In most cases, you do NOT need planning permission to have bifold doors installed in your home. However, there are some exceptions to this. If your home is listed - or if you live within a conservation area - you may need to obtain permission from your local authority. Where planning permission is required, there may be restrictions placed on the size and colour of bifolds you can have, although this is rare.
Even if you think you do not need planning permission, it’s always wise to double check with your local planning authority. You can do this with the online Planning Portal, or get in contact with your local council directly.
Our bi-fold doors supplier of choice is Origin, who have rigorous quality control processes at all stages of design and manufacture. Additionally, all bifold doors are bespoke and made to order, which ensures the perfect fit. For these reasons, Origin is able to offer a 20-year warranty on all bifold doors. This covers all aspects of the door apart from the glass; which includes the frames, hinges, handles, runners, seals and any/all moving parts.
This fantastic guarantee is product-based, rather than being attached to the owner. This means that, should you wish to sell your home before the 20 year guarantee period is up, the warranty would pass to the new owners. This is a fantastic selling point for your home, and may well add value to your property as a whole.
The warranty is tracked via a little strip on the side of every Origin Bifold door. This I.D strip includes a unique serial and product number which can be quoted directly to Origin in the unlikely event of an issue.
Generally speaking, one of the more basic bifold door configurations, including 3 door leaves and a standard finish would cost approximately £2,500, so this can be used as a starting point. However, there are a large number of variables which affect the price. It’s therefore difficult to give a definitive answer without first performing a survey and consultation.
Depending on what you want from your bifold doors, the costs can be much more than £2,500. The costs are dependent on the number of door leaves, the colour, the type of threshold chosen and the addition of any optional extras. As our bifold doors are completely bespoke, no two quotes are the same.
Our bi-fold doors are extremely secure and have been designed to exceed the most recent security standards. Potential intruders are very likely to find that they are thwarted at the first hurdle due to the excellent security features included with all doors.
The aluminium frames are extremely strong, and the glass panes are built to withstand impact. Each door has a specially-designed 8-point locking system, which includes chamfered 20mm linear bolts for additional strength. The lock itself protects against snapping, picking, drilling and bumping, which means that it can withstand even the most experienced and determined criminals.
As well as protecting your home, our bifold doors are also very safe to use. They’re designed to be easy to open and close so that children and those less mobile can operate them with ease. What’s more, they have been designed with everyone’s safety in mind. Thankfully, this means it’s impossible to trap your fingers between the door leaves or sustain injury from the moving parts.
We’re proud to say that our bifold doors are at the top of their game when it comes to thermal efficiency within the industry. In fact, the weather-proof seals, high-quality materials and exquisite craftsmanship mean they’ve been given a U-Value of 1.32. This measurement shows that, as a whole, our bifolds are more thermally efficient than both solid and cavity walls, meaning you won’t be compromising on your energy bills. In fact, you may find that the cost of heating your home reduces after your bifold doors are installed.
Bifold doors are often found at the rear of the home, opening out onto a garden, decking or patio area. They consist of a number of door ‘leaves’, which can be pushed to one side in a concertina motion. This creates uninterrupted views and provides a seamless transition between outside and inside the home.
The frames are slim and the glazing is extensive, allowing plenty of light and beauty into your home. You can also opt for a completely flush threshold, meaning you won’t have to step over anything in order to get in and out. This can really give your home the ‘wow factor’, and it’s also fantastic for accessibility.
The great thing about our Origin bifold doors is that you can opt for almost any colour you like for your new door frames, with 150 RAL colours to choose from, including wood-effect finishes. What’s more, we can also offer a dual colour option, which means that the frames are a different colour when viewed from the interior and exterior of your home. This way, you can best match them to your property style.
Our bifold doors frames are made from premium grade aluminium, which is extremely strong and resilient. Using aluminium over steel ensures our bifold doors are light, robust and require little to no maintenance. The powder-coated finish is weather-resistant and will not need to be repainted.
The glazing can be double- or triple-glazed and is of the highest quality. This ensures safety, security and thermal efficiency for the lifetime of the door, and allows you to enjoy uninterrupted views.
There are no standard sizes when it comes to bifold doors – in fact, should you decide to have bi-fold doors installed, they’ll be completely bespoke and made to fit your particular requirements.
As a guide, you can have between 3 and 8 door leaves within your bifold door set, each of which can be anything from 400mm to 1200mm wide. Basically speaking, your bifold doors will be made to fit the gap you have, and your consultation surveyor should be able to give you further advice based on the layout of your property and what you are hoping to achieve. Corner bifold options are available.