HARDWARE & SECURITY
Hardware for folding doors
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FERGUS PICKARD, PRODUCT Development Director at P C Henderson, discusses how folding doors can help meet growing consumer demand for additional space and natural light, while providing a robust and flexible solution that will last for years.
As of December 2016, the average house price in the UK was £ 219,544, representing a 7.2 % increase on the previous year. As rising prices show no signs of abating, homeowners are finding it’ s cheaper to improve their home rather than move, as they seek more space to accommodate changing family dynamics. One of the most effective ways households are achieving this is by extending their properties or adding new structures. In fact, data from Sainsbury’ s Home Insurance shows that extensions to the rear and side of the home are the most popular enhancement, followed by conservatories, loft extensions, garage conversions and the construction of outbuildings.
Folding doors can help homeowners create flexible living spaces that add value, improve design and increase the floor area in a home. However, the products used must be adaptable in order to satisfy specific user preferences. For example, to create private areas for children to play in or open areas for entertaining and socialising. The hardware used must also be low maintenance, easy to install and appropriate for both new build and refurbishment projects. It’ s important that installers involved in the design and fitting of folding doors work with experienced manufacturers that understand what households want and need from their spaces, and are able to provide the product options necessary to fulfil these demands.
Extensions, conservatories, orangeries etc. were once only used in the warmer months but today’ s consumers seek to use their extended living areas all year round. This demand has led to the development of exterior folding door hardware products that bring a variety of advantages to a home including increased natural light, an indoor /
outdoor living space in the warmer months and extreme weather resistance in the colder months. This is backed by research from Direct Line who found that installing large bi-folding doors in place of brick walls to add more light to a property was a popular household modification.
P C Henderson’ s Securefold range is the definitive choice when specifying hardware for exterior folding doors. Available to suit a variety of weight capabilities, finishes and locking options, it is a high performing system that meets all the practical and aesthetic preferences of the homeowner, including security and natural light transmittance.
On the other hand, many outbuildings, conservatories and orangeries lack the adequate structural support to carry the weight of folding doors. In these instances, hardware that can carry the load of the doors at the bottom of the system and eliminate the need for major structural building support is ideal. To satisfy this particular customer and end user demand, P C Henderson’ s Securefold Bottom Rolling has been specifically designed for these projects to allow installers to cater for a wider variety of buildings.
When considering the hardware for internal projects, top hung systems are considered the best as they leave a clear floor area, which promotes mobility around the home. They can help create a seamless flow around rooms and add flexibility to an open plan design. For instance, where the kitchen and dining areas share the same space, room dividers can be installed to break up the layout. This provides a much more practical living environment that takes into account the changing needs of occupants, such as to add privacy.
P C Henderson’ s Roomflex hardware is an example of a flexible internal folding door system that makes the most out of the space available in the home. Homeowners with this product installed can split larger openplan areas to create smaller, multi-use layouts that offer privacy and functionality. A benefit of such a system is that when closed, it can help reduce the heating of an otherwise large room as only the zone in use requires heating.
Whether inside or out, installers must also consider customer design preferences regarding door movement by offering solutions including end-fold and centrefold configurations. The best hardware products are extensively tested to provide a smooth and trouble-free operation. They should be made with quality components that complement specific applications such as the type of door material and weight, as well as provide weathering and security capabilities for external applications.
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