If bifold is out… which doors should we have?

[Whichdoorhelp]

Inspired by the thread about what not to have in your home (bifolds)

Which door style do you prefer from the 3 attached images (from Pinterest).

1.Sliding
2.French doors
3.A mix of above

Designing/renovating a ‘traditional’ looking house similar to the images and we are south facing if that makes a difference.

They're Sliders that stack.

I think the French doors look SO much nicer and add a bit of character.

We have very large sliding doors as an alternative to bifolds - preferred the look as you go more glass vs frame and also we were not sure (correctly!) how often we would really want to open up the full length of the back in English summers. Ultimately it's what you will enjoy, but I've found sliding doors to do the same job for less (or alternatively for the same price you can get a more expensive metal frame)

Bifolds lovely in theory, but in the context of British weather they are pointless.

I've got sliding, absolutely fine.

I have mine open all the time! Not pointless at all.

It’s been horrible weather so far this year but I’ve already had a couple of days where our kitchen bifolds have been open all the way. Ours are aluminium and very study. We have a door on one side so can also open that in isolation.

with my sliders I have four panels and the middle two slide open like French doors but with no swinging space required.

Why would you possibly not get bifolds as some randoms on mumsnet don’t like them. Decide the style you like and buy them. Good lord.

We have French doors in our dining room leading out to the garden and they are really good.Have hooks on the wall outside so you can have them wide open in summer. You can also just open one if you want just a bit of air coming in not having both doors open.
They were here when we moved in so can’t take credit but they really are nice.

I must admit I only have my French doors open for probably a total of about a month, most of the time it's a bit chilly, a couple of weeks it's too hot and everything has to be shut for the air con to work properly. It doesn't look like they will be opened anytime soon looking at the weather forecast, they are not doors we particularly need to use though to get in and out.

This sums it up perfectly!

I have bifold doors and I LOVE them. In the summer the back of the house is wide open and the garden becomes like another room.

never going to move as it’s so nice. The patio is sunken so it gets all the sun and no wind.

You are aware the entire UK doesn't share the same weather/temps, right?

Im in the midlands. Mine are currently open.

Our old sliding patio doors were permanently stuck and we replaced them with french doors similar to the ones that were originally in the house. We think they add character to the room.

I have french doors and I bloody hate them. Flap about in the breeze and take up space on our already small patio when we open them. So impractical. Replacing with sliders as soon as finances allow.

Sliding or sliding plus French.

I understand the appeal of bifolds, but don't like the reality.

Yes never had patio doors so may not be as practical, they just look nicer in my opinion.

We had sliding doors, original to the house. We opened them about 3x in 28yrs. They filled one wall virtually and were very cold looking. Replaced them with French doors with a full height window either side. The sliders were dark brown the new doors white on inside. Despite less window area it has defo opened up the room.
We can open one door or both.
Since the rear of the house is north facing the doors only get the early morning sun, we only need them to access the garden or when it gets warm.
Our window fitter was delighted that he didn’t have to talk us out of bi-folds. He hates them because they cause him so many problems after they are fitted. Although he did say they would be ideal on our north facing wall because they would be less likely to expand.

Yes I know. I'm in the south east, and the weather is shit here. I'm still wearing thermal underwear as at end of April. My sliding doors have been closed for the past 8 months.

Mumsnet is a funny old place. What on earth is wrong with Bifolds? I think if you have a lovely garden they really open up the house to outside and nature. I love my garden and love being able to look at it in widescreen, bifolds are definitely not a passing trend.

I like the mixture, number 3.

OP ignore all the bifold pearl clutchers - it is absolutely the case that architects and designers have moved away from bifolds for the last several years, for all the practical reasons mentioned here. You just have to look at home design/architecture awards to see that there are no bifolds in sight. I’m sorry if this displeases some posters, but it’s a fact.

I recently extended my house, and we’ve gone for sliding doors that recede into a wall. So the space can be completely open, and you get a real indoor/outdoor feel. But when the door is closed, you still get a lovely view (3 panels, each almost 2m wide so not a lot of frames obstructing the view).

It’s worth shopping for really good quality - any house component that moves/slides needs to be built to last. Our massive sliding door can be pushed into the wall with a single finger. Very satisfying/Incredible Hulk-like.

I also like the look of crittal doors, but my house is very contemporary and that was one concession to modernism we just couldn’t take without compromising the wider aesthetics. Of course this depends on your style.

This is what we have, sliding patio doors that disappear in the wall, and I love them. Ours are by Maxlight, I have found them very professional and would recommend.

We also have internal pocket doors in some rooms, I guess I just like disappearing doors. They are very practical and a space saver for tricky areas.

Agree with you that the weather has been rubbish so far this year and last year was also a huge let down... but that's not typical of the South. Perhaps you are North facing? That can make a massive difference. My front room faces north and it's bloody freezing, but I have a seating area at the back with lots of glass and the difference in temperate is massive.

Following with interest as we are about to embark on an extension. @Koulibiak your sliding pocket doors sound awesome. May I ask how much thicker the walls need to be to accommodate them? And how much wall you need to leave either side - presumably a pane width plus some?