We’ve just had our bi fold doors installed and I’ve made a big mistake

[Guest]

Despite everyone (partner, in laws, builder etc) telling me to get stackers. I insisted on bi fold doors for the alfresco and stuffed up!

What no one told me beforehand, is that you can only have a hinged door that opens independently if it’s an odd number door panel, otherwise even number panels can only be fully open / fully shut (or weirdly splayed in the middle of the doorway if partly opened).

We want a single opening door on the 4 panel so that we have easy entry in/out without fully opening the 4 panel.



What are my options here:

• If we split it into one panel, and three panels to get it to open, then the open door will block the door on the perpendicular 3 panel and the bi fold will stick out on both left and right sides.
• Do I need to suck up the cost, try to re-sell the bifolds at a loss and buy stacker doors instead?

Any other miracle solution for me?

[Leonie]

People mainly get the bifold doors to connect their inside to the outside. So if that’s what you intended, I would just live with it for a while, you might find you actually really love it.

[Wendy]

If it’s not what you want and you can replace it, then do and put the stacker in. You will be able to sell the bifold (not for what it cost).

[Alan]

You seem to have two sets of bifold doors can one set be 3 panel and biggest set a four panel door.

If you want your stacker doors to slide in one direction then you are limited to 3 doors. This means only 2/3 of your opening will always be openable. If you have centre opening 4 stackers then only one half of the opening will be openable. The maximum is 6 doors with a centre opening and again only 2/3 of your opening will be openable.

I think if you to work with bifold doors using a set of three on one opening and a set of four on the other opening.

Explore these too: Chasing some suggestions for door coverings please!

[Darren]

Yeah, suck it up and spend the money. Otherwise your Next hurdle is trying to get security screens so you can have the doors open for airflow.