For a long time, French doors have been considered as a traditional style for period homes and heritage real estate, but that is fast changing. UK homeowners are beginning to shift towards UPVC French Doors for new homes and renovated properties.
If you are considering installing patio doors on your property, we think it’s going to be useful to know why people are installing uPVC French doors and so this piece will walk you through everything you need to know about French doors, including tips on how to choose the right door for your property.
WHAT ARE FRENCH DOORS?
The first thing you should know when researching property doors is the difference between the existing choices. The two main choices when it comes to patio doors are the sliding, folding and French doors. The main differences between these doors are how they open and their appearance.
French doors are like the conventional doors that you know; they open outwards or inwards like a regular front or back door but come as a matched pair. The doors stand side by side within an outer frame and open from the centre where the doors meet.
They can be fitted to open either in or out, with the left or the right hand door being the “master” door (the one that opens first).
Fitting Upvc French Doors
As with any side hinged swinging door, you need to bear in mind that there is going to be a practical width limit because the doors will become too difficult to handle and there will be too much strain on the side hinges.
The average single door dimension runs from about 700mm to 840mm – so the average sized set of uPVC French patio doors would be double this at around 1400mm to 1700mm.
The narrowest and widest set of French doors available would be from 900mm to around 1900mm (the width of both the doors taken together).
Once you add the outer frame width to this (75mm x 2) that means, for a single set of French doors the practical maximum width will be around 2000mm to 2200mm.
There is also the same thing to consider with height and you could expect to see standard doors go up to 2200mm. Where you have a wider or higher opening in which the doors are to be fitted, you can add side or top panels. If the opening is wide enough you could always fit 2 set of doors side by side.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN DESIGN FEATURES, OF EXTERNAL UPVC FRENCH DOORS?
UPVC has unique properties that make it possible to come up with endless customized designs for home and property doors. UPVC material does not rust, fade or rot, these properties make it easy to maintain and often homes fitted with UPVC doors go for more than 15 to 20 years before repair work is due on the doors.
UPVC can be glazed with high-quality glass to make it even more durable and secure, this gives French doors their famous “high-security” property. Also concerning security, a multi-point locking system can be installed as standard.
A classic French door will have lots of smaller glazed panes within the door. With UPVC versions, this effect can be achieved by using a full length double glazed units with Georgian bar inserts or by applying decorative Georgian bars to the surface of the glass.