Bifold or french patio door cost

iwant2asave

Hi,

I have a very old sliding door patio that I want to replace with either bifold or french patio doors. (It's 25 years old and now has a crack on glass so rather than replace glass want to replace doors).  Does anyone have a ballpark figure of what to expect to pay for supply and fit for a replacement new patio door?

I'm also wondering if there is any value in getting a second hand one if anyone has any advice or experience of that.  I'm wondering if it might be more hassle for little saving to do this.

Opening size 229cm width and 245cm height.  I am reasonably flexible on style.  Glass will need to be toughened safety glass double glazed though.

Thanks,

FreeBear

iwant2asave said: I'm also wondering if there is any value in getting a second hand one if anyone has any advice or experience of that.  I'm wondering if it might be more hassle for little saving to do this.

Replacing a patio door is a "notifiable work", so needs to be signed off by Building Control. They will want to see the certificates relating to thermal performance of the replacement door - Something you are unlikely to get with a second hand one (and it probably won't meet current requirements).

You would be far better off finding a local independent installer that can do supply & fit and provide a FENSA/CERTASS certificate on completion. If there is a problem with the door, you have someone to chase and get it fixed. You also save on having to deal with Building Control, and you get a door that meets current regs.

Albermarle

I would have thought bifold doors were more suited to a wider opening ?

born_again

Ring round local companies & see what they quote.
Ask on local facebook groups for recommendations from people who have used local co's for work to check.

iwant2asave

Albermarle said:

I would have thought bifold doors were more suited to a wider opening ?

Thanks, that's a fair point...maybe french doors would be more suitable.

gzoom

Here are some fitted prices we got quoted for ok various door styles from local independent store.

Essentially French doors styles were the cheapest, followed by BiFolds, and sliders most expensive.

Aluminium frames essentially double the price of UPVC. Looking at the opening size I would say you are looking at £1.5kish in PVC and over £3k in aluminium, but essentially you need to get some quotes from fitters.

ThisIsWeird

Hi IW2S.

If you bought second-hand, who would fit it for you? How would you reduce the 2.45m opening height down to the ~2.1m typical for doors?

Of the three door styles, I'd personally recommend bifold. I think a two-section would do, although possibly a three would look better, and certainly project less when open. With a three, you will lose a few more inches of glass area due to the extra frames, but that is usually not the visual issue folk anticipate it to be.

I like bifolds for their ease of use - just one 'ordinary' door opening if a door is all you need, but then it very quickly folds to provide the full opening, and without having to pin back the doors as with 'patio' types. And no door protrusions on each side as with ditto (unless you fit parliament hinges). Bifolds are just neater, and will be considered more desirable by future owners, but I'd strongly suggest aluminium frame for their slimness.

iwant2asave

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi IW2S.

If you bought second-hand, who would fit it for you? How would you reduce the 2.45m opening height down to the ~2.1m typical for doors?

Of the three door styles, I'd personally recommend bifold. I think a two-section would do, although possibly a three would look better, and certainly project less when open. With a three, you will lose a few more inches of glass area due to the extra frames, but that is usually not the visual issue folk anticipate it to be.

I like bifolds for their ease of use - just one 'ordinary' door opening if a door is all you need, but then it very quickly folds to provide the full opening, and without having to pin back the doors as with 'patio' types. And no door protrusions on each side as with ditto (unless you fit parliament hinges). Bifolds are just neater, and will be considered more desirable by future owners, but I'd strongly suggest aluminium frame for their slimness.

Thanks, the current patio sliding door covers the opening so I was assuming I the replacement patio windows would be same size.

Regarding who, I was hoping that I could find a local tradesperson to fit, but maybe with hindsight that might not be easy to find.

Thanks for the suggestion on bifolds.

Albermarle

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi IW2S.

If you bought second-hand, who would fit it for you? How would you reduce the 2.45m opening height down to the ~2.1m typical for doors?

Of the three door styles, I'd personally recommend bifold. I think a two-section would do, although possibly a three would look better, and certainly project less when open. With a three, you will lose a few more inches of glass area due to the extra frames, but that is usually not the visual issue folk anticipate it to be.

I like bifolds for their ease of use - just one 'ordinary' door opening if a door is all you need, but then it very quickly folds to provide the full opening, and without having to pin back the doors as with 'patio' types. And no door protrusions on each side as with ditto (unless you fit parliament hinges). Bifolds are just neater, and will be considered more desirable by future owners, but I'd strongly suggest aluminium frame for their slimness.

I believe most bifolds are aluminium anyway. There were a lot of problems with PVC ones, getting stuck/not 'bifolding'  properly. I guess because the PVC is a little bit less stiff, and expands and contracts a little with heat/cold.
This can be a problem with PVC doors, but usually more easily manageable, and rarely a problem with windows.