Panoramic Views Or Open Spaces

These days it is becoming increasingly popular to open up the back of our homes to our gardens with either Sliding Patio Doors or Folding Sliding Doors, but which is best option for you?

Bi-folds Vs Patios

Just a few years ago everyone was installing large sliding patio doors into the backs of their houses. Large doors that opened up onto a finished concrete patio or beautiful landscaped garden. These days with the help of promotion from  televison programs such as Grand Designs and The Home Show, Folding Sliding Doors, often called Bi-folding Doors, are becoming increasingly popular. These are two very different products and there are many pros and cons to each of them. Many people find it difficult to get all the right facts, in order to make an educated decision and choose between them. We have over 25 years experience in the industry and have written this impartial guide to try and help you make up your own mind up.

How Much Do They Cost?

One of peoples main concerns is price, and most people believe that Bi-folding Doors are the more expensive of the two. For the most part this is a fair assumption, however the price variance throughout the industry is vast and in terms of the amount you can pay for either.... the sky’s the limit. You will also need to consider that there are large price variances between different materials. Do you want PVC, Wood or Aluminium? A lot of peoples decisions are dictated by their  architects, builders or the salesman that had the best sales pitch, but when making the decision to spend a good money, you should always make sure you do all the research. You wouldn’t buy a car without first going to see it, so spend the time do the research and visit showrooms.

Folding Sliding Doors

Bifold doors bring the outside in and literally transform your property into a functional and open space for living, working and entertaining. Bi-folding doors are an impressive and aesthetically pleasing alternative to sliding patio doors and many people believe that the extra cost is well worth while. The main draw of bi-folding doors is that they create around a 90% clear opening when all of the door panels have been folded open, providing an impressive feature to your room. This is achieved due to the panels stacking at 90° (perpendicular) from the frame. However we need to remember that this is the UK, and not the Costa Del Sol, so your doors will be closed a lot of the time. If you had already considered this, but still believe that the aesthetic appeal of bi-folding doors outweighs this drawback then bi-folding doors are the choice for you.

Sliding Patio Doors

Sliding Patio doors will give you  a room with a view, providing panoramic views of the outside world. Depending on the size of your aperture Sliding Patio Doors will generally provide you with the maximum glass area and the minimum amount of frame. They allow for large glass panels and will often result in less vertical bars than a Bi-folding Door. The average residential patio door system can have panels up to one and a half metres wide, but it is not uncommon for a sliding patio door to have panels of up to two and a half metres wide or  even larger. The advantage of door panels that side is that you do not lose any space from within your room or garden. You can create an opening of around 45 - 65% depending on the system, number of panels  and the panel configuration. The main draw of sliding patio doors is the large glass areas that are achievable. Sliding patio doors will let in the maximum amount of light and provide panoramic views of your surrounding area. If this is your idea of perfection then sliding patio doors are for you.

Ease Of Access

Most bifold door configurations will provide a traffic door, this is a quick access door that allows for inside and outside access, without having to fold or slide any other panels. A traffic door is a door that can be operated independently and can function in the same way as any standard back door. These doors also have a latch so that when pushed closed it will stay closed and not swing back open. Sliding patio doors do not have traffic doors and so it is not quite as easy to quickly nip in and out. It can also be more difficult to close the doors behind you, as the door will need to be slid closed.

Flush Floor Levels

Many people are concerned about creating a trip hazard with their new Patio doors. Most Bi-folding Door systems have flush low threshold options, which allow for the bottom of the doors to be completely sunk down into the floor to provide a seamless transition from inside and outside. Some but not all Sliding patio door systems have the option to bring the inside floor level up to the  height of the top of the cill or threshold section of the patio doors, nullifying the step over, but there are currently no flush threshold options available on the market, for sliding doors.


For the full Artical use the link: http://www.duration.co.uk/Brochures/Doors/Aluminium/Sliding%20Patio%20Door%20Or%20Bi-folding%20Door.pdf

Glass... What are my options??

We at Duration Windows found this interesting artical in the July addition of Build It Magazine and thought you might be interested in its content.

From energy-saving coatings to self-cleaning panes, there’s plenty to choose from when specifying your home’s glazing, says Chris Bates.

