Smooth-running sliders and elegant French pairs that connect your kitchen, dining room or living room to the garden - without losing thermal performance, security or kerb appeal.
Stainless-steel ball-bearing rollers · PAS 24 security tested · 10-year insurance-backed guarantee.
A good set of patio doors is the difference between a back garden you visit twice a week and an outdoor room you use every day. Specified properly, they're as secure and thermally efficient as any wall opening.
Patio door failure rarely happens overnight. It's a slow decline - sticking rollers, perishing seals, drooping leaves - that quietly degrades the most-used opening in the house.
Sub-£2,000 sliding doors use stamped-steel rollers that pit and stick within 3–5 years. Once they fail, the leaf has to come out to replace them.
Heavy double-glazed French leaves on cheap hinges droop within two years - the door catches the threshold and won't latch.
EPDM seals harden and crack on older patio doors, allowing draughts and water ingress.
Worn weather seals, blocked drainage channels or unlevel thresholds lead to puddles inside the house after winter rain.
Measure the opening, discuss slider vs French, panel layout, opening direction, threshold style, colour and glass spec.
You receive: frame, glass, hardware, threshold, fitting and waste removal - itemised in writing.
UPVC patio doors: 3–4 weeks. Aluminium patio doors: 5–7 weeks.
Most patio door swaps fit in a single working day. Old doors out, new frame plumbed and packed, doors hung, threshold sealed, walkway clear.
Cycle-test, threshold drainage verified, glass cleaned, 10-year insurance-backed guarantee registered, walkthrough complete.
Sliders open 1.8–4m without floor-space penalty, French doors swing 1.4–1.8m fully open.
Sliders run smoothly for 100,000+ cycles on quality systems.
Anti-lift hooks and multi-point engagement on both sliders and French sets - PAS 24 tested.
Standard 28mm low-E argon-filled glass achieves A-rated WERs and 1.4 W/m²K.
Level-access for accessibility, rebated for weather priority, standard 30mm for typical UK weather.
Quality patio sliders close softly without slamming, with brush-pile seals against draughts.
Patio doors look simple. They're not. Five variables decide the lifetime experience: type (slider vs French), frame material, threshold detail, glass spec and hardware grade.
Available in two-pane (1 fixed + 1 sliding), three-pane (1 fixed + 2 sliding or 2 fixed + 1 sliding) and four-pane configurations. Premium systems run on stainless-steel ball-bearing rollers rated for 100,000+ cycles. Smart Slide and Aluk Patio are our go-to aluminium systems; Liniar and Rehau for UPVC.
Two outward or inward-opening leaves hinged from a centre mullion, locking together on a multi-point shoot bolt. Maximum practical opening 1.8m total (900mm per leaf). Available with side-light panels for wider openings.
Standard 30mm rebated for weather sealing, low-level 15mm aluminium for easier access, level-access flush threshold for Part M compliance - best paired with overhang or porch on exposed elevations.
UPVC for budget-conscious installs in white, anthracite or chartwell green. Aluminium for slim sightlines, large opening sizes, RAL colour choice and longer service life. Composite patio doors available but rarer - we'll discuss at survey if relevant.
Slider: wider openings (over 2m), floor-space-tight rooms, contemporary aesthetic. French: classic look, narrower openings (1.4–1.8m), traditional and period properties. Both are fully secure, fully thermally efficient when specified correctly.
If a question's missing, ring us - five minutes on the phone beats a brochure every time.
Free survey, no deposit on the day, no high-pressure sales script. We measure, advise honestly on the right specification and email a fixed price.
