I'm in the process of getting a quote for the Marvin contemporary sliding door (14'x8') with aluminum clad exterior in ebony and wood interior painted designer black at the Marvin factory with their matte black hardware. May I ask what made you decide between the contemporary and the french door? Are you using the Marvin contemporary windows for the rest of your house?

We were told the largest width sliding patio door in 8' height was 12'. That is why we moved to the French slider.

I should clarify these are all the ultimate windows and doors.

Are you doing their contemporary line? I honestly couldn't find much info comparing the contemporary and ultimates.

Are they the same, just thinner frames?

I asked the Marvin dealer the difference and she replied, 'Yes the contemporary window is the same construction as all other products in the Marvin Window line just slimmer looking'. So I think they are the same with some added options such as Sticking Option; Sticking Options

The interior edge detail where glazing meets wood is called sticking, sometimes referenced as bead. While ogee sticking is usually featured, square sticking can be specified for a clean, crisp, more contemporary look. So when specifying contemporary it automatically includes the square sticking. I am not really sure if they have thinner frames on the windows. But I know for sure on the contemporary sliding patio door they have 3 inch stiles and rails (frames) which is thinner then the Marvin Ultimate french doors.

I am worried now because I might be told it only comes in 12' width whereas I have 14' width. If that is the case I may order the Western Windows 600 series sliding door. It is not cheap though. I'm pretty much sold on all the windows being Marvin Clad Contemporary gliders (no casements or awnings here due to application) and a couple of fixed, as when trying the windows and french slider door (they didn't have the contemporary patio sliding door but she said they are the same except for the thinner frame) in the showroom today they were hands down the most substantial top quality product in the store. You will be very happy.

jamesla30 I saw this on the Marvin sliding patio door page which i'm pretty sure is the aluminum clad/wood int contemporary door I am getting a quote on:

Features

• 3" stiles and rails provide a modern look that maximizes your view
• Elegant harp-shaped handle and two-point lock system provide security
• Ultrex sill withstands traffic and seasonal changes, so the door slides smoothly and easily
• Design options such as four-panel patio doors are available
• Optional top-hung screen are adjustable
• Available up to 16 feet in width
• Optional low-profile, high-performance sill is ideal for Universal Design

Here's the link:

https://www.marvin.com/marvin/doors/sliding-patio?view=features-options&option=features

oh but maybe the 16' width is for a shorter height than 8'...

Yes the thinner sliding door is referred to as the "sliding patio door" vs the thicker "french sliding door".

The largest size is 12x8. However you can do a 16 in the shorter height which is 6'8".

We would like at least 14' and possibly 16' with 8' height. Because of this we only have the option of the French style. The 14' is actually about $1500 more than 16' because it is custom size.

I was also told the French style slides a bit better because it has more substance, but that may have just been a sales pitch.

I do agree that with the large sizes we are talking about you probably won't notice the slightly larger stiles and base as you would on a smaller size.

Some clarification on this discussion of contemporary 1) since you are seeking contemporary, I would also look at the contemporary handle not just the harp handle 2) the sliding French has an option for a contemporary panel. This provides a smaller bottom rail of 4 3/4" versus the standard 8". It does add $400 - 500 per panel for the special tempered glass but you get the 16080 that you want 3) the contemporary and the ultimate casement have the same site lines. The contemporary offers smaller jambs (sheetrock return?) and the sash is flush with the frame on the exterior (also comes with the square sticking as mentioned above). This gives it the "thinner" look.

Thanks for the clarification EastBay10 -- we will definitely be doing the contemporary handles. How is the french w/ contemporary panels different from the sliding patio door? My understanding was the french has thicker stiles and rails than the sliding patio, but is otherwise the same.

We are doing drywall return, and I will look into the "contemporary casements", as I was told they are about the same price as ultimates.

I mainly wanted to make sure that they are of the same quality as ultimates and weren't a completely different window and quality.

Re: door - French "contemporary" are 4 3/4" all around - Sliding are 3" - Both share same sill, rollers etc. so same quality. Same for the casements - Same sash, hinges, hardware but smaller frame (Jamb) on the contemporary. Same quality.

My Marvin dealer called Marvin factory and they said they could do the contemporary patio door at 14'x8' with a cost of 13.6k. But Marvin stressed these will not be rated as it is a special order...not sure what that means. i think that is rather pricey. East Bay 10 thank you for your info it has been very helpful. Do you suggest the french contemporary or the regular contemporary for a 14'x8' opening?

What we ideally want is a door that opens all the way but I don't like all the sight lines on a nanawall type door. 2nd option is a 3 panel slider that stacks that opens from the left not the middle. Any suggestions? I've pretty much decided on the Marvin Contemporary windows for 8 windows and a kitchen door with ebony ext/designer black int. so would be nice to try to match closely in color and style.

