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Should bifolding doors open in or out?

If you are thinking about having new bifolding doors in your home, one of the things you will need to consider is whether your bifolding doors should open in or out.

Our frameless slide and fold doors are designed to offer you far more options than conventional doors. We know that every home is different in its style and design, the number of doors leading to the outside and how you use it. Frameless slide and fold doors are therefore an excellent way to open up your living spaces when you need to while letting in far more light than conventional aluminium doors and give you a fantastic open aspect to the outside.

Should bifolding doors open in or out? Some Tips and Advice.

should bifolding doors open in or out? tips and advice

To help you decide between an opening in or opening out door, there are a number of considerations.

  • Where will you fit your new slide and fold doors?

Whether your doors open in or out can depend on where you fit them and what the function of the room is. For example, if your new slide and fold doors are in your dining room, your furniture may determine whether there is enough space inside for them to open inwards.

  • How often will you use your new folding doors?

Some properties only have one door leading out into their garden. Many homeowners use the rear door to let pets out, take the rubbish or your washing out or for access to the side path of the house. If you use your rear doors frequently, we recommend a door set with a traffic door and a door that opens outwards as you will find this more convenient in daily use.

Another benefit of an opening out door is that should it be raining heavily outside and you need to open the door, the wet door will drip water to the outside, not inside your house.

  • How big is your outside space?

We frequently fit our frameless slide and fold doors opening outwards onto large gardens. If you are not restricted by the size of your patio, decking area or garden, opening out doors are ideal.

If you have a smaller garden, and the inside space allows, consider opening in doors. You may find the opening in folding doors better for not encroaching on a small patio area, garden or balcony. If you have young children that often play in the garden, it is worth considering whether doors folded outwards will get in the way of the available space your kids play in.

Finally, if your doors open straight out onto a pathway, opening in doors may be the better solution for not blocking the path.

Frameless slide and fold doors with flexible opening options.

Our doors are designed so you can choose whether they open in or out. We have also designed doors for clients where the lead door opens in, and the remaining panels slide and fold out. That is the flexibility of our design that does not restrict your options in the way that conventional bifolding doors can.

If you would like more information about our doors and to see how they have been installed in many different types of homes, contact us today.

We also offer a full range of aluminium windows, bifolding and sliding doors,
and front doors as FGC Bespoke Aluminium.

Visit the FGC Showroom

You can now visit our showroom in Strood, Kent.

The full range of Frameless products are on display in wide variety of configurations.

We request you contact us to make an appointment before visiting to avoid overcrowding.

Find out more about the FGC Kent showroom.

