I personally think the Sunrise slider is nicer than that the Provia in this comparison. The Hinged patio or French equivalent of the Provia door would be more expensive as a standard when compared to their slider variant. Most folks have the idea that the French is a more premium door than a slider but the slider works better for most people because it does not encroach into the roof vs. and Inswing French and it has a screen as a standard whereas an Oustswing will not.

Thanks so much to both of you. I had no idea the fixed panel was mechanically fastened. (Shows what I know, ha ha!) I guess I sort-of assumed it was glued or siliconed in place, and being loose was in danger of actually falling out. East Bay, the whole fixed panel seems a smidge loose but I'll see if I can find a good spot for a picture.

I think the door choice is mostly aesthetic vs functionality. Both will do a similar job by providing a large opening space with little obstruction on the sill. If you are going to be painting, primed is a good option. Factory finishing is also worthy of consideration. Couldn't hurt to get a Marvin quote.

I'll preface this by saying that my house is a ranch with many mid-century modern touches but also traditional aspects such as 6-panel doors. Our furniture is mainly MCM. I love our house, but am surprised by how often people spontaneously say what a nice house it is. Hence, my comments on how I appreciate our "dated" window coverings: First, I enjoy my mini-blinds in my office and living room. Both have bow windows. We can look out, but don't feel exposed. These are 6 foot windows about a foot above the floor. In the living room I have sheer draperies that I close at night. In our dining area on the back of the house we have 24 feet of windows/a sliding door that all go to the floor. On those I have vertical blinds (how dated!) that the previous owners installed. They have vertical lines so when closed they look like striped draperies. When tilted open I don't feel exposed but can see the garden in the back. For temperature control we also have honeycomb blinds that we pull down only on days with extreme heat or nights with extreme cold.