How to design a home extension to incorporate bi fold doors
13 February 2018
Do you often feel a yearning to head outside, amongst the abundant greenery? It’s probably because – if one theory holds correct – the colour of green has a soothing effect, as The Telegraph reports. So, it should hardly surprise that many of us love spending time in our gardens.
Or, at least, we would… if the weather would allow us. Yes, that notoriously chilly British weather can play havoc with our romantic plans to peacefully read a book outside with the wind gently blowing on our hair. By having bi fold doors fitted in our homes, we can enjoy the best of both the indoors and outdoors; here’s how you could design an extension to help make all of this possible.
Bi fold doors are so-called as, when opened, they can bunch together in a concertina style and so smooth whatever physical interruption might otherwise exist between your interior and garden. Therefore, you could have a series of bi fold doors installed across an entire wall which you could then open up to create a significant expanse of open space.
In fact, the prospect of increasing space effectively summarises much of the appeal of spending money on bifold doors in the first place. You could even maximise this particular benefit of bifold doors by having them fitted as part of a larger extension to your residence. Then, that extension could be opened out onto something of another, albeit more organic, extension: your garden!
When designing the extension, it is a good idea to allow for however much space is within your financial reach, as Real Homes advocates. Naturally, how that extension is decorated is largely your decision – and what can doubtless encourage your creative and experimental streak is that bifold doors are available in various styles, with panes that can be tailored to suit different opening sizes.
This is certainly the case with our bifold door UK range here at ITF Aluminium. In your plan, you can allow for an opening measuring as wide as 1,200mm and as high as 250mm – and, along the way, rest assured that we can design panes to suit the opening’s size. Those panes can be included in made-to-order bi fold doors that we can supply for a home, where we can also fit those doors.
Bricks and wood that you select as building materials for the extension should aesthetically match the rest of your home. Nonetheless, for the bi fold doors, it would be advisable to always choose aluminium as the material comprising the frames. Indeed, aluminium can be sourced in various colours, easing your task of obtaining aluminium that won’t clash with your home’s overall look.
However, in opting for aluminium, you certainly wouldn’t have to make any major surrender in the practicality of your bifold doors. The aluminium frames in our own range of bifold doors deliver optimum strength and stability while relying on a mechanical design intended to prevent those doors deteriorating in structure. Maintaining those doors wouldn’t be a hassle, either.
Despite how much we can vouch for the merits of aluminium, you shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that bifold doors can assist in strengthening the organic feel of your home. Therefore, you should also be picky about how and where you use wood in your extension.
Ideal Home highlights one example of a conservatory which – through using wood for various elements including the floor, mantelpiece and side table – cultivates a “natural, earthy vibe”. You could also add a glass roof – like one of the roof lanterns which our team can provide – as a means of letting more light enter the structure and so produce what Ideal Home calls “a greenhouse effect”.
Once you have taken care of the overall design of the extension and reached the point of having bifold doors installed on the structure, you could be absolutely delighted by what you see. On our website, you can learn much more about the features of our bifold door UK offerings.
13 February 2018
