A Complete Guide To Bifold Doors

Installing bifold doors can significantly enhance your property. Their minimal sightlines and contemporary aesthetics make aluminium bifold doors a stylish and strikingly modern feature. Despite their large size, they’re also comparatively easy to install.

If you’re looking for new or replacement bifold doors for your home, you may be tempted to try fitting them yourself. Here at Alufold, we would recommend against this. Bifold doors aren’t too difficult to fit, but unless you’re an experienced DIY expert, it’s best to hire a professional. It’ll make the installation far less stressful. You’ll save money on the installation fees if you do it yourself, but you’re also more likely to cause accidental damage and take longer than hoped. Most qualified tradespeople can fit the doors within the space of a day, sometimes even a few hours, if the project is not too complex.

That said, if you’re still determined to have a go or are just curious about the process, we have put together a step-by-step guide to installing bifold doors. Bear in mind though, that there are differences in installing internal and external bifold doors.

With internal bifold doors, you have to consider the available space. When folded, the panels take up a reasonable amount of room, and this area will need to be kept clear of any other household items. It’s only too easy to let discarded shoes, toys and other items pile up, then find you can’t open your doors fully without removing them.

External bifold doors have different requirements than internal ones. They’re exposed to the elements and need to be weatherproof, or you’ll find puddles forming in your house whenever the rain comes down. Security is a factor too; your bifold doors have to resist potential intruders from forcing their way in or picking the locks. For this reason, they tend to be fitted with more sophisticated locking mechanisms than internal ones.

If you’ve got an extensive area that you want to open up, you could also consider bifold corner doors. This variant is when two sets of bifold doors meet at an angle and are held together by a corner post. It’s one of the largest door installations you can get and makes you feel remarkably close to nature.

Bifold corner doors are ideal for larger houses with grand patios and gardens to open out onto. If you’re hosting a party during the warmer months, they provide extra space for your guests and make a striking, sophisticated statement. They aren’t appropriate for all houses (some won’t be able to support the weight without a fixed post or brick pillar), but if you can get bifold corner doors, they’ll leave a lasting impression.

You can read more on this subject in Corner Bifold Doors - Design Inspiration.

Bifold doors are also highly customisable. Here at Alufold Direct, we have years of experience designing and creating bespoke doors, so your finished product will be to your exact standards. For example, we can add aesthetic upgrades such as inset Georgian bars, integrated blinds or textured glass. You can have your colour of choice too; we maintain a stock of three colours (Anthracite grey, black and white), but you’re not limited to them. You can select anything from the RAL or British Standard Colour Chart and get a door unique to your tastes.

That aside, there’s also the configuration to consider. Bifold doors can include up to seven panels (space permitting). You can choose which direction they open and scale them to size. For more information on this, check out our guide to made-to-measure bifold doors.

Bifold doors are renowned for their security features. Aluminium is one of the more lightweight metals, but it’s also reliably solid and durable. When fitted with double glazing, bifold doors are inherently tough and will resist forced entry. The locks aren’t a weak point either. Our doors come equipped with multi-point locking systems, so you can sleep soundly, knowing that your home is secure.

If you'd like to know more, check out our page on Bifold Door Security.

The cost of bifold doors varies from house to house. The chosen design, location of the property, and installation fees will all affect the final price. According to Checkatrade, you can expect the average price to fall somewhere in the region of £2150 to £2650, depending on the size of the doorway.

For a more personalised estimate, we recommend an online quote, or you can contact us for additional information. We can be reached on 01706 260700, or by emailing us at info@alufolddirect.co.uk.

You can read more about the money-saving benefits of bifold doors in this article.

Our state-of-the-art facilities not only allow us to help you in every stage of the process from design to installation, but also gives us the opportunity to hold large amounts of stock. This guarantees fast delivery of our aluminium windows, so that you can impress your customers and get the job done quickly.

Here at AluFold Direct, our turnarounds are some of the fastest in the industry, meaning your bifold doors can be delivered to suit your project’s schedule, helping you stick to deadlines, saving time and money for everyone involved. Check the latest lead times here.

We deliver nationwide, all across the UK from Inverness to the Channel Islands, direct-to-site in an unmarked van for an uninterrupted installation process. Alternatively, if you’re near to our Blackburn base, you can collect your aluminium windows or doors direct from our factory.