Can An Orangery Have Bi-Fold Doors?

Can An Orangery Have Bi-Fold Doors?

If you are planning to add a new orangery to your home, then you might be wondering can an orangery have bi-folds? Bi-fold doors have become very popular over recent years and are a popular addition to many modern orangeries. So, in short, the answer is yes – orangeries can have bi-fold doors.

Orangeries with bi-fold doors have become very popular for several reasons:

1. The wide expanse of glazing in bi-fold doors brings a huge amount of additional light into your orangery when compared with brick walls and windows. Natural light is on the wish-list for most of us when improving or extending our homes. By bringing in huge amounts of natural light with bi-fold doors, your new orangery living space will feel light, bright and airy.

2. A set of bi-folds in an orangery can be completely opened up. This creates a large opening in the side of your extension which is much larger than what is possible with French or sliding doors. This allows your outdoor space and orangery to merge into one large space. A great tip for further enhancing this feeling of space is to ensure that there is no threshold to step over. This will mean that the space between your orangery and outdoors/patio will merge seamlessly into one large space. 

Options for bi-fold doors in orangeries

Once you have decided on an orangery with bi-fold doors, you then need to choose what your bi-fold doors will be like. There are various options to consider when choosing bi-fold doors for orangeries. These options are:

1. The first thing to decide on is the number of doors or sashes. This will be largely dictated by the width you have allowed for the bi-fold doors in your orangery. However, the larger your bi-fold doors are going to be, you may be able to increase the number of doors if you wish. Remember that by choosing a large number of smaller doors for your bi-folds, this will mean that there is more frame and less glass. Most people prefer to have a smaller number of larger doors for their bi-folds.

2. Once you have chosen how many doors there will be, the next thing to decide on is how your bi-folds will open. Adding bi-fold doors into an orangery is mainly about bringing in light and creating a large open space when the doors are open. However, it’s important to remember that you may not want to have to open all of the panels of the bi-fold doors if you just want to pop outside to put your rubbish out for example. It is often a good idea to have one door which is known as a slave door, that can be opened without having to open all the others. The chart below shows the different opening options for bi-fold doors in orangeries.

3. Material. The two main material choices for your bi-fold doors are UPVC or aluminium. UPVC bi-fold doors are slightly better from an energy efficiency point of view and may help to keep your orangery warmer in the winter. The frames on aluminium orangery bi-fold doors are slimmer and so give a more streamlined look. For many homeowners, the choice of material for their orangery bi-folds is dictated by the glazing in their orangery roof. Orangeries often feature lantern roofs. The Ultrasky Lantern from Ultraframe is available in either UPVC or aluminium. This means that you may wish to choose the same material for your bi-fold doors and rooflights/lanterns.

4. Colour for bi-fold doors in orangeries. The final option to choose when adding bi-fold doors to an orangery is the colour. You may wish to choose a colour that will complement the windows in your orangery and the rest of your home or that contrasts. For example, some homeowners have white windows but choose anthracite grey for the bi-fold doors in their orangery so that they become more of a feature. It is possible to have different colours on both sides for your bi-fold doors too. So, you might choose black for the outside of the frames and white for the inside.

Benefits of bi-fold doors in orangeries

Most people choose to add bi-fold doors to their orangery because they want to open up the room to the outdoors in the summer. This is possible with bi-fold doors because they completely open up, leaving a large open space in the wall of your orangery. With French doors or sliding patio doors, the opening would be much smaller.

Bi-fold doors in orangeries can be very large – up to 6 or 7 metres in some cases! Because this whole area would be glazed, bi-fold doors in orangeries are a great way to bring in a huge amount of natural light, when compared with other door choices for orangeries.

Aside from the two benefits above, bi-fold doors in orangeries have become so popular because they give a very modern look to the orangery. In the past, orangeries were seen as a very traditional choice of home extension. Bi-fold doors in orangeries have helped to create the modern orangeries that are so popular today.

Can an orangery have bi-fold doors – strength

A final thing to consider when talking about whether an orangery can have bi-fold doors is strength. As bi-fold doors open up a large part of the elevation of an orangery, support is needed above the doors to make this possible. With a traditionally built extension, this would mean adding a costly steel lintel. However, Ultraframe has a range of products that can create an orangery look without the need for costly steels above the bi-fold doors in your orangery. Speak to your Ultraframe installer for further details.

Adding bi-fold doors to an orangery is a great home improvement project. It will give your orangery a modern look and bring a huge amount of natural light into your home. You will also be able to enjoy one large indoor/outdoor living space in summer when you open up your orangery bi-fold doors.