wide per panel and there are 7 panels with 440mm rebate of wall either side.

Ours are triple glazed aluminium and can be opened and manoeuvred with one hand, excellent mechanism.

Edit - to add to Doozergirls post above, if you are going to have any window treatment you may need more space either side. Likewise if you want to put furniture. Ours has a small rebate purely because we wanted to maximise the views. It is also a very big room so the furniture on the two adjoining sides doesn't interfere at all.

Edit - and I can't count. 7 panels not 5.

Doozergirl

theonlywayisup wrote: »

I've just measured ours. They are 840mm wide per panel and there are 5 panels with 440mm rebate of wall either side.

Ours are triple glazed aluminium and can be opened and manoeuvred with one hand, excellent mechanism.

And yours cost more than the OP's?

theonlywayisup

Doozergirl wrote: »

And yours cost more than the OP's?

Oh yes.

You get what you pay for and with windows/doors I think you need to get the best you can afford.