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If you’re looking to upgrade your home or considering a remodelling project, doors can be a cool and fast way to improve the value of your property. Whether you wish to increase the visual appeal of your home with a new exterior door or simply to alter the appearance of an outdated or plain bedroom or bathroom, doors can also go a long way to improve the look of your home. If you’re thinking about taking on such a project, one of the things you might want to consider is length of time it’ll take to complete the installation process. In this post, we’re going to give you a good insight into the time it takes to complete a door installation process to help you make informed decision moving forward. Let’s take a look!

Just like any home improvement project, the duration of time it’ll take to install doors will depend on a number of factors. These factors include the style/type of door to be installed, the ease of access, the skill and experience of the installer and lots more. In general, replacing an exterior door should, on the average, take about 5 to 6 hours. An interior door, on the other hand, should be much quicker as it doesn’t require same flashing, caulking as well as other weatherproofing processes. In general, the installation of an interior door can be completed within 2 to 4 hours. If you choose to take on this task by yourself, you can expect the duration to be longer due to the little or no experience possessed.

Do you have a composite door and wondering the best type of lock that can be used on your prized asset. To choose the right type of lock for a composite door, it’s of utmost importance to select one that’s designed to work perfectly with the composite configuration. By doing this, you’ll improve the security of your home while also achieving the desired look. To secure a composite door, the most common way is by incorporating a high security multipoint lock. Therefore, depending on the look you want for your door as well as how you want it to function, here are the four types of locks you can consider to go with your composite door.

• Split Spindle Lock

A split spindle lock would be your best bet if you’d like to automatically prevent access to your home from the outside. This lock allows you to open your door smoothly by utilizing the inside handle, however, you’ll need a key to turn the latch bolt to gain access back inside.

• Lever or Lever Lock

If you want an unhindered access in and out of your property, a lever lock gives you this opportunity without the need for a key until it’s totally deadlocked. The lever lock is installed to the back door which makes unauthorized entry even less likely.

• Slam Lock

If you’d prefer a super fast locking, then this lock type is your answer! It automatically triggers the lock hooks immediately you close the door - without having to lift the handle. However, to gain access to the inside of your home or bolt the door from the inside, you’ll need a key.

• Key Wind-Up Lock

This lock is wholly key operated and totally handle-free. Immediately the door is closed, the latch bolt will be automatically activated, ensuring that a key would be needed to gain access back inside.

How Long Do Bifold Doors Last?

Are you ready to make the bifold doors investment decision? There’s one thing that might you may be hesitant about - how long do bifold doors last? Well, if this is the case then you’re not alone as this happens to be one of the most frequently asked question on bifold doors by potential investors. However the lifespan of bifold doors is based on a number of influencing factors such as the manufacturer of the door, the materials used in making the bifold door as well as how properly maintained it is.

There are several types of materials which can be used in making bifold doors. These includes aluminium, uPVC as well as wood. Amongst all the options, aluminium happens to be an incredibly robust material and when produced, it can have a lifespan of about 30 to 50 years on a property with good maintenance. Aluminium boasts a perfect blend of strength and malleability which happens to be a lot less likely to warp, expand or rot when compared to wood ( timber) or uPVC bifold doors. As a result, the life expectancy an aluminium bifold doors is expected to have is up to 45 years which is considerably larger than that of the uPVC at 25 to 35 years. What’s more? Aluminium framing is designed to last a long period while also being largely resistant to corrosion because aluminium does not rust as a result of the oxide layer on its surface. The function of the oxide layer is to protect the underlying metal while also being resistant to corrosion. As a result, the aluminium door is adequately protected from rain as well as acidity which are especially more present in the coaster regions.

It must be noted that the bifold doors only require minimal maintenance, however this is quite significant in ensuring the door lasts long.

Should A Front Door Be Metal?

Being the home’s first access point, the front or entry door must be effective at preventing unwanted visitors or intruders from gaining entry into the house. Also, from a stylistic point of view, your door should be appealing and make both residents and guests feel welcome. These, rather contradictory standpoints, are best met by metal doors as they’re able to offer both security and beauty to any home or property. As a result, making them the perfect door material especially for front or entry doors. In this article, we’re going to look at what makes metal the proper material for front doors. Let’s have a look!

✓ It provides a grand entrance to both residents and guests. Front doors made out of metal are able to deliver a perfect blend between durability and elegance. They can be customized to suit the specific taste of the home or property owner or constructed to appear as inviting as the residents of the house would prefer. What’s more? It’s very pleasing to know that a visually appealing door goes a long way to add to both the style and value of any home.

