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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you wish to increase the visual appeal of your home with a new exterior door or simply to alter the appearance of an outdated or plain bedroom or bathroom, doors can also go a long way to improve the look of your home.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.

What Is A Bifold Door?

Right from time the conventional choice incorporated in closing large doorways have always been French doors or sliding doors. However, with the advent of bifold doors design, there has been a great alternative which can go a long way to increase the value, visual appeal as well as space-saving functionality of a home or property. Due to the fact that these design is relatively new to the market when compared to its counterparts, the benefits are not yet defined. However being a popular option it’s definitely worth knowing a bit more of the pros and cons of installing bifold doors. Let’s have a look!

How do bifold doors work? They simply work based on a concertina principle, folding back hinged frames and glass panels into a compact storage area which appears to be a bit small in a room’s corner but opens up an entire doorway. And unlike their counterparts - the French doors or standard hinged doors, bifold doors feature panels that are hinged together and inserted on the runners in the floor as well as the upper lintel or doorway’s beam. As you open the door, the door’s panel slide and fold concurrently without limiting the doorway’s size in any way.

It may also incorporate what is called the “traffic door. The traffic door simply refers to the conventional swinging door which can serve as one of the bifold door’s components. This goes a long way to enhance the functionality of the bifold door by creating a standard door within its arrangement. What’s more? It adds convenience to the bifold door’s design in such a way that only a single panel will have to be opened to gain a quick access anytime its required without having to fold back all panels each time the door is put to use.

A composite door is a valuable investment any homeowner would be glad to make due to its numerous benefits. Not only are they super energy efficient and good looking, but also exceptional when it comes to keeping your house warm and guaranteeing your safety and maximum security. They come in wide range of styles, colours as well as personalization options, which makes them one of the most popular and strongest door you can find in the market today. However, the question that hangs over the mind of many potential investors is how fade resistant are composite doors? Would the visual appeal remain intact for a long period of time or fade away after a few years of exposure to intense sun?

The last thing any homeower would want to see is a priced asset looking dull and tired only after a couple of years after installation. Owners of timber doors worry about having to re paint every couple of years. UPVC door owners worry that their doors can, at times, start to fade when exposed to a strong and intense sunlight. So what exactly do composite door owners worry about? The simple answer is absolutely nothing! Proud composite door owners only have to do a quick wash with a warm soapy water as upkeep for their long lasting and durable asset. This is because composite doors are typically made from Glass Reinforced Plastic outer skin which makes them highly resistant to the element. So whether it’s raining heavily or the sun is shining intensely, the colours of your beloved composite door will not fade and will remain exactly the same way it was when purchased. No matter what the UK weather throws at them, the reinforced plastic skin and robust core ensures the door remains water tight and in top condition always.

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.

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.

Are you interested in opening up the back of your home during the summer months? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a cool way to beautify your home and add more value to it. Patio doors offer you a great means to achieve your goals and even more so, with a plethora of styles you can choose from. So if you’ve decided to to install patio doors in your home, you’d probably also want to know exactly how much they cost so you can set a budget and start planning.

Generally, depending on the type of patio doors you wish to have installed, be it bifold, French or sliding doors, the price can vary within the range of £400 to £5,000.

There are a number of influencing factors that can play a huge role in the determination of the total cost of patio doors when looking to have them installed. These factors include: the type of patio door, choice of material, size of the door as well as double or triple gazing.

Based on the type of patio door, the cost of various patio door styles are given below:

• Bifold Patio Doors

The cost of bifold doors is usually affected by the material as well as number of panels to be used. The potential cost is usually within the range of £1,200 to £3,000 upwards.

• French Patio Doors

French patio doors when installed with aluminium frames are often very expensive. They’re mostly used with uPVC at the new build homes’ rear in the UK. The potential cost is usually within the range of £800 to £3,000.

• Sliding Patio Doors

These are usually made from aluminium, wood or uPVC. With wood being mostly used for internal doors. The potential cost is usually within the range of £700 to £3,000.

As you would have guessed, patio doors are exactly what the name suggests. They mainly act as a means by which you can access your patio from inside your house. As a result, they’re mostly fitted at the rear of your home which leads out to the garden and ultimately, the patio. In recent times, it’s mostly unlikely to see patio doors installed in homes without patios or homes with deckings instead. Generally, patio doors feature large floor to ceiling windows that are able to offer a wide open view of your garden as well as patio. In short, these characteristics are what mainly makes them unique from other normal exterior doors.

There are different types of patio doors which you can choose from and all with their own unique installation costs.

• Sliding Doors

Due to their space saving qualities, this type of sliding door are a popular choice amongst homeowners. As the name suggests, they basically slide across panels rather than opening in or out. This style also comprises the most significant windows which gives you a wider and clearer view of your garden while also allowing more natural light into the house.

• French Doors

Offering a standard design with two different panels with each able to swing wide open on its own, the French door is a conventional style door popular amongst traditionalists. French doors are generally stylish and very energy efficient, however they tend to consume more space within your home. It comes with several designs and a variety of colours to choose from.

• Bifold Doors

Bifold doors are the ideal choice if you want a more modern style for your home. These doors almost folds itself whether open or closed. Generally, they move along a track similar to sliding doors, but each panel folds when open. Here, you’re still offered the floor to ceiling wide open windows which further makes the overall effect even more special.

Are you about to outfit a brand new house or replace an existing garage door? Regardless of your objective, selecting a new garage door can prove to be a tough challenge which only a few homeowners have vast experience dealing with. And just like any other household items, the garage door comes in a variety of prices starting from a couple of hundred bucks for a basic model - uninstalled, to thousands of pounds for a best-in-class, professional fitted garage door.

However, with the pricey investment also comes good returns, as replacing the garage door is seen by many as a great investment. According to the remodelling magazine, the ROI on a garage door has more value than almost any other home improvement project you can probably think of. With that in mind, now how do you determine the cost of your garage door?

The cost of a garage door certainly depends on a number of factors outside the price of the item. The first step is to ensure that the quoted price includes new tracks - the metal parts in which the rollers are to move up and down. If not, you may want to find the ones that does to cut the costs. To get the best deal, just like many consumer products, it’s advisable to just shop around to compare the various costs.

There are usually a wide range of professional garage door installers in many cities. You reach out to them and find the few ones who can provide you with a written estimate. A good option would also be to compare the garage door costs provided by Home Depot and Lowe’s. Generallly, what determines your garage door cost may be reflected in the material you go for as well as your choice of style.