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Back door solution - bifold timber external / sliding single door?

5 replies

Minecroft · 14/06/2025 15:22

Hi,

Wondered if anybody had any bright ideas please. I’m absolutely sick of this back door.

We were hoping to knock down this shoebox and do an extension … even got as far as planning permission and full drawings …..but the interest rates and cost of building is just too much at the moment so trying to improve what we have without spending too much.

We have to walk through the long shitty shoebox and go out the back door / to get into the back garden… The door opens inwards and nearly blocks the passage. Often we like to eat outside and I am trying to carry trays of food around here. Also, I like to prop it open for small kids going in and out… So it’s just really annoying.

I was thinking about getting something like a door that folded in half of vertically and then stowed to one side, like a bifold but just made of timber (the total with being the same as a normal Door)… These only seem to exist as internal doors though. Maybe there’s a reason why they’re not a good idea as an external door? Ditto a single sliding door on a metal track.

I know we could have a door opening outwards, but then it would just be flap outside and would potentially be quite annoying.

Does anybody have any experience with unusual sorts of doors that might solve this issue, please? Thank you!

(the space in the photo looks wider than it is… there is an open door out of
shot that is often closed. It’s less than a foot of space to get through when door open)

Back door solution - bifold timber external / sliding single door?
OP posts:
Pleasehelpmedress · 14/06/2025 16:47

Can't quite tell from your photo but could you just hang it so the hinges are on the other side of the door frame?
Otherwise I think opening out and trying to hang it so you can hook it against the wall would be best. You do get doors where if you lift up the handle it locks it in position, so you could open it then lift up the handle and it wouldn't blow in the wind.

Minecroft · 14/06/2025 16:56

Hi @Pleasehelpmedress thank you for replying! There is another door to a utility room at the back of the photo that you can’t see so it would then block that door if you see what I mean. It’s in quite a deep recess (see outside view) so I think we would have to move the whole thing forwards (towards outside) to have a door opening outwards and pinned against the wall, but probably
not impossible.

OP posts:
Minecroft · 14/06/2025 16:56

Forgot pic

Back door solution - bifold timber external / sliding single door?
OP posts:
DifferentChild · 15/06/2025 08:22

Not sure if you can get them for domestic but I’ve seen doors that pivot top and bottom so sort of slide outwards as they open to leave a bigger gap

grizzlyoldbear · 15/06/2025 08:37

I can't see how you'd get around that.

Not a cheap solution but could you start again with some double alu doors ? You'd have to pay a builder (£1000? - £1500) ish installation and about £1200 for the doors

www.climadoor.co.uk/french-doors/external-french-doors/climadoor-black-heritage-style-aluminium-french-doors/1200mm-black-heritage-aluminium-french-doors?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=16266142742&gbraid=0AAAAADjvMYS9UEd1qU9FYVIjrQe2FBwwK&gclid=CjwKCAjw3rnCBhBxEiwArN0QE-4GVMn6WJdMggwypnypi-4i0_4FP3BUcd8tiVpacxuLinz0jJpo4RoCQM4QAvD_BwE

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