HARDWARE
Getting a handle on patio door refurbishment
Estate agents are reporting a significant premium being paid for homes with gardens , back yards , patios , balconies and just any sort of outdoor space . No surprise after the last 18 months of lockdowns and quarantines , and especially attractive given the heatwaves this summer .
» PATIO DOORS ( FRENCH DOORS and sliding patio doors ) are the ingenious solution to access such space , throwing open to us more room to move and breathe . Bringing the outside in . Extending our homes to allow free movement from kitchens and living rooms out into the sunshine and fresh air .
But such doors also have to perform to a wide range of demanding technical standards , not least in terms of security , thermal efficiency and acoustics . And sliding doors can often be really substantial , so the hardware used on patio doors has to be up to the job to ensure ease of use .
Unsurprisingly then , HOPPE ( UK ) has seen a steady increase in interest in its range of patio door handles , and particularly in response to the home improvement boom of the last year – recent surveys have suggested a staggering £ 110.3bn spend on home improvements by UK homeowners in the period .
The range of HOPPE patio handles available in the UK is admittedly just a fraction of the options available of the Continent , where outdoor spaces have always been given more emphasis in housing design for many years . But it ’ s the quality of the products from HOPPE ( UK ) that is attracting most interest . It ’ s a genuine ‘ fit and forget ’ solution , trusted by fabricators and installers over many years of reliability .
The tilt and slide Paris handle set with escutcheons has the ability to support different use and stop position configurations , rotating through 90 or 180 degrees as required . Fixings
are concealed from the inside and are fitted using bolt-through , M5 thread screws for a robust installation .
Its sister Paris product provided from HOPPE ( UK ) is a lockable tilt and slide handle . Tested to meet the the requirements of DIN EN 1627 , the European burglar resistance standard , this handle has also achieved high standards of durability and the highest rating under DIN EN 13126 , grade 3 / 3 : a keyed locking mechanism with a minimum of 100 locking variations , and 200 Nm resistance against twisting-off and forcing-off .
For a flush finish on sliding patio doors , the Austin lift and slide handle is ideal . Lift and slide patio doors allow the use of larger glass panels than other types of door systems but , despite the additional weight , lift and slide door systems are much easier to use than traditional sliding doors .
HOPPE ’ s lift and slide handle is operated by simply turning the lever handle to 180 degrees , which lifts the panels completely off the track , allowing it to slide open with the push of a finger . The advanced running
gear means that the doors are much easier to move , regardless of the weight . It allows you to move multiple inline panels that weigh up to 440kg each . To return the door to a stationary position , the handle is used again to lower the panel . The wheels are protected from excessive wear , and the panel weight creates a weathertight seal .
This type of lift and slide handle also has added benefit of being recessed into the profile , allowing fabricators to offer a flush hardware design and cater for more tricky installations .
Architectural Ironmongers B J Waller used this handle for a non-traditional sliding door installation .
“ I was asked by our customer to come up with a solution for a pair of pocket lift and slide doors that closed onto a corner post ,” said Adrian Bailey of B J Waller . “ Standard lift and slide handles would have collided with each other , but as the HOPPE handle sits flush to the door , it provided the perfect fit and our customer was really pleased with the final design .”
HOPPE ( UK )’ s patio door handle range comes with a 10-year operational guarantee , and in a range of finishes – white , black or anthracite grey powdered aluminium finish , anodised silver or gold , or brass , including the option of Resista finishes .
www . hoppe . com / gb-en /
62 » AUG 2021 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM