Terrace door: Maximum functional width?

Thank you very much for your reply, 11ant.

Our concern arose because we first heard from friends and then also read online about problems due to the weight with very wide, single-leaf patio doors with triple glazing.

Do you have such doors yourself and report from experience, or are you a professional?

Our concern arose because we [...] read about problems due to the weight in very wide, single-leaf patio doors with triple glazing.

I would be interested to know where these problems are described. Single-leaf patio doors do not even exist in "very wide": 120 cm or more are uncommon for handling reasons; multi-leaf doors are preferred instead. Triple glazing becomes heavy (not for the door itself, but more for the operator) when you want four-meter sliding doors. The planned dimension in your case is, in my opinion, the best choice – however, I place a question mark behind the all-around sampling of the house with patio doors. Does the planner want to appear modern with this?

Do you have such doors yourself and report from experience, or are you a professional?

I had the pleasure of running a window factory. All the more it amazes me to read that someone has concerns about this patio door format.

I would be interested to know where these problems are supposed to be described.

We searched on Google afterwards. However, some of the comments were already quite old. So I came here with my question.

The planned dimension with you is, in my view, the best choice – however, I put a question mark behind the all-around sampling of the house with French windows. Does the planner want to appear modern with this?

My original post is somewhat misleading there. Rather, so far all windows on the ground floor and the upper floor facing the garden have been executed as French windows with a width of 112.5 cm. From the side, the house is private, so the green view is to be brought into the house here.

Heavy (not for the door itself, but more for the operator) becomes triple glazing when you want four-meter sliding doors.

That is exactly what we considered today. We want to install a 350 cm wide sliding door centered in the living room and with 70 cm spacing on the left and right next to it a 112.5 cm wide terrace door. Then there are still 80 cm on each side to the walls limiting the room.

This sliding door must still be easy to operate – right? (It is always only half that can be slid.)

Sorry for these real beginner questions. But I have little knowledge about it and am trying to read up on it.

With the background that you are an expert:

How do you see the problem of thermal breaks with triple glazing in our example?

Our living room has a south-southeast orientation. Otherwise, roller shutters and terrace umbrellas are planned. Therefore, partial shading of windows could occur in summer, e.g., due to half-lowered roller shutters or the sun umbrellas.

3.50m sliding door and next to it again patio doors? What's the point of that? How big is the room that can accommodate that? Are you aware of the appearance of this combination?

We have a raw opening measurement of 120 cm for a patio door; I would first have to measure myself how many panels it ultimately ended up being. The window fitter said that weight-wise it wouldn't be a problem. In the end, however, we will probably have to adjust the hinges more often than on the narrower elements... By the way, the door opens in such a way that it does not really get in my way even when open. Otherwise, the space requirement in the room alone would have been a significant point against a single panel for me.

This sliding door should still be easy to operate - right? (Only half of it is always movable.)

Both halves can be movable, although with a two-part sliding door one half always completely covers the other, so overall only half the width is available as a passage.

Ease of operation is relative: the bodybuilder agrees with you without hesitation, his girlfriend in size 34 does not.

Given that you are a professional: How do you see the problem with thermal breaks in triple glazing in our example?

We want to have a 350 cm wide sliding door installed centrally in the living room and a 112.5 cm wide terrace door with 70 cm clearance on the left and right sides. Then there are still 80 cm each to the walls limiting the room.

Given that you are a professional, a) I wonder what you might mean by thermal breaks and b) I shake my aged head at the audacious plan to build this *ahem* extraordinary combination of door elements.

I suggest again that you present your whole house here: you know it, but we will hardly make sense of your words and are fumbling in the fog.

(In the interest of the forum’s organizational logic, please start a new thread for this and link it here).