Designs, Style & Options for Conservatory Doors
Conservatory doors come in many different styles and sizes and it’s easy to find the ideal structure for your home as long as you know what your options are and their benefits.
At first thought, you might not consider how the conservatory doors are a big deal, but you can easily overlook how much trouble the wrong type of door can cause to your enjoyment of your new conservatory.
As a brief example, if you are building a smaller type of conservatory, it’s not a good idea to have inward opening doors, but what if at the same time you don’t have much room outside either, what type of door should you consider?
The following are a variety of different doors we think you should look into understanding more about as a design feature for your conservatory.
Choosing the material for your conservatory doors
If you are having a conservatory “built from scratch” then the door frame material is going to match that of the main body of the conservatory, if you are replacing old doors, then it makes sense to match what is already there.
However, just to cover the subject, you can expect to find door designs in timber, aluminium or uPVC.
Sliding Doors.
Sliding Conservatory Doors
Sliding patio doors or bypass doors offer a high level of accessibility to the patio or garden and are manufactured to match the rest of the conservatory. One of their main benefits is the wonderful view they offer even when the doors are closed.
Homeowners can choose between sliding patio door options with two, three or four panels, as well as choose between plenty of colors to fit every style.
They are easy to install, open smoothly when installed correctly, and most likely delivered for free if you purchase them along with the conservatory. And as many other conservatory doors, they’re an eco-friendly design feature known for their energy-saving capabilities
The advantages are that they don’t take up any space, either inside the room or outside. The disadvantages are that the doors are fixed inside the frames and therefore restrict the overall “free-space” to move in and out when the doors are open.
French Doors
French doors may look like regular doors at a first glance but they offer the great advantage of opening inwards and outwards. They’re supplied with quality glass and you can choose from the many different glazing options available, such as frosted, stained, or patterned glass. They also come in a variety of frame colors, from white and natural to bolder colours.
Conservatory French Doors
They offer many benefits to homeowners, such as letting more light in, allowing homeowners to view the outside area from the inside of their home, and are energy-efficient. They’re the perfect replacement for old, leaky windows or the more pretentious sliding doors.
The advantages of French doors is that they can be set to open out or in – so if you are tight for space inside, an outward opening set is very useful. The disadvantages appear when you have a wider opening to fill. Once you get over 2000 mm or so (1000 mm per door) they become to big to use easily and so you will need to have side panels.
Bi-Fold Doors.
Bi-fold doors are elegant and contemporary, their simple design making them the best pick for those interested in a more minimalist design. They offer high functionality, providing extra space because of the way they open.
Bi-fold doors also seal perfectly and provide protection against environmental elements, allowing for a weather-tight fit.
Bifold Conservatory Doors
Homeowners can enjoy pleasant amounts of natural light and nice garden views all the way from their sofas. They can also be collapsed to create a larger wall space and are a wonderful way of bringing the outdoors in.
Bi-fold doors also feature better security systems that other types of conservatory doors because they offer multiple locking points along the track.
The advantages of bifolds is that they stack nicely to the sides and so take up hardly any room. The “stacking” can also be interior or exterior designed. They also get out of the way leaving a huge clear space to go in and out through. Disadvantages would be price based, as they are not cheap and, in our opinion, don’t suit small openings.
Tilt/Slide & Tilt/Turn Doors.
Whilst not hugely popular for use in a conservatory, Tilt/Slide & Tilt/Turn Doors are worth taking a look at. to see if they offer a solution for your circumstances.
As the name suggests, these doors have a much different opening function to the others, in that both styles allow the moving door panel to tilt or lean back into the house to allow for a lot of ventilation.
The turn version will also open & close like a regular swing door. The slide version won’t swing open, but instead slide side to side in the same way as a standard inline sliding or “bypass” patio door.
Tilting & Sliding Doors
The drawback for the tilt version is that the door will only open inwards, so if you are tight for interior space it could be the wrong door for you. For the sliding version it should be considers the same as a “normal” bypass door in terms of pros & cons.