We make and fit bifold doors in Merton Park for homeowners who want a wide, bright link between the house and the garden. You get doors built to the exact size of your opening, fitted by our own team and backed by a 10-year guarantee.
This page looks at bifolds for homes in Merton Park in particular: the kind of openings we find here, which frames suit them, and what to check before you order. For the full product range, see our main bifold doors page. For other work in the area, go back to our Merton Park glazing page, or see all our double glazing across Merton.
Bifold doors in Merton Park: what we see locally
- Streets we fit on: Mostyn Road, Dorset Road and Sheridan Road
- Near: St Mary's Church, Merton Park
Big bifold frames come in long, heavy pieces, so we plan the delivery route and parking before the day. If the side gate is narrow, we bring the frame through the house with floors and walls covered.
Is a Bifold Door Right for Your Opening?
A bifold suits a wide opening where you want the whole width to open in summer. The panels fold and stack to one or both sides. Most sets run from two to seven panels.
Start with the opening itself. We check four things on every survey:
- Width: the span sets how many panels you need and how big each one is.
- Lintel: the beam above must carry the load with no sag. A sagging head makes panels drag.
- Floor level: the base needs to be flat to within a few millimetres, or the panels will stick.
- Garden level: we need room for a step or a drain so rain runs away from the sill.
If the opening is small, a bifold may not be the best choice. Two wide French doors give a clearer view than three thin bifold panels. Our French doors page explains when that swap makes sense.
Panel Layouts and the Traffic Door
Think about how you will use the doors on a normal day. Most people do not fold the whole set just to let the dog out. That is why we add a traffic door to most sets. It is a single panel that opens like a normal door, with its own handle.
Common layouts include:
- Three panels: the most popular size for a kitchen or dining room. All three stack to one side, with one used as the traffic door.
- Four panels: often split two and two, so the doors open from the middle.
- Five or more: for wide rear walls and new extensions, where the full width opens to the patio.
Plan where the stack will sit. It should not block a radiator, a socket or the route to the garden. You can choose doors that fold out onto the patio or in towards the room. Most of our clients pick an out-fold, so the stack sits outside and leaves floor space free.
Frame Materials: Aluminium, uPVC and Timber
The frame decides how slim the door looks, how much it weighs and how much care it needs.
- Aluminium: strong and slim, so you see more glass and less frame. A thermal break inside the frame stops the cold from passing through. It comes powder coated in almost any colour, with grey and black the top picks.
- uPVC: a lower cost choice with good heat loss figures. The frames are thicker, so the sightlines are wider. Steel inside the frame keeps long panels straight.
- Timber: warm and natural, and often the best match on older homes. It needs a fresh coat of paint or stain every few years.
All our bifolds use double glazed units with low-E glass, warm-edge spacers and argon gas. Under Part L, a new door must reach a U-value of 1.4 W/m²K or better. Our sets meet that, and we tell you the exact figure on the quote. All glass below 800mm from the floor is toughened safety glass as standard.
Thresholds, Drainage and Weather
The base of the door is where most problems start. A flush threshold looks clean and makes it easy to walk out with a tray of drinks. But it needs a drain in front of it, as water has nowhere else to go.
A raised threshold sits a little higher and keeps rain out better on an open, windy wall. We look at which way your garden faces and how much shelter it gets, then advise on the right one. On most jobs we also fit:
- Q-LON or similar gaskets that seal each panel as it closes
- Drain slots in the bottom track, cut to the maker's guide
- A sill that falls away from the house
Security and Locks
A row of glass panels needs strong locks. Every set we fit has a multi-point lock on the main panel, with hooks that grip steel keeps in the frame. The glass is beaded on the inside, so no one can pry it out from the garden.
The other panels lock with shoot bolts at top and bottom. We set them so the panels pull tight onto the seals when closed. You can add a door chain, a key lock on each handle or contacts for an alarm.
Planning, Building Control and Your Home
Most bifold doors on the back of a house do not need planning consent. They count as a change to a window or door, which falls under permitted development. Things change if you live in a flat, a listed building or a conservation area. In those cases, the council may want a set that looks like the old one.
If the opening is getting wider, the new lintel needs Building Regulations sign-off. We work with Merton Council where needed. For a simple swap, we register the job through FENSA and send you the certificate. Keep it safe, as you will need it when you sell.
What Drives the Cost of Bifold Doors
There is no single price for a bifold, because no two openings are the same. These are the main things that move the cost up or down:
- Size and panel count: more panels mean more glass, more track and more locks.
- Frame: aluminium and timber cost more than uPVC.
- Colour: a dual colour, with one shade inside and one outside, adds to the price.
- Glass: solar control or triple glazing costs more than standard units.
- Building work: a new steel lintel, a wider opening or a new floor level all add time.
- Making good: plastering, sills and trims after the fit.
We give every client a written, fixed quote after a free survey. The quote lists the frame, glass, locks and building work, so you can see what you are paying for. Payment stages are set out in the quote too. You can book your free survey here.
Our full process, from survey to aftercare, is set out on our how we work page. In short, we measure, make the doors to size, fit them in a day or two and check they run well before we leave.
Care and Upkeep
Bifolds need a little care to keep running well. Twice a year, we suggest you:
- Sweep and wipe the bottom track, so grit does not wear the rollers.
- Clear the drain slots with a soft brush or a thin stick.
- Spray the hinges and locks with a silicone spray.
- Check the seals for splits, and call us if you find one.
If a panel starts to catch or drop, it often needs a small tweak to the rollers. Call us before it gets worse. Most fixes take less than an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can bifold doors be fitted on an upper-floor balcony?
Yes, but the structure must be right first. On a first-floor balcony, we may ask for a structural engineer to check the beam, the floor and the fixings. Wind on a high wall is stronger, so we use stronger hardware and laminated glass. We also plan the drainage with care, as rain on a balcony has less room to run off.
Do bifold doors need special blinds?
Not always. Many people use standard roller or pleated blinds, one per panel, fixed to the frame or the wall above. The key is to keep them clear of the fold, so the panels can open fully. Another choice is blinds built inside the glass unit. They never need cleaning and cannot tangle, though they cost more and are fixed once made.
Can bifold doors be automated?
Some systems can be fitted with a motor that opens and closes the panels at the touch of a button. It needs a power supply and safety sensors, and it works best on new sets rather than as a later add-on. Ask us at the survey if this matters to you, so we can plan the wiring before the walls are made good.
Are bifold doors safe and secure with pets in the house?
Yes. A traffic door lets pets in and out without opening the whole set. If you want a pet flap, we can fit one in a solid panel or in a glass unit made for it. The main panel still has a multi-point lock, and the glass stays beaded on the inside, so you keep the same level of security.
Do bifold doors let in more road or garden noise?
A badly fitted set can, as sound gets through any small gap. A well fitted set with good seals is as quiet as a solid wall of glass. If noise is a worry, we can use laminated or thicker glass in the units. We also seal the frame to the wall all round, and pack the threshold with care.