According to the latest cost-vs-value report, adding an outdoor area to your home, like a wooden deck, can yield an ROI of 65.8%.
Apart from the monetary value, an outdoor area brings boundless opportunities for entertainment and relaxing during your downtime. It adds to the overall square footage of your home too.
What’s the one thing that goes best with a swish patio, deck, or outdoor kitchen? Gorgeous patio doors to give you unhindered access to its benefits.
Here’s how to pick the perfect patio door installation for your new or revamped outdoor spaces.
The Most Popular Types of Patio Doors
There are three main varieties of patio doors. These are bifold doors, hinged doors, and sliding doors, categorized according to the way they open and close.
Sliding Glass Doors
Sliding doors suit homeowners who want to maximize their views of the outdoor world. They feature two large panes of glass nestled in discreet frames.
These doors give you more functional space around them since they slide open on a track and don’t impose on your interior or exterior space. They’re a great option to give you access to enclosed areas like a backyard patio.
Sliding doors have a clean, minimalist look and you can choose various types of frames to suit the design of your home.
Multiple Slide Patio Doors
Multiple slide doors add another layer to conventional sliding doors. They tuck away into concealed wall pockets or tuck into one another to create a larger opening.
They don’t take up much room and create an attractive seamless transition between the exterior and interior spaces.
French Patio Doors
French doors are a type of hinged door. They may have split panes inside a decorative frame or large seamless glass panes.
Hinged patio doors open into or out of your living areas, so you need to plan around them when placing your furniture.
Although they take up more space, French doors lend a classic look to any home and have deadbolt locking systems. That means you can use them on patios that lead out onto the street, without adding a security risk to your home.
According to the Renewal by Andersen Window Replacement website, you can even combine the benefits of a sliding door with the aesthetic appeal of a French patio door.
Bifold Patio Doors
In some ways, bifold patio doors are a combination of both sliding doors and hinged doors. They have multiple panels that operate on a sliding track and fold together like an accordion when opened.
Bifold patio doors offer flexibility and convenience, and you can also use the smaller versions as a pass-through window over a counter for serving refreshments.
Other Options for Patio Doors
Nowadays, you’ll come across some more innovative designs if you’re looking for something different from the classic glass door. These types of doors suit small or irregularly shaped rooms or can help you create a specific design aesthetic.
Some of the most popular options include:
Dutch or Barn-Style Patio Doors
Barn-style doors suit homeowners who aspire to modern farmhouse design. Each swing door has two halves split horizontally like a stable door. They may feature solid panels or have glass in the top half of the doors.
Dutch doors add warm style and can create a charming gateway to your outside entertainment area. They’re useful for keeping pets or small children contained while enjoying the benefits of fresh air inside your home.
Pivot Patio Doors
Pivot doors rotate on a spindle, like the revolving doors you’ll often see at hotels and banks. The specialized hinges attach to the top and bottom of each door instead of the side.
That means the doors pivot open on their centers and take up space both inside and outside your home. Usually, pivot doors have only one glass pane and they’re an attractive option for homes with a minimalist, modern design.
Vertical Sliding Doors
If you have an exceptionally large patio, or glass wall leading to your swimming pool or patio, vertical sliding doors can add considerable pizazz to the picture.
They’re also called guillotine cavity doors since they slide upward and downward into concealed cavities in your floor and ceiling.
You’ll need to arrange considerable amendments to your home’s structure when installing these patio doors. To save on costs, you can opt for vertical sliding doors with fixed upper panes, so you don’t need to install a cavity in your ceiling.
You operate these heavy doors via remote control, and they have sensors to prevent them from injuring someone while in operation.
Corner Patio Doors
Dark corners can really put a damper on your interior design and these patio solutions help alleviate this problem. Adding a patio door to a dull corner in your home adds light to your interiors while serving as an entryway to your patio.
Most often, these designs incorporate two sets of pocket doors that you can open together or singly. They slide into hidden compartments creating an open airy space where your dingy corner once stood.
Pivot doors and bifold doors also work well when used in this way.
Garage Style Patio Doors
Like guillotine doors, garage-style patio doors are a dramatic addition to spacious patios. They’re vertical folding doors that work like commercial or garage folding doors.
They don’t take up any floor space when open but you’ll need to clear the way overhead to accommodate these huge doors. They simply fold up over your entryway and rest on a mechanism in the ceiling when open.
You’ll need to make a few costly adjustments to your home when you opt for these doors, but they create a wonderful industrial effect when used in the right context.
Picking Materials for Your Patio Doors
Apart from various designs, patio doors also comprise a variety of materials in their design. Glass is the most obvious one and the type of glass panes you choose can affect your door’s design and functionality in several ways.
Low-E glass is an excellent choice if you want to limit UV rays from penetrating your home. These harmful beams of light can cause your furniture, upholstery, and rugs to fade and can cause sunburn and skin cancer in large doses.
This type of glass has a UV-resistant coating that helps lower the temperature inside your home, so you don’t need to use your air-conditioner at full tilt during the hot summer months. In this way, it helps lower your energy bills too.
Decorative glass, like engraved glass, frosted glass, or even stained glass has UV-resistant qualities and looks great when incorporated into French doors. They also add a little more privacy when you close the doors.
You can add glass inserts to your patio door, like shutters, grids, or blinds. These increase the security or warmth and privacy of your interiors and make it much easier to clean your windows.
If you want to maximize your energy savings, you can opt for double or triple glazed glass for extra insulation.
There are several different materials used for patio door frames nowadays too. These are:
Metal
Metals are popular construction materials thanks to their durability and low maintenance needs. Steel’s a top option for patio doors since it’s impervious to chipping, warping, and peeling regardless of the weather.
Unfortunately, unless you buy treated steel, it’s prone to corrode in humid climates.
Aluminum’s more affordable than steel and doesn’t rust, but it’s not as strong.
Wood
Wood offers classic, attractive looks, and sturdiness but it comes at a price. You’ll need to paint or treat your wooden patio door frames regularly to keep them in good shape.
This material’s soundproof and energy-efficient and suits most home decor. It goes best with French doors and barn door styles.
Vinyl
Vinyl’s both affordable and durable. It doesn’t fade or warp easily and can’t rust.
You can choose from a variety of colors when you opt for vinyl patio door frames or go for a customized option.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass is similar to vinyl except it’s more expensive. You can order fiberglass frames in almost any color including a steel or wood-look finish.
When compared to vinyl, fiberglass appears more solid and lasts longer.
What’s Next on Your List of Home Improvements?
Patio doors are only one way to improve the appeal and livability of your home. There are many more exciting home improvement projects to consider.
Have you thought about things like paving to match your new style? What about modern comfortable patio furnishings? Is an outdoor kitchen area on the cards?
Whatever your home improvement ambitions, we can help. Explore our website for the latest tips and information to inspire and motivate you.
