French doors made to measure

They do different things. French doors clear the opening completely but swing into or out of the space, catch the wind and stop at roughly 1,200 to 2,000 mm. A sliding patio door goes up to 6,500 mm and takes up no space, but always leaves one leaf standing. With a narrow opening to the garden, most people choose French doors; if you want an opening the width of the wall, you end up with a sliding patio door.

Yes. Inwards or outwards is not chosen in the configurator — put it in the notes with your quote request. Opening outwards saves space inside and is awkward with a small patio. Think about where the leaf ends up when it is open, and about what stands there.

Yes. French doors come with locking hardware as standard; you don't order it separately, it is part of the door. As with a front door, burglar resistance depends on the complete unit — frame, leaf, hardware and the way it is fixed. We supply, we don't install, so we make no statement about the class your French doors achieve once fitted. What you do choose is the cylinder: besides the standard one there is a class C security cylinder at step 6, and on request all cylinders in your order run on the same key. And watch the fixed leaf — it is held top and bottom by shoot bolts. There is no lock in it, and yet it is half the locking; it is the part people overlook when they look at the lock.

The tallest door leaf is 2,500 mm and the narrowest 600 mm. That is a manufacturing limit: with a taller or wider leaf the weight gets too much for the hinge point. If you want taller, you end up with a sliding patio door — that goes up to 2,700 or 3,000 mm.

Aluminium when the look and the load-bearing count: a door in the Reynaers CS 77 shows 150 mm of outer frame and leaf together, and with two leaves you see every millimetre twice; for uPVC doors we don't yet have a measured door sightline to set against it. A heavy leaf with triple glazing that opens and closes every day also hangs better on a profile that carries more. uPVC when the leaves stay within the usual sizes: Uf 1.10 is ample for two hinged leaves.

That depends on the size, the material, the glass and the colour — which is why there is no fixed figure here. The two figures above are guide prices per material, measured against our own quote archive and not a price list; under each figure is the number of quotes it rests on. The configurator shows no price: you put it together and request the offer. Prices in GBP, excl. UK VAT and import duties, which are payable on delivery. Delivery to the UK is quoted with your offer.

We don't know, and that is why we don't say so. KOMO is a Dutch quality mark; it attaches to the manufacturer and its production line — for uPVC window and door units via BRL 0703 — and not to us as the seller. We buy from five manufacturers and hold a certificate number from none of them. If you need it for a specification or an insurer, ask us before you order.

No. You order on the **outside size of the frame**, exactly the size you enter in the configurator. The size you have in mind is often the structural opening — a different size. We guarantee ±2 mm up to a metre and ±3 mm above that and measure every unit before dispatch; the measurement sheet goes with the order confirmation. A measuring error in the size you gave is not covered — for that there is a second chance at cost price.

Yes, as a replacement door. In England, Approved Document L asks of a door with more than 60% glass a **U-value of 1.4 W/m²K or Door Set Energy Rating band C**; for other doors 1.4 W/m²K or band D. The new door may not be worse than the one it replaces. That is the U-value of the whole door, frame and glass together — not the Uf on our profile cards, which is the frame alone. The U-value of the whole door is in your offer. Replacing windows is notifiable work in England and Wales, and whether your door replacement falls under the same rule is a question for your installer or building control: work like this is either notified by an installer registered with a competent person scheme (such as FENSA or Certass), or by you to building control beforehand. We supply, we don't install, so this sits with whoever fits the doors. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules; check them locally.

From 1,200 mm, because the narrowest door leaf is 600 mm. The height goes up to 2,200 mm. If you need wider than two doors carry, you end up at sliding patio doors.

No more than any other door, if the hardware and the fixing into the wall are right. The security rating applies to the whole unit including its fixing; say in advance which rating you need, and tell your installer too.