Reviews on Facebook and Google

Excellent4.6 Based on 37 reviews from review us onLisa S.Lisa S. ★★★★★ Very helpful and good communication, great product. Thank you.Dave S.Dave S. ★★★★★ Very happy with doors. Look great. The installation was quick and straightforward.Will recommendRH K.RH K. ★★★★★ FGC were brilliant. Great advice on the best windows to get. Extremely good installation. Always ready to solve any installation or manufacturing issues. We are extremely happy with the end result!Joy W.Joy W. ★★★★★ Frameless windows were brilliant, Liam Alfie and James were great, polite, courteous, and left the site clean and tidy. The windows look amazing, Great service from start to finish. Many ThanksRayRay ★★★★★ We love these doors and look forward to having them open a bit more once the patio has ben completed. They really have a "wow" factor and this becomes a double "wow" when people are shown how the corner can be completely opened up. It was about a year from my first enquiry to the doors being installed as there was a considerable amount of building work required to prepare the room. throughout this period I remained in touch with FGC and the service was exceptional. The installation team was on site for a day, starting early and working through to completion before driving back to Kent!! We have been really pleased with the standard of workmanship and even had compliments from other tradesmen working on the room (most of whom had never seen doors like this). These are expensive doors but the price difference from a normal set of bi-folds was well worth it for the uninterrupted view you get. The doors were installed in February but I have held off doing the review until the room was more finished so I could post a more representative picture. Once the patio is done the look will be even better than we originally envisaged. I have attached a few pictures of the room (the white table is only a temporary measure while we wait for the new coffee table).Sharon B.Sharon B. ★★★★★ From first contact to installation, my interactions with FGC have been easy, fast and professional. The end product is superb, we are so happy with our new doors - wish we had done this years ago. Well done FGC!!Jayne N.Jayne N. ★★★★★ This is the second time we have installed FGC and we are very happy with our second installation- very sleek and stylish and all staff very helpful, thanksD JD J ★★★★★ Frameless Glass Curtains have few competitors so they could take a lax approach to their work. However, that is not the case. We have had a porch installed in a space that was not square or aligned. The service from survey to finish has been above standard. Barry’s attention to detail and determination that the work would not be complete until his high standards were met was much appreciated. The communication from the admin side was clear and helpful. So all in all we will be using Frameless Glass again and have no hesitation in recommending them.Brian S.Brian S. ★★★★★ Brilliant product, what a difference, no frames to block our view of the Brecon Beacons. The service has been the best I think I have ever received and the fitting team were faultless - they travelled 5 hours to get to us in Wales, arriving 30 minutes early, working flat out without a break for 9 hours before driving 5 hours back, all without one complaint!!Catherine U.Catherine U. ★★★★★ Ordered Crittal-style French doors in aluminium. The doors look fantastic and are so much better than the ancient sliding doors I had before. The company were very friendly and easy to deal with. They were understanding of my delays due to a flood. The installers were professional and polite and poor things had to work on the hottest day of the year. Would definitely recommend FGC.Laura G.Laura G. ★★★★★ Really great service from this family run company. We love the doors and the install was top notch. Thanks!Info Oad S.Info Oad S. ★★★★★ Great service and amazing finish! Would highly recommend!paul R.paul R. ★★★★★ Highly competent office and site staff, great product and at a fair price. Couldn't be happier with the entire experience and end result.vanessa C.vanessa C. ★★★★★ From the beginning to the end, everyone at FGC have been amazing. I knew straight away that the glazing FGC would provide and install would be spectacular and how right that was! The FGC glazing allows our Edwardian stained glass door to still be a main feature and in fact it shows it off perfectly. We are so happy with the end result and can’t praise FGC highly enough, somehow 5 stars doesn’t seem to be high enough.ZorèZorè ★★★★★ Their windows are second to none. No other company in Germany, UK or anywhere else can produce such a fabulous product.Any issues that has come up, they always come & fix it. The staff are so nice and polite. For a small company they do really a great job over all. The main things are the frameless bifolds that you hardly have any frame in the line of vision and there is a 5 years guarantee. Mr & Mrs JahediFiona G.Fiona G. ★★★★★ Delighted with our new frameless glass doors. Had lots of lovely comments, even all the trades who have been working on our house have said they've not seen anything like them. Great having something a little unusual. The quality of the doors is of a very high standard. The service from FGC has been very good too, from ordering through to installation. All went very smoothly with no problems. Paid a bit more than regular bifolds, but worth every penny. Best decision, no regrets at all.Andrew H.Andrew H. ★★★★★ Great service and very welcoming for my father and I. Adrian in particular was very efficient, gave great pertinent advice and guidance on my future purchase!Des P.Des P. ★★★★★ Excellent in all aspects from initial viewing in showroom to actual installation.TonyTony ★★★★★ Excellent service and product from FGC.I have a glass-box conservatory, built with structural glass about 20 years ago. The 2 sliding doors needed replacing, along with 2 side panels, and I contacted dozens of companies selling conservatory doors and none of them were prepared to install their doors because of the perceived risks of working with structural glass.Then I found FGC who, with no fuss at all, carried out a survey, provided a very reasonable quote for the doors/panels and then installed the doors/panels on the agreed date.Communication with the FGC office was always quick and easy. The surveyor and installation team were efficient and courteous. The product works beautifully.We can now use our conservatory again. Thanks FGC.Arun S.Arun S. ★★★★★ Great company with excellent, friendly and responsive service, the guys were helpful and efficient with the installation and the slide and turn doors are a fantastic product.Matt G.Matt G. ★★★★★ Fantastic service from start to finish, from the surveying, contact with office to the workmen. I have experience through work of a number of companies providing similar products and these guys have been by far the best to deal withDavid W H.David W H. ★★★★★ FGC installed a two-panel frameless glass door at our property yesterday. Wow!! the installation is exactly as discussed, and was carried out by two of FGC's team members who were so professional and courteous. They were excellent, and we have no hesitation in recommending FGC and their team to anyone considering such an installation.We are delighted with the installation, and very pleased we chose FGC.Well done FGC!!Border S.Border S. ★★★★★ The quality of the windows / doors are second to none.The customer service was first class from placing the order to installation we were kept informed at every step.The installation team led by Richard left our house and patio cleaner than when they arrivedI would recommend FGC 100%Tony- BurnleyStephen H.Stephen H. ★★★★★ From start to finish everything was excellent.Fab u lasThank youStephen O.Stephen O. ★★★★★ BRILLIANT SERVICE FROM START TO FINISHHighly recommended.Nathan P.Nathan P. ★★★★★ We purchased a beautiful Origin sliding door and side window from FGC. FGC installed the sliding door and window on time, however the sliding door did not fit correctly. Issues can happen. FGC made the process of re-surveying and re-installation very simple. FGC is a very pleasant and professional company to deal with. We are very happy with their service and would strongly recommend them.Darius C.Darius C. ★★★★★ I love my doors! It’s transformed my place. The people are great, no nonsense, organised and efficient. I’d recommend them to anyoneAdrian W.Adrian W. ★★★★★ Excellent planning and product advice. All the staff were polite courteous and friendly.On the day of the installation, the team arrived bang on time -we live in Wales so a long drive from Kent! They had the job done by lunchtime (fitting a sliding patio door) and I have to say that on first impression of the unit, it looks and feels like solid quality.Ian J.Ian J. ★★★★★ We had a 5m stretch of these wonderful doors installed several years ago and have been very happy with the uninterrupted view of the garden that they allow from the living room. They are admired by every tradesman who sees them. A minor problem we experienced with water ingress last year was promptly and effectively resolved, and the doors were serviced for free at the same time.Response from the ownerHello Ian, thank you very much for leaving us a review and glad you're happy with your doors and our service. Elly BElly B ★★★★★ Great staff and great products! Have visited the showroom to view doors, really loved all of them! Have referred to a friend - Can't recommend enoughAdam F.Adam F. ★★★★★ Really great doors. Really are something different. Expensive, but you really pay for what you get here.js_loader