Glazing has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. There’s a product out there to suit almost any application. But with so much choice available, how can you go about specifying the right product? In some cases, the decision is simple – safety glass is an essential for stair balustrades, for example. In others, you’ll need to weigh up which option is best suited to the lifestyle you want your new home to deliver.  

Comfort & efficiency 

For most homeowners, saving energy and keeping running cost down is the basic starting point when specifying glazing. The importance of energy efficiency is reflected in Building Regs, too, which require a minimum ‘C’ window energy rating (WER) for all new units.

All efficient glazing is referred to as ‘low emissivity’ (Low-E), but there are subtle differences between products. Some feature a ‘soft’ thermal coating that favours heat retention and offers low U-values. These include Pilkington’s Optitherm and Saint Gobain’s Planitherm. Others feature a ‘hard’ coating that, while still providing good heat retention, puts more emphasis on solar gain (g-values). Pilkington’s K glass falls into this category. In our mild climate, there’s relatively little to choose between soft and hard coats. For that reason, the WER system considers both U-values and g-values, so A to C grades can be achieved with either type of Low-E glass. But there is choice within each category. As well as the standard K Glass, for example, there are two additional types. The S version offers better U-value but poor g-value, while the OW spec matches the standard U-value but gives a clearer glass and a slightly better g-value. On a typical double glazed unit, the inner pane carries the Low-E coating (on the cavity side). The outer pane can either be of clear glass to allow the maximum possible amount of daylight to filter through, or could be treated with a solar control or other type of coating. The gap between the panes is filled with gas (argon is most economical, krypton more efficient) or fitted with warm-edge spacer bar – or both for maximum heat retention.

Minimal maintenance

Washing down windows can be a real chore, especially if your new home features vast swathes of glazing or hard-to-reach features such as skylights. You can take a lot of the effort out of maintenance by specifying self-cleaning glass, such as Saint Gobain’s Bioclean or Pilkington’s Activ. Its external coating uses UV rays from daylight to break down organic dirt and prevent other types adhering to the glass. The coating also causes rainwater to ‘sheet’ down the glass rather than forming droplets, giving the whole pane a natural wash. Self-cleaning glass won’t take all the legwork out of maintenance, but will mean you can wash windows less frequently and should make the job quicker, too.  

Safe and Secure

If you’re keen to provide the best possible protection for your home, laminated security glass could be a wise investment. It’s made up of sheets of glass held together with clear plastic film – in the event of a breakage, the fragments adhere to the film to slow or even prevent entry. Simpler laminated products – perhaps using just one or two films – can also be used as safety glass.

Toughened glass is more commonly specified for applications where safety is paramount (such as for stair or balcony balustrades). It’s heat treated during manufacture to produce a product around five times stronger than normal glass and, in the event that it does break, shatters into tiny fragments with dulled edges.

Noise reduction  

New double glazed units provide a measure of in-built sound insulation via the draught proofing. But if you’re building near a busy road or railway line, or you want to introduce some sound deadening for internal glazed partitions, you can upgrade to acoustic glass. This is a laminated product, with two sheets of glass sandwiching a sound-reducing inter-layer. You can cancel out even more noise by opting for different thicknesses of glass in double-glazed units.  

Light and privacy

Maximise natural light levels internally is, understandably, a major goal for many self builders. The first step is to use glass for the outer pane of your home’s double or triple glazing. For even better views you can switch to extra-clear, low-iron products such as Saint Gobain’s Diamant, Which is suitable for everything from windows and external doors to internal partitions and stair balustrades.  Bear in mind, though, that allowing too much daylight – and its associated UV rays – into your home can lead to overheating in summer. That’s where solar control glass comes in. Pilkington’s Optifloat Tint reduces both heat and light penetration, which can be desirable in certain areas of contemporary glass-filled homes where privacy is important. At the other end of the scale, the company’s Suncool range filters out solar heat while still allowing high levels of natural light pass through.

Hope you found this artical helpful when talking about glass and U-values. Please check out some of the pages below from our website for more useful information:

Glass Options: http://www.duration.co.uk/GlassOptions.asp

Window Energy Ratings: http://www.duration.co.uk/WindowEnergyRatings.asp

Aluminium Windows: http://www.duration.co.uk/AluminiumWindows.asp

Points Of Interest.

