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French doors to replace sliding doors

8 years ago

We have older sliding glass wood doors that need replacement in our kitchen and living room. Our initial plan has been to replace them with french doors. We got quotes from Lowe's and Home Depot but because the living room door opening is very large (106 by 79) the quotes are around $10,000 for Pella or Anderson 400 Series French doors. We also were planning to sit down with a couple of window companies.

This obviously is a large amount of money and we have numerous other projects we need to think about. Any thoughts on quality/ value or any other ideas that might be an upgrade but not as expensive? The kitchen door opens onto a screened porch and the living room door onto a patio. Thanks!

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Comments (8)

redtartan
8 years ago
What about doing the look of French doors with one that opens and on either side fixed doors? I would imagine that could bring down the cost. I'm not certain on that though. We have something similar on our kitchen patio doo. The one is fix, the other opens and we can take off or put the screen on at times of year like summer.
applex
8 years ago
What window brands did you see ?
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Decent quality sliding - or folding sliding doors - will do the job and last more than 15 years. Of course you have to fit them properly for a good seal so choose an experienced fitter, a specialist fitter or buy a door that can be fitted by the manufacturer. As with anything, you get what you pay for. Untreated softwoods are likley to warp over time so treated woods, hardwoods or metal doors will perform well over a longer period.
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I think you are trying to create a solution for a problem that will be extremely rare. You don't have anything that big now because there's no existing opening...just a sliding patio door. Let's say you wanted to get a large piece in now. Here's a video of Tommy on This Old House doing a patio door install. At 6:30 he has the frame in and installs the fixed and sliding parts of the door. This is a couple minute job and the last part of the install. Removing both would also be a quick procedure. And you'd have a very large opening for the rare time you'd need one. A couple more minutes and everything is back together. It's that simple.; You just saved a ton of money. It's not as 'ordinary' as opening two swinging doors, but it gets the job done in the moment with zero negative repercussions. Moving a big piece of furniture takes several or at least a couple strong people who would be capable of lifting the patio doors out and in again. You can use this video to make your new sliding door wider too. If you want an outswing French door the hinge pins can be locked in with a set screw for each pin.
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If you already have a double pane door, the problem may not be the door. Before going into expense of adding another layer of drywall to the walls and ceiling and replacing the door, I would check other things. Like bathroom exhaust fan ducting...is it insulated? HVAC ducts. Plumbing vents. Gaskets on all the exterior wall switches & receptacles as well as ceiling lights. Recessed light cans? Pull a piece of door/ window trim and check that the space between the jamb and framing is insulated.
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kkozol
8 years ago
We installed an Anderson sliding french doors two years ago. Love it! It was expensive but worh every penny! If we had the room to do true french doors that swing open we would have done that. Don't give it a second thought! They really upgraded the look of our home and set the tone for our kitchen remodel and updated our whole first floor. The Anderson door glides well, feels solid and looks beautiful.
clara_sophia
Original Author
8 years ago
walter, we have only looked at Pella and Anderson at the box stores so far. We need to meet also with some local shops. Do you recommend a specific brand? Kkozol, thanks for your experience. Which Anderson series do you have?
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
8 years ago
Andersen makes a nice slider. If you want wood, look at them and Marvin. If vinyl is acceptable, Sunrise, Okna, and Soft-Lite make nice doors.
kkozol
8 years ago
We put in the Anderson A series sliding french door.
mtvhike
7 years ago
I just got a quote from HD for some Anderson series 400 outswing french doors, and the uninstalled price was about $2800. They were only half the width of yours, but I still think your price is excessive.
Michael M
7 years ago
What was the configuration of the doors? A 9 foot wide opening is very large, but $10,000 does seem too high. You might want to get a few quotes from contractors directly instead of Home Depot. Sliding doors are usually about 30% cheaper than french doors.

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