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Are you looking to add value and reconfigure your home? Have you recently brought a new home and are planning its refurbishment? If so, please read on, as this short article gives you all the information you need about a home improvement, which is becoming increasingly popular: bi-folding doors. Normally used as a replacement for existing patio doors or an external rear-facing wall, they are also an option internally to divide larger rooms. Their easy-to-use opening mechanism and versatility mean when they are used to their full potential, they can transform any home into a fantastic, modern family space.

Introducing Bi-folding Doors

This excellent home improvement option consists of a number of glazed floor-to-ceiling panels, which, when opened, slide on tracks and fold together until the folded panels reach and are secured on the far wall. When in the closed position, one of the panels functions as a normal opening and closing door, sometimes referred to as the travel door. Bifold doors are manufactured in several different materials and a range of coloured finishes giving a wide choice in the design process. It is often mistakenly thought that installing bifolds is a security risk, but multiple locking points and modern locking technology mean security is increased when bifolding doors are part of a home.

The Manufacturing Materials

Bi-folding doors are manufactured in four main materials, Timber, uPVC, Aluminium and Composite, each with their own costs and characteristics, which are –

Timber – this sustainable material is versatile and is popular with many homeowners for its natural look. It’s also a great insulator but does need more maintenance than others.
UPVC – this material is the budget option with decent thermal qualities. Unfortunately, it is limited in the range of finishes and not environmentally friendly.
Aluminium – often thought of as the best material for bifolds, its strength, low maintenance and wide range of finishes ensure its popularity, but it’s also expensive and doesn’t score very highly in the thermal insulating category.
Composite – this modern mixture of materials creates the perfect mix of excellent performance in all categories; this also means it is the most expensive.

It all depends on what is most important to you, and your improvement project, budget, finish, thermal efficiency, and maintenance are considerations when making your selection.

Discussing The Benefits and Possible Pitfalls

As with any improvement to your home, there are benefits and possible problems that demand evaluation before making your final decisions in the design process. Let us now take a look at some of these issues, firstly with the advantages –

Installing bifolds increases the amount of healthy natural light in your home.
They give you a fantastic indoor/outdoor space in the summer months.
Bifolds substantially increase the value of your home.
Enhanced security and energy efficiency.
Your home is transformed into a modern, stylish family home.

The possible issues that can occur from installing bifolding doors can include the following –

Poor installation can mean drainage problems.
Wrongly positioned bifolds can mean privacy issues.
When used in large homes, they can be expensive.
Larger frames can mean obstructed internal views.

The majority of these problems are alleviated by having a proper design process and by using all the experience of your chosen installation specialist. Find your local supplier and see what they have to offer today.