ᐅ Are "floor-to-ceiling windows" on the ground floor the same as "patio doors"?

Dear forum,

A comment in another thread made me realize that my husband and I might have made a mistake when ordering our prefab house. As laypeople, we thought that "floor-to-ceiling windows" were the same as "patio doors" that allow easy level access to the garden. Is that wrong? If so, do you know the advantages and disadvantages of "floor-to-ceiling windows" compared to "patio doors," and what the approximate additional cost might be if we switch to "patio doors" later on (for example, during the selection phase)?

There are two main differences. A window has no hardware on the outside, but a door does. The window has a tilt-and-turn function, whereas the door does not. Balcony doors also have a lower threshold at the bottom instead of a window frame.

When stepping over the windows, you encounter a more or less pronounced edge. The very low thresholds of the balcony doors are quite delicate (as our window installer told us, and now we see: he was right ). So, it’s not a problem to have a small threshold if it means having a reliable seal at all times.
If you equip the windows with a small handle on the outside and a catch mechanism that keeps them closed even in the tilt position against some wind or drafts, you have a pretty good solution.

Neither the chosen patio doors nor the windows are truly "floor-to-ceiling" windows.
There is always a frame around them. At the bottom, there is a (recessed) threshold.
Floor-to-ceiling glazing is something different.

Floor-to-ceiling windows could, in the worst case, also be fixed panes, which would make exiting through them quite difficult.

I just checked our house – we have floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground floor and basement, then access to the terrace through a double leaf door (sloped site house, see attached picture).
The threshold to the terrace is at the same height as the "threshold" of our floor-to-ceiling windows, and it doesn't bother us at all. You might want to ask your construction company directly if there are any fundamental differences.