We at Duration like to keep informed about whats happening in the world of windows and doors so when we found this article about Sapa Aluminium Systems who we are once again working with we thought we would share it. Hope you enjoy.

Supporting sustainable building

PART OF THE WORLDWIDE SAPA GROUP AND ONE OF EUROPE'S LEADING SUPPLIERS OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE AND ENERGY-EFFICIENT ALUMINIUM BUILDING SYSTEMS, SAPA BUILDING SYSTEMS DESIGNS ALUMINIUM FENESTRATION SYSTEMS.

Sapa offers architects and specifiers a wide range of innovative aluminium systems for curtain walling, doors, windows and specialist applications. In the last year it has moved to imposing new premises in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, bringing together operations from three locations into one new facility. The move has underlined Sapa's commitment to the future and helped cement the company's perception within the design community.

Looking to the bright future that Sapa Building Systems' new premises and improved product offering will facilitate, Sapa's commercial director, Jon Palethorpe says: "Over the past couple of years we've attracted new customers and specifiers, growing both our fabricator network and our market share, and we believe that trend will continue.

”Our newer product ranges are beginning to penetrate, as evolutions of the Dualframe range of window and door systems with enhanced thermal performance and our new unitised curtain wall system, are brought to market. Another of our strengths is that we are very well balanced across the various market sectors, selling into education and commercial projects as well as health care and affordable housing sectors."

Bringing benefits to buildings

There are many benefits to using aluminium; its light weight means it's easier to handle which can reduce the environmental impact and cost of transport; it's very strong and corrosion resistant; its durability provides architects with endless design possibilities; and its innovative design from Sapa Building Systems offers high insulation with low maintenance and almost 100% recyclability. Therefore, with environmental policies continuing to drive demand for sustainable and recycled building materials, it's perhaps unsurprising that the use of aluminium in architecture and construction is growing in popularity.

Sapa's range of aluminium curtain walling systems, doors, windows and facades takes advantage of these characteristics to provide architects and specifiers with the most effective visual and technical solutions for today's buildings. In fact, environmental performance and energy efficiency play a key role in the development of its new products.

For example, Sapa's new Dualframe Si range utilises thermal break technology which achieves exceptional thermal performance.

Sapa has also just launched its largest high performance, thermally insulated sliding door system. The Contort 160 is a sliding door with a large glass surface and minimal sightline, designed for high end spaces it can also provide total insulation, helping to reduce building's energy consumption.

Due to advances in the thermal efficiency of its products, Sapa's systems have been specified for use in several BREEAM rated buildings around the world.

Sapa Building Systems in action

The Welsh Assembly Government office in Llandudno Junction, North Wales was designed to meet the BREEAM Excellent rating required by the Welsh Assembly for all publicly procured buildings in Wales. It officially opened in October 2009 and now accommodates more than 530 staff over four storeys of open plan office space.

Demonstrating best practice and innovation in office environments, it is the first central government building in the UK to incorporate a designated public access area. Members of the public are able to come in to the area, known as 'Y Bont,' and find out more about Welsh Assembly Government services, access the internet for free, speak to the trained members of staff on hand to resolve their queries or just use the cafe.

Safety and security

The £20 million development mixes traditional, locally sourced materials with sustainable technology and architects Austin-Smith: Lord were faced with the challenge of reconciling this mix of materials with the building's modern form.

Following an earlier design by concept architects, the glazing needed a radical redesign to make it blast-resistant to meet government security requirements. The original design of flush, frameless glazing could not be made blast-resistant. Instead, Austin-Smith: Lord adopted the Powerframe system by Sapa Building Systems, which is approved under the international standard IS016933.

Sapa Building Systems was one of the few companies able to supply a blast resistant glazing system robust enough to meet the stringent security standards required. The glass is laminated with polyvinyl butyl membrane, which safely retains the glass splinters caused by a blast and is firmly clamped in position by aluminium frames supported by steel sub-frames.

The glazing effectively acts as a crumple zone in an explosion which can deflect up to 300mm to reduce the blast pressure and load on the rest of the building.

Environmental performance

While security was a key factor in the design of the Welsh Assembly building, it was also crucial that Sapa's Powerframe system performed from an energy efficiency point of view. As part of achieving the BREEAM Excellent rating, the system was required to meet the standards set out in Part L of the Building Regulations. This in itself is quite difficult to do as characteristically systems that are blast resistant include a high metal mass and are usually installed in large sections. In this instance, the mullion sizes were ten times heavier than a conventional system. Despite this, the Powerframe system is able to perform a dual function; offering the highest level of protection in addition to good thermal performance.