What our customers say

The service I received from FGD was professional and prompt from the initial on site survey through to installation and completion. Added to this the finished product has exceeded my expectations. It has enhanced my home with style and individuality, and enabled me to make use of the space in a way that is ‘unique’.

We had 3 sets of doors installed in April. We had searched far and wide for bifold doors and those supplied by FGC were undoubtedly the most striking. We have had favourable comments from visitors and the doors are functioning well. Our dealings with FGC have been excellent and they have attended since the installation to make some adjustments. Although this is an expensive product, it looks stunning and has performed well. FGC worked closely

I was very impressed with your facilties and how all the aspects of my purchase were explained. Your installers were thorough and polite and finished off the installation well, and would have no problem in reccommending you to others. Your aftercare was very good and prompt. All in alll very impressed with the doors and very pleased with my purchase. All my friends would like to be able to afford these kind of doors.

We are very pleased with the installation. It has been much admired. Mrs D,

Mrs D, Kent

We have patio doors and a large matching picture window, these are well designed, manufactured and installed and are noticed and acknowledged by all visitors to our house. The customer service is also excellent so highly recommend these products and

Phillip Coutts
Phil
I had been looking for some time to replace my patio doors in our lounge as they had very wide plastic frames and wanted something that wouldn’t restrict the view up the garden I asked to see if it was possible to view some already installed close by. Luckily there was, we went and viewed and was very impressed. I’ve seen lots of companies do bi-fold and there is actually one that is on the

Paula Sanders
Paula

I cannot rate this company highly enough & would highly recommend them to

Leslie David Morgan
Les Morgan
Dealing with FGC has been a straightforward and hassle free experience from start to finish. I had several queries long before placing an order and FGC were always prompt and helpful with the responses. Then at site survey time they attended on time, with courtesy calls leading up to the appointment to keep me advised, the surveyors were very knowledgeable and again helpful. This gave me great confidence that I’d made the right choice by

Matt Chenery
Matt C
We wanted to connect two room – a ‘sun room’ and living room -by replacing a large window with some glass doors. We contacted local suppliers and Googled ‘glass partitions’. Local suppliers weren’t much help, however the Google came up with just what we wanted – frameless glass doors. We contacted Gary for a price. He arranged to come and do a survey the following week – 600 mile round trip – arrived on time.

A great product from a great company. Friendly and efficient service from day

Ian Greenfield
Ian G
We are very pleased by the results the only comment will be re protecting the work area to avoid dust or waste. As to how we were from initial contact (were we polite)? Yes great service and very responsive Arranging installation (were we on time and on schedule) Yes Were we clean and tidy? Not really as mention above And finally are you pleased with our doors (would you Recommend us)? Yes and Yes May

From the first moment of making contact we were given a very personal and friendly service. The survey, fitting and installation were all carried out by helpful and pleasant people. Follow up service was equally good. I am extremely pleased with the

Valerie smith
Valerie

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Published on July 9, 2017

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