Hello everyone,
We are building a house, and the floor plan includes only floor-to-ceiling windows, basically just patio doors. This applies to all rooms, both on the ground floor, the upper floor, and also in the living room.
They are made of uPVC, triple-glazed, and specified in the structural drawings with dimensions of 112.5 cm width by 252 cm height (44.3 inches by 99.2 inches). When you account for the floor build-up, the doors are still 112.5 cm by 251 cm (44.3 inches by 98.8 inches).
So these are really large doors that will be used constantly. Standing open for long periods, left in a tilted position, and so on...
Here are our concerns:
Such large doors must be quite heavy. Will they withstand continuous, heavy use over several decades? Or would it be better to go back to 100 cm width (39.4 inches)?
Has anyone here had experience with this type of door and long-term usage?
Manufacturers even offer widths up to 120 cm (47.2 inches), but their quality claims are often too optimistic, aren’t they?
We would really appreciate your help and experiences.
Thank you,
Christian
We are building a house, and the floor plan includes only floor-to-ceiling windows, basically just patio doors. This applies to all rooms, both on the ground floor, the upper floor, and also in the living room.
They are made of uPVC, triple-glazed, and specified in the structural drawings with dimensions of 112.5 cm width by 252 cm height (44.3 inches by 99.2 inches). When you account for the floor build-up, the doors are still 112.5 cm by 251 cm (44.3 inches by 98.8 inches).
So these are really large doors that will be used constantly. Standing open for long periods, left in a tilted position, and so on...
Here are our concerns:
Such large doors must be quite heavy. Will they withstand continuous, heavy use over several decades? Or would it be better to go back to 100 cm width (39.4 inches)?
Has anyone here had experience with this type of door and long-term usage?
Manufacturers even offer widths up to 120 cm (47.2 inches), but their quality claims are often too optimistic, aren’t they?
We would really appreciate your help and experiences.
Thank you,
Christian
C
Christian NW31 Oct 2017 22:53Thank you for your response, 11ant.
Our concern arose because we first heard from friends and then read online about issues related to the weight of very wide, single-leaf patio doors with triple glazing.
Do you have personal experience with such doors and are sharing from that, or do you have professional expertise?
Our concern arose because we first heard from friends and then read online about issues related to the weight of very wide, single-leaf patio doors with triple glazing.
Do you have personal experience with such doors and are sharing from that, or do you have professional expertise?
Christian NW schrieb:
Our concern arose because we [...] have read about issues related to the weight of very wide, single-leaf patio doors with triple glazing. I would be interested to know where these issues are described. Single-leaf patio doors are not usually available in "very wide" sizes: 120cm (47 inches) or more are uncommon due to handling reasons; in such cases, multi-leaf doors are preferred. A triple glazing becomes heavy (not so much for the door itself, but more for the operator) when you want sliding doors of four meters (13 feet). In my view, the size you are planning is the best choice – although I question the decision to install perimeter hardware on all windows and doors in the house. Is the designer trying to be modern with that?
Christian NW schrieb:
Do you have such doors yourself and report from experience, or are you a professional? I had the privilege to run a window manufacturing company. It surprises me even more to read that someone has concerns about this type of patio door size.
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C
Christian NW1 Nov 2017 00:1411ant schrieb:
I would be interested to know where these problems are described.We searched on Google afterwards. However, some of the comments were quite old. That’s why I came here to ask my question.
11ant schrieb:
From my perspective, the dimension you have planned is the best choice – but I have some doubts about the all-around selection of window doors. Is the planner trying to be modern with that?My original post was a bit misleading. So far, all windows on the ground floor and upper floor facing the garden have been made as window doors with a width of 112.5 cm (44 inches). Since the house cannot be overlooked from the side, the idea is to bring the view of the greenery inside.
11ant schrieb:
Triple glazing becomes heavy (not for the door itself, but more for the operator) if you want sliding doors that are four meters wide.That’s exactly what we were considering today. We want to install a 350 cm (138 inch) wide sliding door in the middle of the living room, and next to it on both sides, with a distance of 70 cm (28 inches), a 112.5 cm (44 inch) wide patio door. Then there will be 80 cm (31 inch) on each side to the walls limiting the room.
This sliding door should still be easy to operate – right?
(It is always only half that slides.)
Sorry for these beginner questions. I have very little knowledge and am trying to educate myself.
Given that you are a professional:
How do you see the issue of thermal breaks with triple glazing in our example?
Our living room faces south-southeast. Roller shutters and patio umbrellas are also planned. Therefore, there might be partial shading of the windows in summer, for example from partially lowered roller shutters or the umbrellas.
We have a rough opening size of 120 cm (47 inches) for a patio door; I would need to measure exactly how many sashes it ended up having. The window manufacturer said that the weight wouldn’t be an issue. However, we will probably need to adjust the hinges more often than on the narrower units…
By the way, the door opens in such a way that it doesn’t really get in my way when open. Otherwise, the space required in the room would have been a significant reason against a single sash for me.
By the way, the door opens in such a way that it doesn’t really get in my way when open. Otherwise, the space required in the room would have been a significant reason against a single sash for me.
Christian NW schrieb:
This sliding door should still be easy to operate – right?
(Only half of it can be slid open anyway.) Both halves can be sliding, but with a two-panel sliding door, one panel will always cover the other completely, so only half the total width is available as a clear opening.
“Easy to operate” is relative: the bodybuilder agrees with you without hesitation, but his partner, wearing size 34, does not.
Christian NW schrieb:
Given that you are a professional:
How do you assess the issue of thermal breaks with triple glazing in our example? Christian NW schrieb:
We want to install a 350 cm (138 inches) wide sliding door centered in the living room, with a 112.5 cm (44 inches) wide patio door 70 cm (28 inches) to the left and right of it. Then there is a distance of 80 cm (31 inches) each to the walls that define the room. Given your expertise,
a) I wonder what you mean exactly by “thermal breaks” in this context, and
b) I shake my gray head at the bold plan to build such an *ahem* unusual combination of door elements.
I again suggest you present your entire house here: you know it, but we can hardly make sense of your description and are groping in the dark.
(In line with the forum’s structure, please create a new thread for this and then link to it here).
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