When planning a home renovation project, one of the key things we’ve seen more and more homeowners around Sussex and Surrey include is widespan glazed doors.
Architectural aluminium doors are favoured in projects for their ability to add a glorious amount of light, creating a sleek and stylish appearance and for the phenomenal way they open up homes.
The two most popular door styles architects suggest to homeowners are bifold doors and sliding doors.
To help architects and homeowners choose between bifold or sliding doors, we’ve put together a guide that details the differences between the 2.
Bifold doors work by having multiple glass panels which fold away to reveal an open space.
The concertina style folding reveals a clear connection to the outdoors without any obstructing frames or posts getting in the way.
Bifold doors can be configured the best way to suit your home and maximise space, folding internally or externally, to the right-hand side or left-hand side.
Bifold doors look fantastic when installed on external walls, providing a clear entrance onto the garden which is just as impressive for its style as well as functionality.
The Rolls Royce® of bifold doors, the aïr 800, is available with up to 10 panels, which can each be as tall as 3 metres and as wide as 1.2 metres. That means your bifold door feature can span across 12 metres!
The huge open space that bifold doors create means that you can seamlessly merge your indoors and outdoors and easily drift from your living space to your garden. It also means that you can choose the perfect amount of ventilation for your home, folding back the doors to exactly where you want them.
With aïr 800 bifold doors, you don’t need to worry about chunky frames spoiling the view, as sightlines are as slim as 108mm.
This means that open or closed, you’ll be able to make the most of the garden thanks to aïr bifold doors.
Sliding doors feature glass panels which slide behind each other when opened.
The glass panels are wider than those used in bifold doors, so while sliding doors don’t open up completely, when both open and closed, they do offer more light and make the most of the outdoor views thanks to minimal frames.
Sliding doors can feature many panels and can slide open to the left or the right. Similarly to bifold doors, they look best when installed on external walls to illuminate living spaces and provide panoramic views of the garden.
Sliding doors such as captivating aïr 500LS & 600LS aluminium lift & slide doors offer boundless possibilities, as they’re available with as many as 6 panes using a monorail or triple track system.
The stunning doors can be as tall as 2.7 metres and as wide as 2.5 metres, leaving you with a wall of glass that’s up to 15 metres wide! Adding the minimal sightlines of just 48mm means that your living space will always have a breath-taking backdrop, forever changing all year round.
Effortlessly enjoy your garden with aïr lift & slide doors, as the glass panes, which way up to 300kg, have been expertly engineered with aïrglide technology to slide open with just 2 fingers.
This means that you can seamlessly slip outside should you need to. The doors are easy to use for the whole family and you can slide open the doors to the perfect amount that you need for ventilation and access.
Glazed doors are no longer seen as a cause for concern for homeowners, as they are now made with top quality glazing and frames.
The glass units in aïr bifold or sliding doors work with the aluminium frames to provide optimum energy efficiency, weather resistance, durability and security.
aïr bifold doors offer U-Values as low as 1.4 W/m2k, while aïr lift & slide doors offer U-Values as low as 0.95 W/m2K.
Both doors feature Teflon®-coated weatherseals and have both been tested for watertightness and windload resistance.
The aluminium frames are resistant to corrosion, twisting, rusting, warping or fading and you can even choose aïrcoat, which is a special dirt-resistant, scratch-resistant, textured paint. This means your doors will remain looking as good as new for years to come – something that is backed up by the 25-year manufacturers guarantee that aïr doors come with.
You can be sure that the safety of your home isn’t compromised with aïr bifold and lift & slide doors as they are Secured by Design and PAS 24 certified with high-tech multipoint locking systems.
As they’re manufactured using aluminium frames, bifold and lift & slide doors from aïr are available in any RAL colour – an interior designer’s dream!
Choosing the right colour depends on what you want your widespan door to achieve.
Do you want your bifold door to be a standout, contemporary feature? Choose Anthracite Grey.
Do you want your sliding door to blend into the garden and create a nature wall? Choose hues of brown and green.
If it’s a timeless feature you’re looking to create, white will always be a classic choice.
You can also our Bowalker bifold doors in a metallic finish from the Smarts Sensations range.
Here at Bowalker, we can help you choose the best widespan door feature for your project.
We work with both architects and homeowners to create state-of-the-art homes across Sussex and Surrey with our architectural aluminium.
We can talk through which options would work best for your project. Bring in your plans to our showroom in Hickstead or upload them to our website and we will get back to you with our expert advice.
You can visit our Facebook page for bifold door and sliding door inspiration, and get in touch with us by calling 0800 881 5640 or filling out a contact form here.
You can trust us with your transformation plans as we’re members of Checkatrade, FENSA and the Plastics Window Federation.
