We have five sliders and five french doors (Pella)...and a lot of window washing! The french doors are all single doors and twp of the sliders are doubles (i.e., four panes of glass each). We live in the Sacramento area and enjoy bringing the outdoors in. The screen doors on the sliders are spring-loaded so they close behind you automatically, a very handy feature. Space wasn't a concern for us and we easily could have accommodated french doors throughout but for us the focus wasn't on the doors but rather on the view and the sliders are very unobtrusive in that respect. And although our home is an old-world Tuscan design, the sliders work just fine aesthetically. On the subject of window washing, we discovered the Mr. Clean AutoDry Car Washing system makes washing all those windows a breeze. It's a device that attaches to the hose and dispenses either soap or clear water. But it also dispenses de-ionized water for use in the final rinse so that windows can self-dry without spotting...a big time saver. No squeegeeing, no wiping and the windows are spotless! We wash the windows with a sponge mop, rinse with water and DI water and we're done. If you have divided light windows, it wouldn't be of much help but for large panes of glass, it's invaluable. Bob

I know this thread is a couple months old but I also wanted these doors with the built in blinds. I ended up ordering the Thermatru brand - that is the less expensive brand with only the white blinds. ( I didn't know they offered ivory blinds). I also checked out the Pella brands. The Pella ones were much nicer. You can open the window on the Pella doors and change out the blinds to many other colors. But the Pella door was $1600, and the Thermatru door was about $500. Since this is only in the pool bath, I chose the Thermatru one. Ginny

marti8a- We have 2 sets of aluminum clad, low e, argon filled sliders and a set of the same outward opening french doors, all by Eagle (now owned by Andersen, but independent when we purchased them 8 years ago). They all operate easily, close securely and have no air infiltration, we are in NNY and have wind, cold and snow and have never had a problem. While I like the look of french doors better, we chose sliders in two our of three locations because we wanted screens on the doors, we don't have or want A/C, so screens are on the doors are a must for us. The one french door we have will someday open onto a small sunroom/conservatory (hopefully), that's why we chose a set of french doors in that area. Eagle, as well as the other well known manufacturers, have lots of options on the interior; primed, painted, stained, different wood species, hardware options, etc. We rented a house with vinyl sliders when we were building and I would not recommend them at all, they didn't work well, ice built up in the channels and the cold air poured in seemingly from the entire opening. I strongly prefer the wood interior and aluminum clad exterior, but overall I would get the best ones you can afford, good doors and windows pay for themselves in the form of lower energy costs. Good luck- sandyponder

We've had Pella sliders with built in blinds for 9 years. I raise and lower them almost daily. I slant them depending on amount of light I want in the room. Live in the upper midwest with hot summers and cold winters. No insulation problems and they do block road noise. I've even gotten used to the slight blue color of the low e glass. Never have to dust the blinds. The dog and grandchildren can't put their respective noses, paws, fingers through the blinds to damage them. The interior pane opens with a hinge? effect if we ever have to have the blinds changed. I would have a Pella person do this if it ever becomes necessary, I would not want to do this myself. I almost want to "knock on wood" that these have worked out so well for us when I see the negative responses to them.