The
biggest problem facing consumers who are in this position is figuring out which
patio door style is right for them. There are essentially unlimited amounts of
styles, forms, and prices for doors out there, so finding exactly the right
balance for these elements can be tricky. There are a few easy steps you can
take to streamline this process.
Plan For A Patio Door
There
are a number of questions you are going to want to ask yourself before even
beginning to decide on a new patio door. You don’t want to wait until later in
this process to start asking these questions. Many people get halfway through
the selection of a door, and some have even purchased it already, when new
information or something they didn’t think of comes to light, and they have to
begin again. Avoid this frustration by answering these questions first.
- Why do I want a new patio door? This may seem like a silly question, but it will determine everything that happens after it. Do I want a safer door? Do I want a more beautiful door? Do I simply want more energy efficiency, but want the look of the house to stay the same? Are we having children soon? Questions like this are a first step to helping you determine what kind of patio door you need, as opposed to what kind of door you think you want.
- How much do I want to spend? Pick a number that doesn’t make you cringe, and stick to it. It may require more searching, or perhaps waiting for a good deal to pop up, or even doing this project in the winter when it’s off-peak for patios. But don’t feel like you have to rush to get it done or buy the first door you see. Patience and research will pay off, and chances are a very good that a patio door will come into your budget if you don’t find one at first glance.
- Do I plan to stay in this house long term or am I selling soon? If you are going to go through the trouble of swapping out a patio door and you are planning to sell soon, be careful not to choose anything overly eclectic. If you plan to stay there long-term, pick what makes you happy; if you are going to sell, try to pick a patio door that is relatively universal. You don’t want the end result to be something that detracts from rather than adds to your resale possibilities.
These questions should give you a framework of “first principles” to work within when selecting a patio door. Once you begin researching, there may be a tendency to veer away from this framework, but in general it is recommended that you stick to the plan. You may end up with a less ambitious project than you initially thought it could be, but rarely is the most ambitious renovation the best one for an amateur to undertake. If you are hiring a contractor whom you trust, be as ambitious as you like, of course, but if you are a DIY-er, stick to the plan and you can’t go wrong.
Selecting A Patio Door
There
are numerous options for both style and structure of patio doors. Some of the
most common styles are:
- French doors – a set of double-doors that swing outward, generally extensively paned.
- Atrium doors – similar to French doors, but only one of them opens.
- Folding doors – doors that open literally by folding like a fan. Beautiful and fun, but require the most space, time, and skill to install.
Here’s
where the answers to your above questions come in handy, because each style of
patio door has its own advantages and disadvantages. For instance, if you
didn’t really care about aesthetic enhancement and only wanted a more efficient
glass, then perhaps a new set of sliding glass doors with low-e windows is the
best fit for you. They will require minimum renovation time and effort, and you
will get the efficiency boost you desire. If you like the energy efficiency
element but also plan to have children soon or sell the house, then consider
getting an Atrium door instead. Still very energy efficient, but safer for
children, more secure, and prettier from both the inside and the out.
There are obviously hundreds of possible scenarios so we can’t address them all, but remember, the most important thing is, the more you plan out your needs in advance, the easier it is going to be to decide on a new patio door later.
