Should Bi-Fold Doors Open Inwards or Outwards?

Bifold patio doors provide easy access to your garden or patio as well as adding a stylish design feature to your home. But although a practical patio door that suits the aesthetic of your home is crucial, one of the most important questions people ask is: which way should they open?

Focusing on bifold doors, the simple answer is both ways. There are many things to consider when choosing inwards or outwards opening doors, including door configuration, space and weather, and all of these factors have a big part to play in the decision-making process. Read on to discover whether you should choose bifold doors that open inwards or outwards!

Space And Weather

Generally, many homeowners choose to have outward opening patio doors. One reason for this is to increase space inside their home. Particularly if you have a lot of furniture in your house, you may want outwards opening doors as they take up less room than inwards opening doors. Inward opening doors need the space to fold back, minimising what you have left for other furnishings.

However, you may decide to have inward opening doors if you have furniture in your garden/patio that will be in the way when opening your doors. Just remember to be aware of your surroundings when making your decision.

The weather can also play an important role when deciding which way you want your bifold patio doors to open. After a spell of rain, the last thing you need is for any water to enter your home through your bifold doors.

Your patio doors act as a barrier to excess rain entering your home. If they open outwards, then excess rain water will stay outside. But if your doors open inwards, the drips can fall inside your house, causing a slip hazard and damage to your property.

These are just some things to consider when making the decision on how your patio doors open.

Door Configurations

Door configurations can also impact the way your patio doors open. There are many possibilities when it comes to door configurations, which means you can personalise the opening of your door to your requirements. The way your door opens also depends on if you have an even number or an odd number of door panels. An odd number of door panels will all slide in one direction, whereas an even number would need to be split to slide in both directions.

Lite Haus’ bifold doors are available in a range of configurations. Pictured above is an example of our four panel bi-folding door configurations. There are multiple four-panel bifold door options, including all panels moving to either the left or right and one panel hinged as a traffic door with the remaining three panels folding back.

Bifold Door Installations

Looking to get inspiration for your own patio door installation? You can view our gallery to see some of the previous projects that we have installed!

This installation includes a 5 panel bi-fold door, folding in one direction. The doors open outwards to the garden, adding extra light to the open-plan home.

“Extremely happy with the professionalism right the way through. From the non pushy sales person all the way through to the installation team. The quality of the bi fold doors I had fitted in my extension is fantastic. I can even say they are a BENTLEY class. Thank you so much. We love the new doors and will certainly be coming back when we change our windows in the near future.” Trusted customer

This 4-panel bi-fold door installation moves and opens in one direction. The 4 large panels allow natural light to enter the room and also provide a great view of the garden from the inside.

Bi-Fold Doors at Lite Haus

Here at Lite Haus, we cater for your needs. Our bifold doors can open inwards or outwards, depending on what best suits your property. The majority of the doors we install open outwards due to most homes having limited indoor space.

Still unsure which is the best fit for your home? Give our team a call on 024 7646 0115 or drop us an email at info@litehausuk.com today.