Bi-folding Or French Doors – Which Adds Most Value To Homes?

For most of us, our home is our grandest asset, so choosing bi-folding or french doors is a significant decision. You need to maximise any home improvement investment whilst also enhancing the beauty of your property. Extending your home can add substantial value, but the associated disruption and expense are considerable disadvantages. So the alternative of improving your existing living spaces is a great option to minimise disturbance but increase your property’s value.

Bring your garden into your house! Increasing glazed wall space in any room will invite the outside vista into your home with minimum barrier or fuss. The feeling engendered by beautifully designed and constructed Bi-fold or French doors will open your living space to precious natural light.

Yet, which option is the best solution for your property – french doors or bifolds?

Bi-folding Doors or French Doors?

When considering your solution, consider both the age of your property and the available space.

For smaller spaces, French doors offer a traditional elegant choice. Bi-folding doors are more suited to larger walls. They provide a stunning and dramatic sense of space whilst also folding away compactly.

A Detailed Look At Bi-Folding Or French Door Differences

What is a french door?

French doors (or French windows) are instantly considered classic, usually seen in older buildings adding sophistication and beauty to the patio and conservatory. They generally comprise two separate doors opening outwards and are usually referred to as ‘patio doors.’ You can access the garden by opening just one door during the winter as an alternative to your front door or for access to the garden.

Sharon added:

“In the summer, opening both doors not only lets in some fresh air, but also extends your room into the garden, giving you that sense of light and airy space which is what many of our clients seek to create.”

French doors are more suited to smaller structural openings and should be measured and installed by a professional. As experienced joiners, we recommend timber frames, handcrafted using sustainable and durable wood like Accoya® or Sapele hardwood.

Accoya®, for example, comes in various finishes to complement your home and has a 60-year guarantee, making it a much more ecological and economical alternative to uPVC.

David Wright, our founder, has seen locking technology evolve over his decades in business and commented that the best security is as follows:

“Where security is concerned, French doors can be fitted with multipoint locking with up to date door arrangements passing PAS024 security tests, giving you peace of mind”

Accoya®, for example, comes in various finishes to complement your home and has a 60-year guarantee, making it a much more ecological and economical alternative to uPVC.

What is a bi-folding door

21st-century living seems to suit the newly styled “concertina doors”, otherwise known as Bifolds.

Sharon explains:

“Bi-folding doors are a more modern design for bringing the outside in, and can offer a combination of configurations with as many leaves as needed. Thanks to the concertina opening mechanism, and the tracks lying flush with the floor, once opened they create a fantastic open space, with seamless transition from inside the home to the garden or decking area; perfect for creating that wow factor when entertaining guests in the summer months.”

Bi-folding doors can fit within the same space as French doors. However, they can also be used to build entire glass walls. You can design whether they all open one way or if they split open in the middle – whichever way suits your tastes and how you want to use the space.

David wright continued:

“We’d always recommend timber frames to retain and complement the character of your home. They all come with toughened or laminated glass and installed with multi-point locks. If the bi-folding doors are your only access to your garden, you can always install a single swinging leaf on one side to use day-to-day or when welcoming guests at the back of your home”.

Whichever type of door you select, it ultimately needs to be your choice based on your personal preference and what suits your lifestyle. At David H Wright Joinery, we aim to help you achieve your dream home, so we’d be delighted to take you through the options available and help you plan the perfect doors to complement the character of your home even if your property is in a conservation area or has a heritage listing attached to it.

What's The Best Material For Bi-Folding Or French Doors?

Of course, being a joinery firm, our heart lies with wood. We make no excuses for this! However, there are sound practical reasons for this choice, too; wood has a warmth, texture and classical style that no other material can offer. Plus, this natural material comes in many different varieties.

Our timber of choice for doors at David H Wright Joinery would be Accoya®. It is a specially engineered softwood combining sustainable, dimensional stability with the warmth and beauty of a natural material.

Accoya® is treated to its core with non-toxic acetic anhydride. This means that it has the performance characteristics of the most durable tropical hardwoods. It resists rot and defies the elements. However, being a soft wood, it can be grown and harvested sustainably; Accoya® brings gold-standard environmental and sustainability credentials to your project.

All of our beautiful doors are completed with Energy-efficient “Ecoglass”, which gives our products a window energy rating of ‘A’.