Frequently Asked Questions - Doors (Front, Patio, Bi-Fold)

What matters most to you will guide your choice. If you want a door that lasts a long time and keeps your home secure, high-quality composite doors are a top pick and can last over 30 years. If saving money is your main concern, uPVC doors are the most budget-friendly option.

The style of composite door you choose should suit your property's look and feel. The Carnoustie is the most popular option because it works well with almost any type of home. If you want something more modern, the Augusta style is a great choice. For anyone hoping to let more natural light into a small entrance, the Lytham style is also becoming a favourite.

It depends on your priorities. Composite doors excel in strength, premium aesthetics, insulation, security, and long-term durability, though they cost more and usually need professional installation. uPVC doors are lighter, more affordable, and easier to fit (often DIY-friendly), offering a clean, modern look—making them a strong choice for tighter budgets, secondary entrances, or straightforward projects.

Composite doors are highly resistant to weathering, warping, and fading, often lasting over 30 years with minimal upkeep, aside from occasional cleaning. uPVC doors usually last about 20–25 years and may require more frequent maintenance, as prolonged exposure to harsh weather can lead to discolouration and brittleness.

Composite doors have a higher upfront cost but can deliver strong long-term value through durability and energy savings, which also supports a lower carbon footprint. uPVC doors are cheaper to buy and install and are recyclable, but their production is less eco-friendly, and their lifetime costs can rise due to maintenance and early replacement. Choose based on whether immediate savings or long-term efficiency and sustainability matter more to you.

The price of a new front door depends on factors such as size, style, glass, door hardware, materials, and whether you buy it on its own or as part of a larger order. A fully fitted uPVC door, which is a budget-friendly option, usually starts at £835 ex VAT. Composite doors, which are the most popular choice for UK homes, start at £1,215 ex VAT.

Their wide glass panels add a modern, elegant aesthetic that suits many architectural styles and elevates kerb appeal. Buyers value the seamless indoor-outdoor connection and stylish functionality, making sliding doors a desirable feature that can differentiate your property and enhance market value.

The large glass panels let in plenty of daylight, even when they are closed, making rooms feel brighter and more inviting. Since the panels fold neatly to one or both sides, they take up less space than swing doors. This frees up floor area and makes smaller rooms feel more open.

When you open bi-fold doors fully, they connect your indoor and outdoor spaces, making it easy to entertain guests or just relax. A flush threshold keeps the floor level across both your indoor flooring and outdoor patio, which helps prevent trips and makes the two areas look like one. Many people also choose to add a traffic door, which is a single hinged panel in the set, so you can get to the garden quickly without folding back every panel.

The main benefits of modern aluminium bi-fold doors are:

• Maximise natural light and space: Slim frames and large glass panes let in more sunlight, and the panels fold up neatly to make rooms feel more open.
• Effortless indoor-outdoor flow: While sliding patio doors usually open only about 60-65%, bi-fold doors fold back completely, opening up to 90% of the opening for a clear, open connection between indoors and outdoors.
• Energy-efficient: Modern frames feature a “thermal break” that prevents heat loss, and you can choose double- or triple-glazing for even greater energy efficiency.
• Superior security: These doors are built to be secure, with hidden or protected tracks to prevent intruders from lifting them off their runners, plus strong multi-point locks.
• Durability: Thanks to aluminium’s strength, bi-fold doors won’t warp, rot, swell, or fade.
• Space-saving: Bi-fold doors can fold entirely to one or both sides, so they take up less space than swing doors and free up more usable floor area.
• Increase property value: These doors can boost resale value because buyers are often attracted to homes that feel bright and spacious, with the “wow factor” of a fully open glass wall.
• Modern and stylish look: Slim frames and large glass panels give a home a modern aesthetic, making them a must-have for modern families.
• Low-maintenance: Just wipe them with warm, soapy water, clear any debris from the tracks, and add a little lubricant now and then to keep them working smoothly for decades to come.

This depends on where the door will be located and how wide you want the opening to be when it is fully open. Sliding doors work well in small spaces because they move along a track and do not need extra room to swing or stack, so you can use more of your floor area. Bi-fold doors need space to fold and stack, which might not work in very tight layouts. Sliding patio doors usually open about 60 to 65 per cent of the way, while bi-fold doors can fold back completely and open up to 90 per cent of the space.

The answer is: incredibly secure, provided you know what to look for. The days of easily bypassed wooden doors are firmly behind us.

Modern uPVC doors are much stronger thanks to multi-chambered profiles and steel reinforcements. However, composite doors are usually even better at resisting force. They combine a solid timber core, uPVC, insulating foam, and a GRP outer layer to make a very strong barrier.

If you add a TS007 3-star anti-snap cylinder, a multi-point locking system, and reinforced frames to this strong base, it becomes much harder for anyone to break in.

Composite doors generally outperform uPVC doors in terms of energy efficiency. Their dense, solid cores provide superior insulation, helping reduce heat loss and energy bills. uPVC doors offer good thermal performance but may not match composites and may sometimes require additional measures for optimal results.

Yes, you can just buy the door slab, but we do not recommend it. The frame is designed to work with a new uPVC or Composite door, so using your old frame may cause problems. Your current frame would need to be in perfect condition, with no damage, and the new door slab would have to match exactly in size and hinge placement. Most professional installers only supply both the frame and door slab together. This way, your new door is covered by a warranty and meets security standards.