Home / What is an External Bi-Fold Door?
An external bi-folding door typically leads from the inside of your house to your patio or garden. They are made up from a minimum of three doors, and here at Aspire they increase up to six door configurations – filling brickwork openings from 1.8m
Compared to more traditional patio doors, external bi-fold doors are much more attractive to look at and add a luxurious, premium feel to any home. Rather than just opening or sliding, they fold – hence the name – concertinaing in a smooth, organised way thanks to the top and bottom tracks that guide the individual leaves.
Whilst this may sound complicated, they’re relatively easy to install using our range-specific fitting instructions, but if you aren’t DIY confident, hiring a qualified builder or joiner is a simple and relatively inexpensive process.
Space saving – unlike other types of external doors, bi-fold doors take up hardly any space when they are open. This is because of the aforementioned concertina effect; folding up on each other until they are just one panel wide. Compare this to sliding doors, where you will always have at least 50% of your doorway obstructed by the glass pane that doesn’t open.
Room boosting – as well as saving space, they actually help to create a psychological effect of your room being bigger than it actually is. This is because of the added natural light that will be flowing into your home.
Increased security – bi-folding doors are designed with a locking system that locks in multiple places along the sliding track, meaning they’re much more effective at keeping intruders out of your home. Traditional glass doors only have a single locking point.
Garden views – if you’re proud of your garden – and many homeowners are – then bi-folding doors are great because of their large glass panels, allowing you to see more of the garden that you love so much.
Garden access – particularly in the summer time, you may find that you’re in and out of the garden like a yo-yo; this is multiplied significantly if you have friends or family round for a barbeque or a garden party. Thanks to the design of bi-folding doors and their ability to fold away, you and your guests will be able to easily access the house and garden hassle-free.
Stunning design – there is no other style of door that oozes quality quite like external bi-folding doors do. Whether you opt for a painted or wooden finish, you can be sure that your patio will be the envy of everyone you know!
To find out more about our external bi-fold doors, please contact us today.