Sorry, ronnatalie ~ I suppose I was thinking of American vs international plugs, which have (in assorted configurations) fat or slim round prongs or flat prongs or prongs of differing widths and in different combinations of round and/or flat, with 2 or 3 or 4 prongs per plug, set parallel or angled, centrally or off-center... and on and on. As long as the plug's prongs properly fit the outlet they were designed to fit in order to transmit the electricity for which they were designed, there really isn't any practical reason for using any one combination of prongs rather than another. No matter all the different appearances: each conducts the electricity to the appliance. The only consistency is that various countries have a preferred design. The preferred design is the local convention, and the convention is not due to practicality or a requirement of electrical transmission, but simply because sometime somewhere someone decided that only a particular design was to be used. Consistency does not have to have a practical or logical reason for existence; it simply has to be accepted by enough people for it to seem reasonable to be accepted. So whether it's about two-pronged plugs or in-swinging exterior doors, local convention rules local usage.

To all reading this post: First of all, the quoted post should be attributed to Brickeyee. My sincerest apologies for my error. Here's a copy-and-paste version with the relevant section. Posted by brickeyee (My Page) on Thu, Jan 31, 08 at 19:46 .... The track should also NEVER be attached to a header in a weight bearing wall. A secondary header should be installed with about a 1/2 inch clearance below the structural header. If the header bows (and they all do to some extent) it can cause problems with the track. If the wall is NOT weight bearing the header will not be loaded and you CAN omit the second header. Decker, You asked what I meant by a secondary header. The real answer is I don't know; I'm just parrotting what I've read. But the term was used when describing 2x4(?)as something to which the pocket door track would be attached. BTW, this door installation is not a DIY project. I'm just trying to second-guess potential problems in construction. Again, I apologize if I've opened a can of worms.

I agree, you might consider a 6' door with 2 sidelites. Or even a French style sliding door. If you're set on the 8' 2 panel hinged door I'd make sure you understand the warranty. It should work out just fine as Simonton is a reputable company and they likely wouldn't produce something that doesn't function. That said, if any product will have a problem 5-10 years down the road it's something like this.

French doors usually come "pre-hung" which means they are installed in the door frame already. To do it right you need to buy doors that match the existing opening or alter the opening, including installing a new header and framing for the pre-hung doors, to fit. Altering the doors to fit the existing opening is not a good plan.