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.

Oaktown, the salesman who was working with my mom indicated that these new doors have a better air seal /better efficiency than French doors. Of course, when don't sales people say what works for them? You're right about the track. RunnerGirl, I've also lived with no-good apartment sliding glass doors, but these were not the same -- perhaps that's why they've "upped" the name -- they want to separate them in our minds. BeautyButDebtFree -- love your name! Yes, I HATE the swing of my French doors. It's a pain and prevents breezes from entering the house. My mom agrees, and we're both excited to see how these doors work in her house. As for sizes, you'll have to do the math yourself -- after you're sure of your wall sizes. No one choice is going to be right for every house. Bottom line for me: When I went shopping with my mom, I wasn't prepared to be so wowed by these doors. I thought the choices were old-fashioned sliding glass doors or inefficient French doors. These new doors seem to have the best of both options, while removing some of their problems. I'd recommend that any home buyer give them a look before making a decision.

This is an old post but I am asking the same question. Ideally I would like them to be 40 inches wide. I have not investigated the custom route. I need 6 of these (4 for dining room and two for study). Neither room is huge so putting 4 foot wide doors is impossible in the study (12 feet wide) and not a great choice in the dining room (would fit on 17 foot wall but not on 14 foot wall). Wondering if anyone has a good resource or alternative? My architect suggested substituting casements but I don't like the look of the long casements as well. He also said he could do a faux door but I really don't like that idea! Hate to give them up as we practically designed the house around them!

I use Thermatru SmoothStar fiberglass doors quite often, with upgrades such as frame saver jambs, adjustable sills, and their flush glazed glass surround. While they're not a high end door, I've had good luck with them. From what I understand, Thermatru distributes their doors through different companies around the country, and that could determine how the final door turns out. Here, Huttig is the distributor who builds the doors to order, and I have few complaints. You should be able to get a decent door and a good installation for a lot less than the Andersen door you were quoted.