French Doors in Maidstone & Kent
Elegant and practical, French doors open outwards to create a seamless connection between your home and garden. We supply and fit them across Maidstone and Kent, with excellent security, energy efficiency and timeless style.
- Open outwards onto the garden
- Excellent security and energy efficiency
- Free, no-obligation quotes
A pair of doors onto the garden
French doors are a pair of glazed doors, hinged at the sides, that meet in the middle and open outwards. With both open, nothing stands in the gap, which makes them an easy way out to a patio or garden, and on a warm day the room and the garden become one space.
They are a classic choice where an opening is too narrow for bi-folds or sliding doors to make sense, or where the house simply suits a more traditional look. With fixed glazed panels either side, a pair of French doors can fill a wider opening and bring in far more light than a single back door.
Our uPVC French doors offer excellent security, energy efficiency and timeless style, and like everything we fit, they are made to measure for the opening.
Planning your French doors
Opening outwards
Opening out keeps the room clear and helps the doors close tightly against the weather. Leave space on the patio for both doors to swing fully open.
Side panels
Fixed glazed panels either side widen the opening and let in more light, while keeping the doors themselves a comfortable size to open.
Glass
Doors are glazed with toughened safety glass, as the Building Regulations require, with Low-E coatings to keep the heat in and obscure or decorative glass for privacy.
Security
Modern French doors lock at several points along their edges, with high-security cylinders. Ultion and Yale are among our trusted partners.
Thresholds
A low threshold makes it easier to step in and out, which is worth asking about if anyone at home uses a wheelchair or a pushchair.
Matching windows
French doors can be made to match new windows in the same room, so the whole back of the house has one look.
French doors, bi-folds or sliding doors?
All three open a room to the garden, in different ways. French doors are the simplest and usually the most affordable: two doors, a clear opening between them, and a traditional look that suits most houses.
Bi-fold doors fold back to open almost a whole wall, from two to six panels, and sliding doors keep large areas of glass with nothing swinging into the room or across the patio. For a wide opening it is worth comparing all three, and we can quote for each side by side.
French doors also suit a room where you want to keep the wall either side, for furniture, radiators or kitchen units, because they need far less width than a run of bi-folds.
How we fit French doors
Free survey and quote
We visit at a time that suits you, measure every opening, talk through the styles, colours and glass, and give you a clear, no-obligation price with no hidden costs.
Made to measure
Everything is made to the sizes we took, in the style, colour and glass you chose, to fit the openings your home already has.
Fitted by our team
Our installers take out the old frames and fit and seal the new ones, working to the perfect fit and flawless finish we aim for on every job.
Checked before we leave
We make sure everything opens, closes and locks smoothly before we finish, and show you how it all works.
Building Regulations
Replacement external doors have been covered by the Building Regulations since April 2002. A new door needs a U-value of 1.4 or better, or a Doorset Energy Rating of band B (band C if more than 60% of it is glass); glass in a door, or in a panel beside it, within 1500mm of the floor has to be safety glass; and on a house built since 1999, a level threshold at the main entrance must stay level. The work is either self-certified by an installer registered with a competent person scheme or approved by your council’s building control team.
Reviews from our customers
What customers across Kent and the South East say about us on Google.
Questions about french doors
Anything else you would like to know? Call us, message us on WhatsApp or send us your question through our contact page.
Do French doors open inwards or outwards?
Ours open outwards, onto the patio or garden. That keeps the room clear of the doors and helps them close tightly against the weather.
Are French doors secure?
Yes. Our uPVC French doors offer excellent security, with modern multi-point locking and toughened glass, and we can talk you through the lock and cylinder options when we quote.
Can French doors have windows either side?
Yes. Fixed side panels are a popular way to widen the opening and let in more light without making the doors themselves too large to open easily.
How much do French doors cost?
It depends on the size, the side panels, the glass and the hardware. We give a free, no-obligation quote after measuring the opening.
Do French doors need planning permission?
Replacing doors, or adding new ones of a similar appearance to those on the house, does not usually need planning permission. A new opening still needs Building Regulations approval for the structural work, and a listed building or an Article 4 direction changes the picture.
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Get a free, no-obligation quote
Tell us what you need and we will give you a free, no-obligation quote. Call us, message us on WhatsApp or send the form on our contact page.