Bifold, Patio & French Doors in Birmingham
Thinking about bifold, patio and French doors in Birmingham for the back of the house? Tell us the width of the opening, what's in it now and how you use the garden. We'll arrange a free survey with a local installer, who measures the opening and gives you a written quote. You're under no obligation to accept it.
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Which Door Suits Your Opening
Bifold doors. Panels fold back like a concertina and stack at one or both ends, so almost the whole opening clears. The stack needs space, and each panel adds a frame line.
Sliding patio doors. Large panels slide past each other in a track. Only part of the opening clears at once, but nothing swings into the room, so they keep floor space free and give wide, unbroken glass.
French doors. A pair of hinged doors opening from the middle, often with side panels. They suit narrower openings and period houses. Check whether they open in or out, and leave room for the swing.
Bifold, Patio and French Doors in Birmingham Homes
If the new doors fit the existing opening, the job is a straight replacement. If a window and low wall are coming out, or the opening is being widened, it becomes building work too.
Aluminium or uPVC Frames
Aluminium. Stronger for its size, so frames are slimmer and panels larger. Powder-coated colours can match aluminium windows elsewhere on the house. Ask about the thermal break in the frame.
uPVC. Usually lower in cost and a good fit for French doors and smaller sliders. The frames are thicker, so a wide uPVC bifold shows more frame and less glass.
Thresholds and Drainage
A low or flush threshold gives a level step onto the patio and suits buggies and wheelchairs, but it lets water reach the frame more easily. The paving outside should fall away from the house, with a drainage channel in front of the door where one can be fitted. A raised threshold keeps more weather out on an exposed wall. Ask how the patio will meet the new sill.
Safety Glass
Under Approved Document K, glass in a door up to 1,500 mm above the floor, and in a side panel within 300 mm of a door, has to be safety glass. On a fully glazed door that is most of each pane, so ask for it to be confirmed on the quote.
Building Regulations and Planning
Swapping a whole external door counts as building regulations work. A door more than 60% glazed, as most bifold, sliding and French doors are, must reach a U-value of 1.4 W/m²K or Doorset Energy Rating band C. Because the doors are more than half glass, the work is notifiable: ask for the FENSA, CERTASS or other scheme certificate, which comes to you and goes to the council within 30 days.
Making an opening wider or creating a new one is structural work that needs building regulations approval. Ask who is handling it before the doors are ordered.
On a house, new doors of similar appearance are permitted development. Flats and maisonettes have no householder permitted development rights: see flats and maisonettes. This is general information, not advice on your property.
Estate Schemes
On the Bournville Village Trust estate, BVT approval is needed for external changes even where planning permission isn't. In the Bournville Village Conservation Area, uPVC is "not permitted to the front and side elevations", while rear uPVC and aluminium "would be considered". In BVT's Traditional and Modern zones, its guide allows black or grey windows only on the rear ground floor out of view from the street, so ask BVT how that applies to dark-framed doors. The Calthorpe Estate, covering a large part of Edgbaston, asks for its consent "in addition to planning permission". Get consent before you order: doors made to measure for your opening may not be cancellable once they're ordered, so ask about cancellation before you sign. See estate schemes.
What Changes the Price
Door type. Bifolds, sliders and French doors are built differently.
Width and panels. More panels mean more frame, hardware and glass.
Frame and colour. Aluminium or uPVC, and a different colour inside and out.
Glass. Larger panes, or solar-control or acoustic glass.
The opening. Widening it, a new lintel, and making good.
Our guide to door costs gives typical UK ranges for bifold and French doors.
Getting a Quote
1. Call or send the form: rough width, what's there now, what you'd like. 2. A local installer arranges a free survey of the opening. 3. You get a written quote to compare, with no obligation to accept it.
Before you sign, see how to choose an installer.
Related Services
For the front of the house, see composite doors; for a conservatory, conservatories.
Areas We Cover
Bifold, patio and French doors across Sutton Coldfield, Solihull, Knowle, Harborne, Moseley and Hall Green. see all service areas
Common Questions
Are bifold doors better than sliding patio doors?
Neither wins in every house. Bifolds clear almost the whole opening but show more frame and need space for the stack. Sliders keep floor space free and give bigger panes, but only part of the opening clears.
Will bifold doors need planning permission?
On a house, new doors of similar appearance are usually permitted development. Widening an opening or creating a new one needs building regulations approval, and flats and estate schemes have their own rules.
Can bifold, patio and French doors in Birmingham go into my existing opening?
Often, yes. French doors or a slider can usually go into an existing doorway. A wide bifold may need the opening enlarged, which is structural work, so raise it at the survey.
Free Quotes for Bifold, Patio & French Doors
Tell us your postcode and what needs doing. One installer who works across Birmingham will arrange to measure up and send you a written price.