To Bifold or not to Bifold

[toony]

I am looking at building a Porter Davis home. I am wondering what peoples thoughts are? I am building in the bayside suburbs of Melbourne.

To Bifold or not to Bifold (Large sliding doors with flyscreens).

Pros
Look good.
Has a bit of a wow factor

Cons
No flyscreens.
House full of mossies after a party.
How often do you really use them.
You cant hang a TV from the bifold.

 

[Scott No Mates]

Our bifolds have probably been opened twice in 15 years Alot of money for nothing.

I would probably consider a series stacking doors instead.

 

[DaveM]

Look great in a magazine/display home. Until the reality of flies, mosquitoes and moths comes in and "KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED" gets yelled at bbq's until the bifolds stay closed permanently.

All lifestyle image no practicality

 

[neeko]

If you want something like that a stacker door is your option.

 

[Corporategirl]

We recently just put in a stacker door to open up the access from our living area to alfresco and they have been great. They were significantly cheaper than the bifolds too!!

But we did have lots of flies come into the house this summer. It may have been a bad year for flies though?

 

[toony]

The Sales Guy suggested Stacker doors were better than bifolds and thats what we have signed up for. Your comments have now confirmed we made the right decision.

 

[Perp]

You can have insect screens with bi-folds.

e.g. Freedom Screens

 

[Spades]

I agree with Perp....Bi-fold link to screens.

If it cost less and does the job who would you enlist?

I know what i'd choose.

Cheers Spades.

 

[westminster]

You can have insect screens with bi-folds.

e.g. Freedom Screens

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Flyscreens are a MUST in Perth (land of the flies) but I love love love the idea of some bifolds or french doors.

Problem solvered!

 

[Tim86]

I would go for bifolds Actually I am going for bifolds. I have two sets of 4m bi folds in my shed waiting to go in. Just have to build the house first...

 

[knightm]

When we built we put in a 6+ metre stacker/slider in our living its FABULOUS. Less than half the cost of the same size bifold and real sliding flyscreens that my 4 kids haven't destroyed. (yes they have tried)

Those retractable fly screens for bifolds do work but if you have kids they can run through them and destroy them EASILY. (I have friends with these screens and young children)

Horses for course, but stackers for me for lower cost, better durability of flyscreen. If I had no kids, lots of money and wanted a little extra class, maybe then I would do bifolds.

 

[xanh]

We got timber bi-fold doors with a fly-screen and this was one of the main reasons. We could have got aluminium ones and paid for someone to install a fly screen afterwards but it would have been a lot more expensive.

The flyscreen we have is quite good, very thin and not obvious. In fact, so not obvious that I've walked into it a couple of times. The beauty about it is that the bottom of the fly screen is designed to slip out from the frame so that in these scenarios the fly screen doesn't get damaged.

 

[Jacque]

Each to their own but I love the practicality of flyscreens and can't understand how home owners can put up without them in our climate

In our current home, we are lucky enough to have 18 sets of beautiful double french doors and very few windows. Not one of them (including windows) had screens and when we asked the vendors what they did on hot nights to let air in, they claimed to "put up" with the occasional mozzie.... hmmmmm. It took an awful lot of $$$ to put double screen doors on the lot of them but it was money well spent Now we have fresh air flowing through the place without all the creepy-crawlies getting in.