As home renovation specialists, we have carried out an abundance of home improvement projects that have fulfilled our clients’ visions of their dream home. We provide an excellent design package and service to make it easy for you to go straight into the construction process with your chosen builder. We cover many bases, whether you’re looking for a home refurbishment, loft conversion, or a ground floor extension in London.

When proceeding with the drawings for a new house extension, we encourage you to discuss every little detail of the room with your designer. This may include the placement of openings, the dining space or where a kitchen island can be located. Another important feature is the type of internal doors you would like. We cover the different options available to you, and the advantages and disadvantages of them, helping you to make a well-informed decision.

Standard Swing Door

The vast majority of houses in the UK are built with individual standard hinged doors, as it is simple and affordable, yet strong and reliable. This is why you can find these doors in all types of colours, shapes and sizes, making the process of matching your interior incredibly smooth. It is also easy to install and can even be done as a DIY project for most homeowners. However, these systems require a certain amount of space to accommodate the full area of the door swing, which means it might not be the best type of door for a small house. Furthermore, the door’s frame eats into your wall space, and the exposed hinges would be susceptible to rusting. Some homeowners may find this door type a bit plain for their interior.

French Doors

French doors are double hinged doors that can open either outwards or inwards, providing access to the whole width of the opening. What makes a door French is their appearance, which typically is characterised by a wood frame with divided panes of glass. For interior use, this is fantastic at making your house look bigger, as its visual permeability allows light to flow through. This provides a soft, elegant separation between a dining room and a kitchen/living area. However, as it involves door swings, it also requires a certain amount of floor space to accommodate it. It is best to find a trusted professional to install this, as poor installation can cause cold leaks at the point where the doors meet, making this a pricier option.

Bi-fold Door

This system involves multiple leaves of door that slide together to one side, and unfold to close off an opening. As it opens up to reveal all sides of the leaves, it is relatively easy to clean and maintain. It is perfect for small spaces, such as a storage room, as it requires half the area that a standard single leaf door would need. Make your doors glazed if you need to allow for a flow of natural light into the room. Depending on the size of the doors, it can become expensive.

Sliding (Barn) Door

When you think of space-saving internal doors, it is highly likely that your mind goes straight to sliding doors. This system is super simple and can enhance a rustic/farm style home. It involves the installation of a track/bar placed parallel to the top of the door opening, allowing the door to slide from side-to-side. Due to this, and the absence of any complex hardware, it is a relatively affordable system that can be used anywhere in the home.

Choose a wooden door to add to your collection of wood accents, or a glazed door to create a visually open barrier between rooms. Although this is a trendy option today, it has its downfalls too. Its ability to block out sound is hindered by its form, as there are plenty of gaps between the door and the wall. It also requires your floor to be completely level, or your door may become stuck when closing, and may be noisy when in use due to the type of track that it slides on.

Pocket Doors

• 

• 

Similar to the system above, pocket doors involve a sliding door that tucks neatly into the wall, making it amazing for saving space. This involves the reconstruction of the mentioned wall, as a cavity must be built into it to accommodate the full length of the door. In a sleek, minimalist home, pocket doors would work amazingly as all of the hardware would be hidden. These are even better in the case of separating a dining room from a kitchen, as you can fully tuck away your doors, allowing for an open plan space.

However, because of the need for wall renovations, it is usually quite expensive compared to a standard door. It also struggles to block out noise and smell, as it can be hard to get them to fit flush against the frame. As it already requires renovation, you may find it surprising that these doors can sometimes fall out of their hidden tracks, making them hard to open at times. This can become annoying, which is why we would class this as a high-maintenance system. A set of 2 pocket doors benefits from all the features mentioned above, but requires double the construction. This is great for a large opening, and you can replicate the look of French doors.

Pivot

This system involves a door leaf that pivots about a fixed point along a door frame. It is an elegant and unique way to dress your property’s internal (and usually large) openings, rather than your external doors. They come ready-made in pre-determined sizes, making it simple to install. Brush seals allow for these doors to be sound and heat insulated. It typically opens smoothly and silently, also making it ideal for those with disabilities. Its innovative design comes at a price, as it is usually made of lighter and cheaper materials, such as MDF, yet still racks up a high price point.

We hope we have helped you with the process of piecing together your dream house, and we look forward to speaking with you about them in the future. You can contact us on 02070432378, or email us at hello@hometales.co.uk. To arrange a phone call for a time that best suits you, you can book a telephone consultation here.