Tuesday 11 November 2008

A Modern Alternative to French Doors

French Doors . . . sound so . . . romantic.

For some people, French Doors are so much better than standard sliding patio doors because the whole of the aperture opens for access between house and garden. And, unlike PVC patio doors, traditional wooden French Doors can be stained or painted to suit: white, blue, green ... silver?

There is a maximum aperture that French Doors are appropriate for - no more than about 6ft wide - and they have other drawbacks. The wooden frames need treating or repainting every year or two and can often warp with the sun or rain. If, like traditional French Doors in France, they open into the house (most British doors are designed to open outwards) slatted shutters can be fitted outside for added protection against strong sunlight (lovely but, oh dear! more maintenance).

It's obvious just how impractical the romantic notion of French Doors can be once they are out of their traditional environment. Even mainland Europeans are opting for integral shutters for less effort. Time to stop dreaming and get the best practical solution!

Bifolding doors. If you don't need to settle for the cheapest, aluminium framed doors will outlast wooden or PVC units and will need little or no maintenance. The best way to understand the difference is to visit some installations (or even showrooms where they have samples fitted to outside walls, not set up inside where they are protected from normal environmental conditions).


And . . . you don't have shop separately for shutters or curtains. As an option, the doors can be supplied with venetian or pleated blinds inside the double glazed unit! Ideal for today's hectic lifestyle (no dusting - ever!) and they look really neat.

There's a choice of colours for the blinds as well as a choice of bright or neutral colours for door frames. How about tinted glass too?

SunSeeker BiFolding Doors can replace traditional two-door widths and can fit wider openings with three, four, five, six panel doors; a versatile folding door system with centre opening, side opening or somewhere in-between. Made to measure to your requirements.

To recap - choice of colours, made to measure for standard or very wide openings, low maintenance, integral blinds option - and SunSeeker Doors are made in England. There are more options and details on the web site: www.sunseekerdoors.co.uk

Thanks for reading.

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