The choice should depend on how the door design fits with the overall design concept of the house and you're not telling us anything about that.

Asking a window salesperson to advise you on the design of your house is no more likely to be helpful than asking a stranger on the street. "Hey you, you know anything about designing a house?"

Sure, it can get difficult to open big rolling doors frequently unless you get the expensive kind (Marvin or better). It's actually the screen that becomes a pain since animals like to go through them and anyone with poor eyesight will do the same. I recently saw someone knocked unconscious when someone (not me) closed the door while he was out of the room. Rolling doors are never an ideal solution IMHO. Doggie doors in walls usually work well if you have the space.

Why did you choose rolling doors in the first place?

Well I didn't really ask her opinion. She just offered it. The design of the house is a European look and the family room will have a 4' porch off the back where the doors will be. Not enclosed. The room is 18x17 the 17' is
where the doors will be located. My ceilings are 9' I want as much light space as I can get because this is a western exposure with the porch overhang it will take away even more light. I will get some light coming in from a skylight I have over the center of the house stairway going upstairs that will probably spill into the room somewhat from there. The family room is in the middle of the house. Bedroom to the south and kitchen to the north.
So the only window space I have for the room is that western wall where the exterior doors are going.
I have opted for the rolling doors because of interior floor space and wanting to be able to sit on that rather small porch area without constantly having to move the chairs for the doors to open. Having the doors both open to the north and south will allow me approximately a 42" opening which I'm hoping will allow people to exit in and out freely with no doors in the way in pleasant weather and maybe feel "somewhat" like a screened porch inside. At least as close as I can get. Albeit not much :). But thats the desire. So that is why I chose that style doors and her opinion was offered not asked. But I am asking yours :) and I don't even know if your an "expert" so what do you think of that!

LOL gardengirl, Mightyanvil is a very knowledgeable architect. Too funny!
Personally, I'm not a fan of sliders in general. Is there any way to make the porch wider than 4'?

So wish I could. Lot coverage is an issue and we are unfortunately maxed out. We wanted a master on the first floor and that sucked up alot of space. I figure a small porch is better than nothing. When its not raining to hard I can still have the doors open and be able to enjoy the smell of the rain while inside. Thats why I want both doors to open to let as much outside in as I can and I can't give up the floor space in either direction. I do think when they are open it will look beautiful without any center stile in the middle though. The doors are going to be Anderson, if I remember correctly Marvin doesn't have ones with screens so we've had to go with Anderson. My thought was that the doors would be lighter if they were not 8' if we put a transom above the door. Just trying to cover all the bases for when we're old and feeble. It may be a nonissue if the doors slide easily.
Frankly I wish I could go with the regular doors but combining all these issues we've decided on the sliders.
I'm not sure how the transoms will look with the porch either. Transoms or 8' doors, transoms or 8' doors. Help!I need some input. What do you think? Even if your not an architect:), although an architects opinion would be nice :))

By transom you mean the non-opening sections? Why not do 3', 6', 3', with the middle section being a 6' sliding door? Unless you need the extra opening width to get furniture through (or the design dictates it), why do the 8'? I do think an 8' slider could be difficult to open. My 75 yo MIL has issues with my 6' Anderson slider (the higher end Anderson). Now, a french door (swinging, rather than sliding) is easier to open. I personally prefer the hinged doors (I have both), but they can't be used where furniture placement will be an issue (which is why I have the slider in the kitchen).

This is on the western wall? Make sure you allow enough space on either side of the windows for stack back (the space the drapes go so they don't cover glass). You really need to plan for window coverings on that wall (says the women who can't watch her TV in the afternoon due to the setting sun). If the wall is 17' and you do 12' of windows I'm not sure if you have enough space for stack back.

Sue, my doors would only be 36" wide opening in opposite directions. Two stationary units 36" wide at the ends and two movable ones in the middle. Transoms if I'm stating it right are windows that go above the doors. So if I got 6'8" doors with transoms they would probably be about 8' high all together but the doors would be lighter than the 8' without transoms. Keeping your elderly MIL in mind, I'm thinking that would be a better option for an elderly person but I'm concerned about the overall look with the porch. Maybe the 8' because they are only 36" wide wouldn't be to heavy. All opinions appreciated.

How about something like this?

Here is a link that might be useful: Lanai doors

Being the computer illiterate I am, I cannot figure out how to scan and attach these drawings. I guess you could say it is a cross between Country French and English. Shake high roof, dormers. Greyish Taupe Stucco on front with stones peeking out. Back half of house sided in vertical greyish taupe cedar. Red brick over arched tops of windows in the front. Hope that helps somewhat. The best I can do.

They are beautiful, I've seen them. I would still be having to move my porch furniture all the time though. What a pain that would be. Why is everyone so averse to the sliders. Are they a real pain? Do they break alot?

To post a JPG photo go to Tinypic.com, BROWSE to find the photo, click the DOWNLOAD button, then copy the text in the "HTML FOR WEBSITES" box and then paste it into the text of your message. If it is too large when you preview it, you should make it smaller before downloading to tinypic.

I can't do it! Grrr. If you go to www.jackarnold.com and click on country french classics the first house is similar in look. Ours won't have that stone in the front, it will be that stucco I described. Similiar but not quite as opulent. Most country french looks will have a smoother stucco than we are having. Ours is going to have a much heavier relief with those stones poking thru so it can kind of give it a little bit of an English look as well. Thats why I described it as European because I really don't know what it will fall under. Anyhoo, thats the best I can do. Hope that helps

Watch the framing carefully.
There is a large header over the doors, and it must fit vertically above the door and below the roof framing.

Not as much an issue with 9 foot (or more) walls.

We have the set up you are describing in two rooms where room space (i.e., French doors not a viable option) [- a Marvin sliding door with transom over. The doors are easy to slide and I assume the Marvin 8' doors would also be easy to slide. That said, I'll try to get a photo and post it for you. Our home style is Georgian (brick, wood shake roof). One set of the doors open to a covered porth, the other set opens to a non-covered patio.

That would be great Betsy Anne, so you so much!

We have 3 rooms that have 12ft openings with 8ft sliding doors. The glass is in four equal sections (panels) and the center two both open over the outside two (stationary) panels. They are wood inside with aluminum clad on the outside. We have two other openings of this size that have french doors and side windows.

We really like the sliding doors. They are big but easy to open and close (we are in our mid 50s)and the screens are great to have (we are on a golf course so there are critters).

We built the house and have been in about two years. It is a very old world Mediterranean style with 10ft ceilings and 8ft doors and window headers. We did not do any transoms though they look great - it is just a different look. DH really liked the idea of 8ft doors and it did come out nice. People seem to notice the doors (interior and exterior) and we get a lot of complements.

Thank you lv for responding. Its good to hear that they are easy for you to open and close. That really is the main concern and why I was considering the transoms thinking a door that wasn't so tall wouldn't be so heavy to move. Like you the ones I have chosen are just as you describe. I guess unlike "patio" sliding doors these probably wouldn't be as heavy as they are only about 32" wide. So not as large to move. Thanks for the feedback.

I have a transom above my living room french doors. I also have one above my family room sliding doors. Here are some pics.

Christine

Thank you Christine, something I'm noticing is everyones looks nice. I've been obsessing and obsessing and then when I see everyones different setups it all looks beautiful. I might even go with 8' doors no transoms in the family room and a 6'8" door with a arched transom in the kitchen. I'm getting to the point already where I'm pooped making these decisions and just going to do whatever the heck I feel like doing. Obviously trying to keep things in good taste but frankly I don't think anyone is going to come over and really critique everything. Thank you all so much for your feedback and pictures! Both will look nice :)