What brand sliding/gliding patio door do you prefer?
strawmyers
| Posted in General Discussion on
Just like the title says: who do you like in a gliding patio door?
And as an associated question: what options do you look for in a patio door?
Materials (wood vs vinyl vs composites like AW “Fibrex”)?
What options/etc would you make it a point to avoid?
Thought I was just going to put a standard entry door in the reframed dining room wall due to space constraints; but then discovered I can get a 60″ gliding door instead of the more standard 72″ size. That much glass would really transform the room with a view of the wooded ravine behind the house. Thanks in advance for any insight!
Replies
We've got no real complaints about our 37-year-old Andersen. Had to replace the rollers once, but that's it.
straw
Know that a 60" glider will leave you with a narrow opening. The full clearance is limited by the handle.
A hinged door (to the other panel) will yield a near 30" opening and fold against the other panel (so take up no more room, still make the full view visible and allow a sliding screen.
I have Marvins on this house of 24 yrs. Andersen is a good line also.
I'd prefer a hinged patio door for just the reason you're saying (openings on the 60" gliders I've measure in the stores is <23" regardless of the brand); but I'm still fighting the good fight trying to get the boss lady on board. She thinks the "thick" center area of the two doors side by side between the areas of glass is going to ruin the look as compared to the relatively thin center stile of the gliding door. She also doesn't like that the door intrudes into the living space when being opened. I pointed out that every other door in the house intrudes into the living space... I was being serious; but I could tell I got myself in trouble with that one.
Honestly, whatever we end up with in there will be used as a window 99% of the time; and for that reason I can see her point on the gliding door providing a minimally-obstructed view. I just don't have the highest opinion of gliders because of the one in my parents' house where I grew up. They have a custom built home with a high-end (now 35 year old) Pella 72" unit. The two things I don't like about it are Pella-specific, though: the screen is on the inside and the door glides to the outside. You have to open the screen to close the door; so all of the bugs that are on the screen end up getting in the house during that time. My parents' property, much like my own, is heavily-treed and in an area that gets its fair share of snow. Everything that falls from the sky: leaves, snow, those stupid helicopters from the maple trees: it all ends up on that exterior track. I never thought much of those "design flaws" until lately when I realized other manufacturers didn't do it that way.
From what research I've done online and in stores at this point, I think the Andersen 200 series glider with vinyl exterior cladding is my front runner for features vs cost at this point. There are units I like better; but a $2500+ door is out of place on this house and for my bank account when I have a garage yet to build. The Andersen unit is ~$1400 out the door with the upgrades I deem important. Marvin and Peachtree are both good companies from what I've found; but spendy for me and not well supported in my area. Andersen, Pella, and Jeld-Wen are readily available here. I had looked at an "American Craftsman by Andersen" 5800 "premium" vinyl unit that was about 75% the cost of the Andersen 200 series. It looked surprisingly well-built in the store compared to the other vinyl offerings I'd found; but I worry about the longevity of it. Having to get a 5' instead of 6' really bumps the price up regardless of the mfg. Seems silly to pay more for less product; but I realize it's a result of sales volume differences between the two sizes. It was really nice for me that stores have had 5' display units so I could get an accurate feel for how it would be in the house.
I think French doors might be a better option in this spot unless you are happy with a pretty small opening.
Andersen makes a very good door but I would not put a slider in that hole unless you can pocket it. That still would involve reframing tho.
I have an update... that comes with a new question. Had my engineer crunch the numbers and I will be able to have a 72" opening with the current LVL header and still support the necessary point load that will come when the garage is built. Had I ripped the 7.25" LVL down to the 6" he originally spec'd for the entry door it would not have been adequate; but since I left it the full 7.25" (thinnest they had available), it will work with double jack studs at each corner. That was really good news over having the tear it out and put in an even larger header or beef up the existing with steel L-channel. I mainly just didn't want to destroy a saw blade ripping through 14' of LVL.
So here's the resulting question... how much is it "worth" to you to have the door come pre-assembled. She's sold on the glider and I'm just the bank and labor; so 72" glider it is. Since it's a "standard" size vs the 60", they actually carry an Andersen 200 series with all of the specs I want on the shelf for ~$700. Doesn't come with a screen, hardware, or foot lock: price comes up to $1128 after adding those items. The shelf unit is not assembled. For $1390 I can "custom order" the exact same door and it will be here in 3-4 weeks preassembled. The timeline isn't an issue for me. I'm very handy (gutted and renovated this entire house myself) and pretty quick to pick up ideas; but I've not ever assembled a gliding patio door before. All of the videos I find online are about setting an already assembled unit. How difficult is actually doing a full assembly on a gliding door... and more importantly, for an extra $250 would you say its "worth it" for a novice like myself to buy the unit already assembled? I'm going to e-mail Andersen directly and see if they can send me a PDF of the assembly process. All they have online is the preassembled install instructions. I'll update this thread with the new pictures when it gets to that point. Thanks for the help!
