uPVC back doors, fully glazed, made to measure

Where a front door opens inwards, this door opens outwards: the leaf swings over the patio rather than into the room, so it stays out of the way of the kitchen or living room behind it. The door itself is glass, more so than a front door, because the view of the garden is usually the point. If you are looking for a solid or half-glazed back door, note that this layout is a glazed door.

The standard size is 1,000 × 2,100 mm, the same as a single front door but with the opening direction reversed. If you want a wider opening onto the patio, French doors — two of these doors side by side — or a sliding patio door are the layouts made for that.

A back door combines two jobs that stay separate in a front door: it is both a way through and a window. That is why this one is all glass, unlike a front door, where security and privacy more often tip the balance towards more panel and less glass. Bear in mind that a door with a lot of glass is generally heavier than a solid one, and that calls for sturdy hardware.

Opening outwards has a practical drawback worth knowing in advance: the door takes up space on the patio itself, exactly where a table or chairs often stand. On a small patio that can be a nuisance. If you want to keep that space free, a sliding patio door or a bifold door is the layout that needs no swinging leaf.

For a back door, measure the threshold height on both sides as well as the opening: the difference between the inside and outside floor levels decides how the threshold is finished, and on a door to the patio that step is often bigger than at the front door. When planning the position, also allow for the outward swing, especially if there is already paving or a patio directly outside.

You choose colour and finish freely from the RAL or foil colour chart, often with a different colour inside and out. Maintenance on a back door is mainly about the lock and the hinges on the outside, which are more exposed to weather and sun than on a door set higher off the ground or under an overhang. A door that is all glass also needs the glass cleaning regularly — which makes sense on a door whose whole point is the view.

In a renovation, a back door often replaces an older door in the same place without the opening itself changing — the outward opening usually stays the same as before. In a new build, the position and opening direction are often fixed early, together with the layout of the patio behind, so the door doesn't hit a fixed garden feature when it opens.

For security, a back door deserves extra attention: it is often less visible from the street than a front door, which can make it a more attractive target for a burglar. A multi-point lock and laminated glass matter here at least as much as on the front door.

With glass throughout, a back door often weighs more than a solid front door of the same size. The configurator checks whether the hardware can take it for the glass you choose and the size you enter.

Still not sure? Use the comparison with the other layouts in this group, above, to see which arrangement suits your situation best.