It is important to replace windows and doors when your house is looking tired or even when you being to feel like you need more natural light in the home. In terms of adding value to your house, and giving your living space an extra dimension, patio doors are one of the best home improvements you can make.

Until now, many people have been put off by the poor design and limited options available on the market. Happily, the new generation of swing and slide doors are changing that.

Achieving seamless flow between interior and exterior space

Conventional bi-fold patio doors need a lot of space, either internally or externally, for opening. And once they are open, the resulting concertina of glass has to be accommodated. When you have a small patio, or a limited space in the room where you want to fit the doors, that’s a big drawback. The problem is even worse with conventional French windows, of the kind you find in older properties. Because they have to open or close through an arc, garden furniture has to be sited significantly far forward, to avoid being hit by the doors.

This makes it hard to get the seamless inside/outside flow that many people want. The whole idea with patio doors, is to make the inside room merge naturally with the outside space, and that’s difficult to achieve when the operation of the doors demands a great deal of dead floor space.

However, Swing and Slide doors, do not restrict space as they move along an axis and allow freedom of movements of different panels.

Go for sleek, modern looks

Another reservation that homeowners have often voiced, is that the old-fashioned sliding or swing opening patio doors, don’t look great. They’re often in white uPVC, whereas swing and slide doors are available in a range of great finishes, to complement either your internal decor, or your garden scheme.

In fact, these doors are so attractive, that many owners are now installing them internally as well, to bring flexibility to inside living spaces too, by acting as a movable partition between ground floor rooms.

Swing and slide – the best of both worlds

Swing and slide doors are the way to fully open up the space between the house and garden, so that you can really enjoy both. The doors don’t use up precious internal space when they’re being opened. What’s more you can open any of the doors individually, if you just want some air, or the dog wants to go out.

They add an attractive visual aspect to the property, because when they’re closed, you get a sleek, multi pane effect that looks like an architect-designed feature wall. The doors interlock as they close, so they provide much greater security than traditional patio doors which rely on a simple lock.

So, when you are thinking your home needs a fresh look and to improve your living space whilst also increasing value to your home, consider swing and slide doors. If you’ve been put off patio doors by the outdated designs, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.