Replace sliding patio door

[ripvanwinkle]

Thinking about replacing my old sliding glass patio door with a glass door that opens like a regular door. Door one side, glass the other. Or a french door. Has anybody done this to their home?

[dannylion]

Do you have the floor space to accommodate the door as it is opened and closed?  French doors and other similar features are certainly more attractive than sliding glass doors, but the sliding doors do have the advantage of not needing to have any indoor space left empty to accommodate them.  Space to accommodate the door can even be an issue if they open outward.  Otherwise, they do look nicer than sliding doors.  

[ripvanwinkle]

I have space either way. But they are a lot more costly than a slider. Hmmm...what to do?

[mroped]

We put on our house a slider from the LR and a French from the kitchen both going to a deck.
The slider and the French had very much similar prices.
We've got Marvin, French with Ultrex outside and wood on inside and I think was about $3200.00 while the slider with Ultrex-Ultrex was about $2900-3000. Both are full glass.
I like the French door more.

[Tiny]

Consider how you use your patio doors. dannylion pointed out the space considerations. Then there's the 'air flow' - as you can usually have a screened slider door (I've never seen a french door with a screen). You can also add a pet door to a slider door.

I tend to think of french doors as decorative while sliders as functional (hence the "consider how you use the doorway").

[tcu2003]

We want to do this, so I’m following to see how it works for you. We hate our slider from our dining area to our back patio, and want to replace with French doors at some point.

[bean29]

Atsirau, does the pet door go in the screen part? I would consider this for my fur babies.

[TheOtherMe]

Where does a pet door go on a slider?  

My attempt at an insert way back when was not successful.  Burglar took the insert out and came in.  

[tractor]

You can get screens on a French door, I have one. I like French doors better because when you need to, you can open both up a really have a big opening to get stuff in/out, your typically limited to 1/2 of a slider.

Both come in standard sizes, so you can put either type in the same opening. Since you already have the opening, it’s a pretty easy project to pull one out and put a new one in. As far as cost, the sky’s the limit, it just depends on how nice a door you want, or if it needs to be storm/hurricane proof.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

It seems to me that I have read that sliding doors are more secure than french doors. You also want to consider, regardless of which type of door you choose, the longevity of the door material and it's efficiency. I just found an article (it does appear to be a business website) that does have some good information to consider.


mycoastalwindows.com/french-doors-vs-sliding-glass-doors/

[kadee79]

Also need to consider if there will be air leaks...heat/cold air...in/out.  French doors don't normally close as tight or get loose with use and can cause drafts. 

[Tiny]

Apr 22, 2019 21:56:18 GMT -5 bean29 said:

Atsirau, does the pet door go in the screen part? I would consider this for my fur babies.

I don't have one... but a sibling has one - it's for their small dog.  It's part of the glass door part.  When you slide the door - the section with the doggy door also moves.   It lets out onto their screened in deck (which has a door with another doggy door).    

A friend also has a "small doggy door" for their cats in their slider door.  I'm pretty sure it's part of the slider panel, too.   So part glass and part panel with pet door.  

I'm not sure how much these things cost or how secure against thieves they are.   

Here's a website with examples: 

www.petdoors.com/pet-doors/sliding-glass-dog-door.html

[bean29]

There is one that is a “microchip” door. Both my dogs were microchipped for $25 extra when they were fixed. If we replace our slider, I might get a dog door.

[dannylion]

My former neighbors had a dog door.  Then they forgot to latch it one night before going to bed.  When they came downstairs the next morning they found one of their kitchen cabinets open and the neighborhood trash panda noshing on pop tarts.  

[thyme4change]

pin.it/bd6cq2ekywdsuj

These will cost you all the money, but they are so awesome.

[Ryan]

French Doors look nicer, but sliders are more functional (mainly because you can have a screen door.  Only pain with a slider is when they don't slide that well, although maybe that's an issue with older doors.  

My wife wanted to take out our Marvin french door (there when we bought it) and replace it with a slider at one point.  

[swamp]

Apr 16, 2019 23:05:51 GMT -5 ripvanwinkle said:

Thinking about replacing my old sliding glass patio door with a glass door that opens like a regular door. Door one side, glass the other. Or a french door. Has anybody done this to their home?

that's what I have.  I wouldn't have it any other way.    

It's got a screen slider for when we want the door open.  

[thyme4change]

My mom replaced the sliders in her house with French Doors. The open in, and only open to a little more than 90 degrees from the wall. So, they suck. But, if you make sure you get the hinges that allow you to open them so they are flat to the wall, and don't put anything in the way, that wouldn't be a problem.

We purposely went with a slider because we couldn't figure out how to get them wide open in our space. We got the top of the line and it was worth every penny.

[ripvanwinkle]

After much ado and thought, I've decided on the slider.