Foot Operated Patio Door Lock
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Most new homes these days are built incorporating a deck or patio area in the rear yard with sliding patio doors opening onto it.
If your home is older and does not have patio doors, they can be easily installed. There may be a standard window in your lounge that would be suitable for conversion to patio doors. Ideally the width should be around 8 feet wide. If the existing window is not wide enough, than structural alternations will be necessary to widen the opening and install new lintels above. Although there is an element of some inconvenience this way but it will be well worth it. First of all you must check with the local planning office for any special permission that is required for the conversion. You will find that this approval is important especially if you want to sell the property in the future – so make sure all the necessary approvals are in place. It is often more difficult to obtain approval retrospectively.
Also before cutting out the opening you want to decide on your preferred door system. The choice of doors may have a bearing on how the opening will be created. You have some choices on the types of doors that are available from both functionality and material type.
Material wise these doors are offered in PVC, wood and aluminium. PVC framing tends to be quite large in section. The physical size is necessary to accommodate steel tubing that must be inserted in the central void of the framing as reinforcement for added strength to the PVC framing.
Framing made from wood these days does not comprise solid sections of timber. Instead the main framing is made up from several strips of wood glued together to form the required section. This process helps to keep the door framing stable and discourage warping and twisting due to the effects of moisture ingress form the environment.
Aluminium is probably by far the best material for these types of doors but you will find that they are the most expensive of all three. However you will benefit from the slim line framing with the maximum glass area for light in and views out.
When you have decided on the materials for the doors then it is necessary to decide on the type of sliding mechanism that would be best suited and again there are a few options and these are:
- Sliding
- Folding and sliding
Sliding doors run on tracks mounted in the floor with a guide rail above. The size of the structural opening will determine the number of doors. Two door panels running a twin track system is suited for smaller openings. With larger openings an additional track is provided to accommodate three or more door panels. These doors will slide left or right and park to the side when fully opened.
Folding and sliding doors are more suited for much larger openings. And consist of a number of doors placed in a line to form basically a wall of doors. The doors are connected to each other with metal hinges. To open the system, simply open the first door and start pushing. This action will start the doors sliding and at the same time each door will fold against the next. Eventually all the doors will be resting at the side to create the opening.
If the opening is quite small and structural alternations is out of the question then the next best option is French style doors and PVC French doors are probably the most cost effective.
