Today, patio doors extend beyond just functional parts of a home. They are often an integral part of the design and overall living space. Transform your home with more natural light and wide unobstructed views and openings. With premium design, fine German-made fittings and excellent energy performance, they add style, flexibility and security to any home while emphasizing your home's connection to the outdoors. Neuffer offers four frame materials, custom sizes, colours and glazing to meet your architectural and performance needs whether for folding, sliding or French doors.

Opening & Sliding Mechanisms for Large Patio Doors

The word patio door is an umbrella term that merely defines the installation location rather than mechanism similar to the terms "front door" or "balcony door" which can come in a wide variety of actual types. Nowadays however, there are four main styles of large patio doors that can be fitted, based on opening mechanism.

French Doors (side mounted on hinges that swing in/out)
Lift and Slide
Bifold doors (also called: folding doors)
Tilt and Slide

These each describe the opening system as they will all feature large glass surfaces and the ability to customise the hardware, glazing and size. An important factor in your decision is the overall installation space for the door as well as the room available for the door to swing in or out, fold or slide.

Since large frames and glass surfaces are heavier than smaller-sized products, it is important to choose a mechanism that allows a large patio door to be opened easily. Sliding doors are well suited for this particular purpose. They also take up only about 6 cm of interior room - depending on the model chosen - and allow you to make the most of every bit of space on your patio or balcony.

Your Choice of Frame Materials for Patio Doors

We offer two main materials for our windows and sliding patio doors, timber and uPVC. They are available as either standalone products or with aluminium cladding. Each option offers a different set of features.

UPVC is well suited to those on a budget while still offering most of the same customisation options. It can be upgraded to improve thermal performance and security as required. Timber boasts great natural insulation and strength without additional work. It provides a traditional and natural look for any home while requiring a bit more upkeep than synthetic materials.

Aluminium cladding represents the best of both worlds. Aluclad uPVC provides solid security, durability, insulation and aesthetics at a great price. For a premium bespoke solution, aluminium clad timber frames are second to none. They feature a sleek modern look outside and robust weather resistance. This means minimal upkeep over the years while retaining the cosy look of wood indoors.

Lift and Slide doors are the most common for extra wide patio doors. With their innovative roller systems, they can move huge sashes with ease without putting your whole body into it.

If you prefer to maximise the opening and forego the fixed half of sliding doors, bifolding doors are an excellent choice. They open and close in an accordion, or concertina style and stow away against the wall. This creates an entire moving glass wall effect and is the best option for achieving the most space.

The right Type of Glazing

Glass makes up the largest surface area of modern patio doors meaning it plays a major role in determining the overall energy-efficiency and security of the door.

Neuffer offers a range of double and triple glazing combinations to suit a variety of requirements. The choice is never either-or, but what you'd like to combine. For example, you can choose our triple glazed option for maximum insulation values and still add laminated safety glass to the outer pane to increase protection. Warm edge spacers, additional locking points and hardware as well as gas filled spaces between panes can further boost both.

Extra large glass surfaces make energy efficiency and security both necessary and sound investments.

The third important aspect concerns the security of your home. Particularly in remote areas, laminated safety glass adds another level of security to your large patio doors by posing a serious obstacle to be overcome by potential burglars.

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