Composite front doors with side panels
A front door with side panels puts the door and a narrow glazed section next to it in one frame. More daylight in the hall and a wider entrance, without making the door itself heavier.
uPVC doors with side panels
The side panel is fixed glass, not a second door. Door and side panel are ordered as one unit with several sections in one uPVC frame, not as two frames joined on site.
Composite front doors with glass side panels
Because a side panel carries only glass and no hardware, it can be very narrow: down to 180 mm. At the standard size of the layout it is 450 mm beside a 1,000 mm door, 1,450 × 2,100 mm overall. Choose double or triple glazing, laminated if you wish.
Side panels left, right or both
Choose the side by the path to the door or the room in the wall. Two side panels give a symmetrical entrance and the most light; each layout has its own page.
Aluminium front doors with side panels
The same layout comes in aluminium, with a slimmer frame around the glass. The door panel stays quartz composite by Dindecor, in uPVC and aluminium alike.
Contemporary composite front doors with side panels
For a modern look, keep the side panels plain: clear or with the glass in one sheet, next to a flat panel in a dark colour. Two equal side panels make the entrance read as one wide, calm element.
Composite front doors with side panels: price
A side panel adds frame and glass but no hinges or lock. The difference from a single door shows in your offer as soon as you choose the layout. Prices in GBP, excl. UK VAT and import duties, which are payable on delivery.
A side section doesn't have to be glass. If you want no glass beside the door at all, it can be a solid panel instead: it doesn't open and lets no light through, but it fills the opening in the same colour as the frame. That way a door opening that is too wide still fits, without the door itself having to be wider.
How to put door and side panel together
In the configurator you first choose a layout with a door and one or two fixed sections beside it. Then you enter the outside size of the whole frame. You drag the mullion between door and side panel in the elevation, or set it to an exact size with the slider. The size of each section is worked out as you go.
Mind the limits: the door section must be at least 600 mm wide, the side panel at least 180 mm, and the door goes up to 2,500 mm high. If you need more height, a fanlight goes above the door and side panel. The configurator tells you when a size can't be made, and why.
Why door and side panel share one frame
A door and a side panel set into the wall separately have two frames with a joint between them. Ours come as one unit: one outer frame, with a mullion between the sections. That gives one straight line in the front of the house, one colour across the full width, and one unit to set into the opening and adjust.
Side panel and fanlight together
Older houses often already have a strip of glass above the front door. A fanlight in the same frame keeps that look: a fixed section above door and side panel, at a height you specify. It brings light in high up in the hall, where a door panel usually doesn't.
Which glass in the side panel?
A side panel next to the door handle is a place where a burglar might try to break the glass to reach the lock. Choose laminated glass there: after a blow it stays held by the interlayer. For insulation you choose double or triple glazing, just as in your windows; in a narrow side panel the difference in heat loss is small, in a wide one it is larger.
If the door panel has glass too, choose the same kind in the side panel, clear or obscure. Two different kinds side by side stand out from the street.
Colour, handle and threshold across the full width
The frame has one colour outside and one inside, across door and side panel together. The door leaf can have a colour of its own, a dark door in a light frame for example. Under the door you choose a threshold 55 or 35 mm high, in black or grey.
Deciding which way the door opens
Look at the opening from inside. The door's hinges go on the side you choose, and the door opens towards you. With one side panel it is usually most practical to have the hinges on the wall side, away from the side panel: the open door then rests against the wall and not in front of the glass. Do look at your hall, though: where are the coat hooks, where is the light switch?
Frequently asked questions
Side panel on the left or the right?
On the side where the wall or the path leaves the most room, or where the hall needs the light. If both sides work, two side panels give the most light.
How narrow can a side panel be?
180 mm. A side panel only carries glass, so it can be narrower than any other section of the unit.
Can the side panel open?
No, a side panel is a fixed section. If you want something beside the door that opens, that is a second door, and you end up with a double door rather than a side panel.
Can I have one side panel with glass and one with a solid panel?
Yes. You choose each section beside the door separately: fixed glass or a solid panel. So you can have a panel on the staircase side and glass on the other.
Can I add a side panel next to my door later?
The side panel is part of the door frame. Adding one afterwards means a new frame for both. So if you are in doubt, choose it straight away.
Will a door with a side panel fit my existing opening?
Measure the opening at three heights and three widths and take the smallest figure. Enter that as the outside size of the whole frame; you divide it between door and side panel after that.
Can the side panel be a different colour from the door?
The side panel sits in the same frame, so it has the colour of the frame. The door leaf can have a colour of its own; that gives you a dark door between light frames.
What glass comes as standard in a side panel?
HR++ double glazing. In the glass step you can choose triple, obscure or laminated glass instead.
Know what you want? Put it together.
No form first: you watch your window take shape as you choose. The price follows in the quote, within three working days.
Configure your window or door
Where we have a guide price, it is on the page, not behind a form — not a quote and not a final price; the amount for your sizes is in the made-to-measure quote.
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