Multiple sliding doors and sliding glass doors: advantages and disadvantages
It seems like you can hardly build a 5000+ square foot house anymore without including a multiple sliding door. What was once a luxury is now almost a requirement.
With this being the case, it seems that more and more consumers want to upgrade their existing homes with these products. There’s no denying their popularity, which is why I think the best way to discuss these doors is in terms of pros and cons. Then you, the homeowner, can decide if the decision is right for you or not.
Cons
1. Poor energy efficiency: Multi-sliding doors usually have such large openings that they need to be made of aluminum in order to make such large openings. As you probably know, aluminum is not very energy efficient. Also, having such large sections of glass in your home will also require more energy to heat and cool than if there was just wall space there. Fortunately, however, glass is becoming more energy efficient, and there are several low-E glasses available that work surprisingly well.
2. Difficult to install – This is one of the projects that I would strongly recommend you hire a licensed contractor to install. Most manufacturers only sell the product as an installed unit due to the difficulty of installing them; require all installers to be factory trained employees. Even manufacturers that do not install usually require vendors to be licensed by glaciers.
3. Difficult for Remodeling Situations: Most multi-sliding doors are designed with pockets and a large opening, sometimes it can be difficult to rearrange your existing frame to accommodate what you may be looking for. Typically, the home should be designed with the multi-sliding door in mind to fit your exact design desires. Usually, though, if you’re flexible with the layout and configuration, there’s usually a way to make it work.
4. May Require a General Contractor – Most of the time when installing a multi-slide door, changes to the frame may be required. Depending on where you live, if the change is to a load-bearing wall, you must obtain a permit and have an engineer approve the change. This will generally require a GC to handle the details for you. A licensed window or door company can perform a simple French window or door installation.
5. Cost – These doors can be quite expensive. Most of the time, when I give a quote for these doors to a client/owner of a home that is remodeling, the price is usually prohibitive. They see a French door or sliding glass door at a home goods store for $800 and figure these doors are three times as big, so they should be three times as big, right? Wrong, you will see that standard size doors are made with standard size tempered glass. Multiple sliding doors are custom sized and the price increases exponentially when you opt for custom sizes.
advantage
1. Dramatic Effect – No other home improvement will have such a dramatic effect on the design, look and feel of your home. Removing what used to be a wall and replacing it with what amounts to a moving glass wall can really improve the lighting, look, feel, and design of your home.
2. Interior/Exterior: These doors are the best way to create a space where the lines between interior and exterior are not so clear. Some people like to have barbecues and invite a lot of people, but they don’t have the space inside their house to entertain as much as they would like. Well, by choosing the right windowsill and continuing your floor from the inside out, the lines between inside and outside disappear. The glass disappears into the wall and voila, you’ve doubled your living space without adding any space.
3. Automation: If you are going to spend to install these types of doors, you could also automate them. You can set them up with a motion sensor so when you go upstairs; they automatically open for you or your guests when you are entertaining. This feature is easily disabled when the need is no longer needed.
4. Resale Value – Nothing will grab the attention of a prospective buyer like a large opening in the back wall of your home. Your competing neighbor may have nicer landscaping or a larger pool, but if you can’t see it from inside the house, the same value isn’t perceived.
So there you have the pros and cons of pocket/multi-sliding doors. The fact is that these are a luxury item and they are going to be expensive, but like most things that are expensive, they are worth it.