As one of the largest and most exposed office buildings in North Wales and only 40 metres from the shoreline, its position also presented challenges with weathering. The Powerframe system with robust design and weathering details provided architects, Austin-Smith: Lord and the main contractor Pochin Construction with both a technical and environmentally sound solution that also contributed substantially to the BREEAM Excellent rating.

Sapa Building Systems Ltd

Artical taken from: Specification Magazine March 2012 

Monarch slim-line patio doors are back

These new 'Crown' Patio Doors have been designed as a direct replacement for old Monoframe patio doors. Sapa's Monoframe was arguably the finest residential aluminium patio door system on the market for well over 20 years. This is why Duration Windows have come together with Sapa to create and modify the patio door in order to keep up with the ever increasing building regulations and have not only met the regulations but exceeded them whilst still maintaining a beautifully slim set of patio doors.

It has multi chamber aluminium profiles for added strength in tall doors and improved thermal performance. This door is not only designed for aesthetics and high performance but also has just a 98mm depth of frame allowing for quick and easy fitting without having to cut back your plaster lines and re-decorate.

Overall these New ‘Crown’ Patio Doors have everything you would want in a patio from high security, high performance, easy fitting and overall style.  

Check out our website for more detials:
http://www.duration.co.uk/CrownSlidingPatioDoors.asp

Or contact our friendly staff for advice and information: 01268 681612

Continental Bifolding doors - colour price drop

A Continental Bifold

We are currently offering our continental bifolding door in RAL 7016 Matt Dark Grey at the same price as white. This could save you hundreds on your bifolding doors.

Get an online quote today: http://www.duration.co.uk/asp/step1.asp

Or contact us for some friendly advice: 01268 681612

ABD Roof Featured In Self Build & Design Magazine

Darrell and Carmen Minards have built a striking new cedar-clad family home designed specifically for their life style, and they chose ABD to supply the aluminium roof. The roof was fitted at the back of the house above the rear of the kitchen to create a dramatic dinning area.

The roof was a fully double glazed lean-to roof in a modern grey with electric roof vents. The project has been featured in the April addition of the Self Build & Design magazine.

To read the article for your self please follow the link and click on the PDF file: http://www.aluminiumbydesign.co.uk/news.asp#SBM 

Don't Be Left Behind - Evolve with Smarts Evolution Windows

Our Evolution Window

There are many types of projects that come under the banner of ‘Heritage’ and listed building restorations. Our Heritage window range has been designed specifically as a thermally efficient, secure and maintenance free alternative to steel windows, and is a fraction of the cost.

We offer Smarts Systems Evolution Windows as our basic steel replacement windows. They are very slim, authentic windows that will maintain the character, integrity and classic looks of your property and replicate traditional metal windows. They have a stepped profile inspired by the original W20 Crittall steel windows.

We also offer a putty-line vent and can provide additional upgrades that are exclusive to Duration; including traditional glazing options, authentic handles, working and dummy butt hinges and our unique Chelton Secure™ locking.

For more information please check out our heritage window page: http://www.duration.co.uk/HeritageSteelReplacementRange.asp

Understanding Energy Efficiency

We at Duration understand that energy efficiency ratings can be complicated to understand - so we have put together a guide to help resolve the mystery of energy efficient windows.

It is widely known that a large percentage of the heat from your home is lost through the windows - that is why understanding energy efficiency can come in handy, helping you to save money when heating your home.

The guide explains the ratings and how energy efficient windows work. There is also some useful information on what to look out for when buying energy efficient windows.

Follow the link to see the guide:

http://www.duration.co.uk/brochures/misc/Energy%20Efficient%20Windows%20Guide.pdf

Up to £100 off per panel on Bi-folding doors

Here at Duration Windows we understand that it's tough out there. That's why we are slashing the prices of all our aluminium bi-folding doors. For January only we will be selling bi-folding doors with up to £100 OFF, per panel.

For more information on this great offer please check out our web site: http://www.duration.co.uk/Bi-FoldingDoors-JanSale.asp