Consider the weight.
Do you really want to deal with the weight of the pre-assembled door? That's one heavy sucker. I've never found assembly to be difficult.
I had just assumed the unassembled door would have to be fully assembled on the ground and then lifted into place; making the actual install no different than the preassembled unit. Is that not the case?
By assembled if you mean the door and track comes in the box in one piece, no that is not usually the way you install them.
My Andersen 400 Fruitwood doors came in 3 boxes, the frame/track and a box each for the doors. The latch hardware may have been another small box.
It is really not that big a deal to install it. In fact we had to modify the frame a little to fit the R/O but it still was not a big deal.
Assembly
Usually you assemble the frame, put in in place, install the fixed panel, then the sliding panel. I think vinyl doors are assembled before installation.
straw
Working alone, I always beg'd and pleaded for the door units to be knocked down.
However, many times I've heard from the supplier-they don't come that way. We assume because of the possibility of poor assembly-leakage-damage-not my problem..............
These things used to come knocked down-putting the frame together was no big deal, they provided the directions and the caulk for the frame parts to be sealed. The pcs. interlock-were predrilled and it was almost too easy.
Second floor deck? no problem-carry through the house and lay it out, assemble and install.
But like I said-all I hear now is-nope, can't come knocked down............
So, guess they be bull shit ting me.
You SHOULD have no problem.
The only ones I've found knocked down are whatever is on the shelf at the big box stores; and even many of those are pre-assembled. The particular Andersen I'm looking at just happens to be one of the unassembled units... maybe you can convince all of your future customers to get one of those
We have door!
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Putting the frame together was no problem at all... certainly not worth paying an extra $250 and waiting 4-6 weeks. Lots of work inside and out yet to do; but the door is in, secure, and functions well. The view will get even better once the protective film is off the glass... and once all of the construction junk is out of the backyard.
straw
Looks good-cept for the giant step.
Hope you detailed the sides and bottom, those are important locations to pay attention to.
How's the wife like it?
straw
no frontal nudity, please.
I don't know that anyone as hairy as I am can really ever be considered "nude"... I look at it more as I was working in a pair of jeans and a naturally-occuring sweater vest.
Oh, and to answer the above, we're both very happy with the result. I'll ultimately do something about the drop down. Might be as easy as a step leading down to some pavers; or a small (12x12 or so) deck. We'll see where budget and motivation are both at when the time comes. Besides adding a receptacle and a light outside of that area, I don't intend to devote anymore resources to it until the garage is done.
straw
I'm sure you'll do something nice, but don't forget that with that door now there-it's too convenient to use it. I've seen several additions and remodels where a couple concrete block seem to become the step or platform for a long, long time. Not safe and ugly from the road.
Then there's the door to nowhere up there on the second floor................
It'll be fun to have you post your progress on the garage.
Best of luck.
Yep, I've heard of several cases of people walking out the back door and falling 10 feet. If for some reason you install a slider and don't have a deck below it (or you remove the deck and are slow to replace it), place a temporary rail across the opening.
Door to nowhere...
calvin wrote:
Then there's the door to nowhere up there on the second floor................
Got one of those, too:
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It's off of the master bedroom. I just keep it locked and dead-bolted all of the time... not that that will keep me from falling to my death through the full-lite door. The previous owners had obviously planned for a balcony when doing the addition. I don't foresee ever going through with that. That side of the house faces the road... why make an "outdoor space" on the side of the house facing the road when there's 30 acres of woods and ravine behind the house?
BTW, the stubby part on the front of the house in that picture is photoshopped on.
Do note that you could be open to a serious lawsuit if a guest walks out that door.
But I also notice that the slider on the right has about a 3-foot drop to the ground. Not good either.
In case anyone has been lying awake at night waiting for closure on this project: here are some finished shots. Added the outside security light and "rain proof while in use" double outlet (GFCI that then feeds another outlet so they're both protected) a couple of weeks ago; and then did the interior trim today. Maybe I just don't remember since it's been a couple of years since I've bought any; but it seems like the cost of oak has gone up.
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Only thing left to do is my least favorite part... cleaning up. Thanks again to everyone for your help!
straw
looks good.
Don't forget the step.
"Don't forget the
"Don't forget the step."
He'll only forget it once.
Don't worry, some kind of safe transition to the yard will be put into place: either a couple of steps or a small deck. We'll have to excavate by the foundation there to underpin the footer since there will be a rather large point load in that area when the garage is built. And also, once the garage is done, I'll be having the propane tank moved to a different spot in the yard that will require trenching through that area to hook a new line up. Don't want to do anything "permanent" until those two things are done; and I don't want a sloppy temporary solution that ends up becoming permanent just because it's already there. The door will just serve as a really large window until the garage is done.