Aluminium is the only common frame material strong enough to carry very large glass panes on a slim sightline. That is why almost every wide-opening door — bi-fold, slider, or lift-and-slide — is aluminium rather than uPVC or timber.
A bi-fold stacks its panels to one or both sides and opens the wall almost completely — typically 90% of the aperture. The cost is sightline: you see a frame every 700–1,000mm even when the doors are shut.
A slider does the opposite. Two or three very large panes, minimal frame, an uninterrupted view when closed — but you can only ever open half or two-thirds of the aperture. If the doors will spend most of their life shut and you are buying the view, a slider wins. If you will genuinely throw them open, take the bi-fold.
A standard rebated threshold is the most weather-resistant, but it creates a step. A low or flush threshold gives level access — required on new dwellings under Part M and often wanted for wheelchairs, prams and ageing in place — at the cost of some weather performance.
On exposed and coastal sites we normally recommend a rebated threshold plus a drainage channel outside the door, rather than a flush threshold, because a flush detail on a wind-driven-rain elevation will eventually let water past.
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Bi-fold door, 3 panes, approx. 3m supplied & fitted | £3,800 – £6,000 |
| Bi-fold door, 4 panes, approx. 4m supplied & fitted | £5,000 – £7,500 |
| Sliding patio door, 2 panes, approx. 3m supplied & fitted | £3,000 – £4,500 |
| French doors, approx. 1.5m supplied & fitted | £1,900 – £2,900 |
| Aluminium front door supplied & fitted | £1,600 – £2,800 |
Ranges include VAT and installation. Final price depends on size, spec, access and site condition — a survey gives you a fixed number.
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Per metre of opening, a sliding door is usually cheaper than a bi-fold of the same width, because it has fewer panels, fewer hinges and less hardware. A 3m bi-fold and a 3m slider are close; at 5m the slider generally pulls ahead on price.
Yes — specify a traffic door (also called an access door or master door). One leaf is hinged conventionally so you can walk in and out without folding the whole set back.
A thermally broken system with good brush and gasket seals should not. Draughts on bi-folds are nearly always an installation or adjustment problem, not a product problem — the doors need to be set level and the gaskets need to compress evenly.
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Free survey, fixed price, no pressure. Or call us and we'll give you a realistic ballpark in five minutes.