✓ It serves a reliable security measure. Beyond the look of metal doors are their immense ability to provide protection from external elements. And since iron is sturdier than any other material incorporated in making front doors, burglars or any other unwanted visitors will find it a herculean task to forcefully gain entrance into your home. Even if you decide to make use of glass to add to the design, the integrity of the metal door will never be compromised.

✓ It’s a great value for money. Not only does metal doors provide both beauty and security, but they’re also more affordable than door materials like wood or fibreglass and requires only a little maintenance. With advanced technology, energy efficiency now constitutes part of the metal door offerings.

As the name suggests, composite doors are made up of multiple components or materials which includes uPVC and foam or solid timber core, just to mention a few. Individual materials incorporated manufacturing a composite door plays their own important role with unique properties which are perfectly blended to give the strongest and most durable door materials currently available in the market. These materials are pressed and glued together as they’re subjected to high pressure conditions.

The need to counteract the weaknesses found in most single material doors, ultimately gave birth to the development of composite doors - which puts together several materials with specific properties to cancel out each others’ excesses or weaknesses. Purchasing a composite door means a valuable investment in a sturdy door frame manufactured using the toughest and most robust materials. In other words, you’re increasing the security of your home, enjoying the weatherproofing qualities of the door and also giving you a peace of mind knowing both your loved ones and properties are safe, well protected and secured. Apart from the materials used in making the door, you’re also provided with an array of choices when it comes to the personalization of the door to your needs and taste. You can choose from a variety of colours, woodgrain effects, textures as well as finishes.

Overall, composite doors also requires little maintenance and are very durable. Due to the modern techniques used in manufacturing a composite door, the colour as well as beauty is guaranteed to last a very long time. What’s more? Generally, the composite is weather and fade resistant so you won’t have to worry about spending either time or money for the care or maintenance of your door even after frequent or heavy usage.

What Is The Smallest Opening For Bifold Doors?

Generally, bifold doors comes in a wide range of sizes and configurations. So if you’re looking to install them in your home, the opening size required will depend on multiple influencing factors. However, the question we’re going to look at here is the smallest opening for bifold doors.

First and foremost, let’s consider the size of bifold doors as learning about how big or small bifold doors can play a key role in helping you determine the size of bifold door you’ll need. Generally, the size of bifold doors will vary largely depending on the manufacturer, but they are usually within the range of 6.8 feet and 7 feet in height. The width, however, will be determined by the number of door panels you’d like to use but several configurations are designed in such a way that they can be installed in openings of about 1.8m and above. For each door panel, the size are usually between 500 and 1000mm in width. As a result, if you decide to opt for door panels with a width of 700mm, you’ll need to get about 3 of the door panels in order to install in an aperture that’s wider than 1.8m. What’s more? Door panels can also be custom made especially if the size you need isn’t available.

So with that in mind, what’s the smallest opening for bifold doors? The bifold door’s minimum width is 1400mm. And in order to install a bifold door to fill this size, you’ll require two individual door panels that’s 700mm in width. Building them any smaller than the minimum width will be unwise as this will make them bind when closing.

Do I Need A Planning Permission For Bifold Doors?

Are you thinking about installing bifold doors for your home or property? If yes, you’d probably want to know if you’re going to need planning permission. Well, you’re not alone! Being fully aware the application process for planning permission might not be the easiest of tasks, several home owners would like to know if they’ll be going through the process for installing bifold doors. The answer is, you may actually not need a planning permission for installing bifold doors in your home. Adding or replacing doors is basically one of the home improvement efforts that are less complicated and as a result, they normally do not require planning permission. But despite that, they still need to comply with the UK’s building regulations.

Changing or adding doors to your home or property are usually considered to be covered under permitted development and even more so, when there’s no extension constructed for the doors. However under certain circumstances, these rights can be removed by the local authorities. A good example is when the property is a listed building or in a designated conservation area.

In the event whereby you find yourself having to apply for a planning permission, the time it usually takes to be granted one depends on the number of planning applications on queue. However, it typically takes about 8 weeks or 2 months to tender your application and be granted planning permission if it’s required. To apply for planning application by UK households, you’ll have to pay £172 - which is the set application fee nationwide. In certain situations where objection arises, there may be some delays in the process. If you’re still not certain whether your new bifold doors will require a planning permission, we’d recommend consulting your local authority.

Doors can be bought in a range of materials, such as wood, aluminium or uPVC. There are also more modern composite doors which use a variety of different materials for toughness and durability. Doors are also available in glass reinforced plastic (GRP), and engineered timber.