Do you like your Patio doors or wish you had them.

[Sandp08]

Hi everyone, I am new to this so please be gentle with me. We are building a very small kitchen extension on the back of our house and can't decide whether to install double patio doors or a single door with a small window.
Does anyone hate their double doors with their lack of privacy? Do they make the room colder? This all sounds daft I know, given the trend to make house and garden as one, but i've never had them. Hubby prefers a single door as we will have a small table which will obscure part of the double doors so he prefers the neatness of a wall. There will also be a 120cm window attached ie no brick pillar. Any advice, opinions and experience welcome. Thanks in advance

I thought a picture might help explain what I mean.

And inside . . .

well, I would love double doors like that into the garden, would be fab

BUT your table really made me think. I think I would be with your husband over the door and table looking better with a single door.

I would also make the door open outwards and make sure the ground outside flowed, so if you need step, make it broad and easy.

Welcome Sandp08
I have patio doors from a large kitchen/dining room which open out from the dining end of the room onto the patio. I live in a semi and the doors are on the attached side but privacy is kept by having an 8 foot hedge at the side of the garden (all the way down to the bottom).

Personally, I love them. They let light in, I can see what's going on in the garden and they give the room an open feel without having to go the whole hog and have a glass roofed extension or conservatory. They are not draughty.

It's lovely to sit and have dinner, lunch, whatever and be able to look out over the garden and the fields beyond. My only wish is that I had proper french windows with multi-panes instead of single panes. Like this:
www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/8363863328191616693?q=french+windows&rlz=1C1GGGE_en-gbGB522GB559&espv=2&biw=1052&bih=841&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.85761416,d.d2s&ion=1&tch=1&ech=1&psi=FzzbVKfAKI_zavXXgYgF.1423653910093.5&prds=paur:ClkAsKraX9LrLQBo6b2bFLHgLF-F7ZcEgz7bKhweoV-jbNuGLHFLpYnjgW8wwBrlWee0rZ2Apt3_FKbTE5qRltVVBan2mjYnkabUD3FKoIHG3vNwlaqh9gWhvRIZAFPVH70VxsurJBe9eZFr8FJs6Zn4KZrOkw&ei=GzzbVMSIOZHkaq7RgpgC&ved=0CLcCEKkrMA0
Go for the double doors - look much smarter and you won't regret it.

Could you turn your table the other way, so making more room in front of the doors?

Whatever you do decide, consider triple glazing. We've just had this done to our patio doors and it's quite amazing (and was not much more expensive than double glazing). The glazing is the same temperature as our internal walls - lovely and warm room now.

If you want patio doors, don't let the potential position of a small table affect your decision. If you're building an extension then you may change your mind about the position of moveable furniture once it's built.

Anyway, it'd be lovely to maximise the daylight that enters that area, so I'd go for the patio doors. If you're sitting at the table then surely it's nicer to see more of the outside rather than look at a wall, or feel squeezed into a corner so as to keep out of the way of an inwardly-opening door? Sliding doors or outwardly opening doors will feel more spacious.

Double. I'm a bit claustrophobic and love big windows. I just wish our double doors were even bigger. I was happy this morning as I could have one of them open for a few minutes.

Patio doors, definitely.

Wow! Thanks for all of your replies already. There is no space to turn the table the other way but we could opt for a tiny 80x80 instead of 80x120 I guess. It is only intended as an informal breakfast/cuppa table and an extra work surface for my cake decorating, baking etc.
our other concerns are the doors taking up almost all of the tiny patio vs the inward opening door overhanging past the work surface. A sliding door would be better but would have such a tiny entrance as the doors will only be 1500mm. The decision making is tying me up in knots andvthe architect needs to know before submitting the plans.

Would bifold doors work better?

The window guy advised against bi-fold in such a small opening as we'd have to slide both doors each time we opened the door as there's not enough space for three.

Sliding doors with that gap should be fine , unless you're taking something big (like a wheelchair) through them. Mark it on a wall and check, but with a usable gap of 65cm or so I don't see a problem.

What are all your views on the outside appearance? Does the single door and window look Ok if we decided to go for that? Not too out of balance?

Mipmop, we would need an1800 opening to get a 65cm gap so we're assuming we'd only get about 55-60 ish. (We measured one in the window showroom)

I have also had serious mobility issues in the past which, whilst settled at the moment, may come back so I am conscious of that.

We have two French doors opening out. They are open for most of the summer when the weather is good. I would definitely go for two doors

The double doors look better from inside and out.

Why do your CGI French doors have a vertical bar going between them?

I have french doors, (single glazed old wooden ones, getting them replaced for stronger, warmer, modern ones) I love having them both open onto the patio, so it's one long "room". But in the winter they are COLD!

Sliding doors or a single door wouldn't be as nice in summer, as you wouldn't get the "outside in" feeling quite as well I don't think.

sliding patio doors are a bit annoying as you can never have as much as 50% of the opening, open.

Hinged doors or french windows are nicer as you can throw them both open to the garden. Doors that open out are more convenient, you do need strong key-operated bolts top and bottom, and hinge bolts to guard against forced entry. Laminated glass is burglar resistant. I have heard that bifold doors especially need extra locking bolts but have no experience of them.

Which way does your extension face? If it'll be quite dark in there I'd probably lean towards double. (Am a sucker for light.) Otherwise I'd go single. Looks better with the table.

Is 'leaving room for the chairs' the reason why you can't turn the table around?

Could you have a "breakfast bar" type table (wide and thin) along that wall, with both the chairs on the same side?

Like everyone else I think that you'll prefer the double doors - they are a completely different feel to having an ordinary door and window.

Would opening both sides of the French doors be a problem for you? It seems an odd reason for the architect to dismiss that option. Do you feel like you've exhausted the market and know all the options? It just seems that either French or sliding or bi-fold should work.

That should be opening both sides of the bi-fold doors.