Btw - my door was around $6,400.

Missi Smith; what a beautiful home you have. I will look into the Windsor option...will check to see if they have the narrow lines with black/black for my modern look. Thank you for posting pics and suggesting windsor.

EastBay -- just to clarify some comments from earlier. I was told by Marvin dealer today that the "contemporary" french door is only available on the swinging patio doors. The "contemporary" option for the french sliding door is literally the "sliding patio door".

So it is either french sliding door with 8" rails, or sliding patio door with 3" rails. There is no 4 3/4" rail option.

We will most likely be going with the French Slider in 16x8. We prefer this to the largest option in the sliding patio door which would be 12x8.

That is not correct Talk to another dealer in your area (use the locator on the Marvin site to find one). As I said it is an upcharge but it is in the Marvin quote program.

I will research further, thanks

jamesla30- what did you end up deciding? We're running into the same height / width limitations with Marvin. Was hoping to do 15' wide x 9' tall, and really don't care for the accordian doors.

We actually ended up going with a "Panoramic Door" -- that is the name of the company. We had some engineering limitations because of header and this worked better. It is similar to Nanawall, but all the panels are independent of one another, rather than accordion. We just moved in last week but they are still doing some work on the patio so we haven't been able to use the door much. I will say its not as "tight" as a sliding door, or probably accordion door for that matter, but the functionality is pretty awesome. I think we ended up with a 16' x 9' door. Its big.

Incredible, very helpful! I think we're heading in that same direction. Seems to best the best bang for the buck for a 15/16 x 9' system

Any pictures of the 16 by 9 ft Panoramic Door?

How is the door working for you so far? Any photos to share? Do you think the quality of the door holds up?

Here's a photo. It looks great, but honestly if we could do it again, we would probably pick a different door. We live in the midwest with cold winters and hot summers. Since this door is mostly aluminum, it moves around a lot depending on the weather. Right now the swing door jambs up when opening/closing, and it hits on the bottom rail too. It requires constant adjusting, which isn't easy to do. When it works good, its great, but its so annoying when it doesn't. We had our builder out about 3 times to adjust, and then got frustrated and had the manufacturer fly out to adjust. It works fine for a month or two after they leave, but then once it gets colder (or hotter) it starts to not work again. It could just be the size of the door too (its huge). But if we ever did it again, I would do a bi-fold or slider wood door.

It looks really nice though! Does this open all the way and how does it look when open fully? So good to hear your feedback after using it for a while. It is so hard to know how it actually works after lived in.

Yes it does. I wouldn't be able to get you a photo until summer, but basically all the panels slide and swing to stack on the right hand side on top of one another.

Typical of what I have heard about Panoramic. Just an ok to average product at the best.

Go to Panoramicdoors.com and you will see how these doors work. Just like all "big", "specialized" doors, the installation is just if not more important than the product. If you live in an area where the ground is moving or subject to Mother Nature, expect annual adjustments but they are nice.

So good post... Jamesla30.... we were going with panoramicdoors.. or considering them... but now, i think you helped solidify our concerns. We are also looking at LaCatina and Windsor... our space is outdoor poolhouse with 16x8 size... any thoughts or did you look at the two brands we have left? Windsor is sold locally... but LaCatina is what our friends in neighoring state used. So i'm on the fence.. west facing.. will get a lot of sun and weather in midwest.

I did get a quote for LaCantina, they seem to have a good product. Nanawall is also a great product and reputable. Both Marvin and Anderson also make good bi-fold doors. The thing with Bi-fold doors is that they "hang" from the top, so your structure has to be able to support the weight. Unfortunatley our opening was so big and was under living area above, so we would have had to install steel beam in order to make a bi-fold door work. That is why we ended up going with panoramic, because the weight is on the bottom, not the top.

If you can go bi-fold, there is alot of good options... I would have gone with Marvin to match our other windows and doors. But LaCantina, Nanawall and others have good products. I am not familiar with Windsor (i've only heard of them), but if thats what you are installing for your windows and other doors, then that might be a good option for you.

but you haven't been entirely happy with Panoramic right? The ones you got? I have read similar issues but in general have heard that the top installation is better (realize you coudln't do that) But i think since we can do that, you might recommend a different company than PD? Right?

The panoramic door looks great and when it is adjusted properly works great too. However, because of my climate, I am having to adjust spacers and such several times a year. It isn't the most energy efficient (I had some icing on the inside when we had extreme cold weather this winter). Its a decent product. I wouldn't totally take it off your list. But there are good bifold products out there too that may perform better year round.

Are there specific features that you prefer with the PD instead of other options? or is it a cost issue of competitors?