Bifold Doors Cost

How much do bifold doors cost in 2024?

The average cost of bifold doors and installation in the UK is around £3,000. However, the bifold doors costs you're quoted by tradespeople will depend on a variety of factors.

In this guide, we go through everything you need to know about the cost of bifold door installations in 2024. This includes bifold door prices for different sizes of doors of different types (uPVC, aluminium, timber) and what you should expect tradespeople to charge.

Together, this makes it simple, easy, and quick for anyone to calculate the cost of fitting bifold doors in their home.

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Keep reading and find everything you need to know in the guide below!

How Much Are Bifold Doors?

Let's start with average costs...

The average cost of installing bifold doors ranges from £1950 to £7200, with the price depending on the material and the number of doors you choose.

For instance...

Timber bifold doors tend to cost from £2000 for 3 door system and up to £4200 for 5 doors, while uPVC bifold doors range from £1950 for 3 doors and £3240 for 5 doors.

What about the cost of aluminium bifold doors?

Aluminium bifold doors are slightly more expensive and are normally priced at £3150 for 3 doors and up to £7200 for a 5-door system.

What can affect the overall cost for bifold doors?

There are several factors that affect the cost, such as the dimensions of the doors, as the larger the width and height, the more you will pay. The location of the property may also determine the final cost, as tradesmen in London and the South of England may charge more than those in northern areas.

Bifold Doors Price

The table below lays out the various costs for different bifold door materials and sizes:

Timber Bifold Doors Cost

Aluminium Bifold Doors Cost

uPVC Bifold Doors Cost

Supply Only Costs

If you would prefer to buy bifold doors from the retailers yourself, then you should consider the following supply costs, which do not include the price of labour:

Timber Bifold Door Costs

Aluminium Bifold Door Costs

uPVC Bifold Door Costs

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Additional Costs of Bifold Doors

There are several other costs you may want to consider when hiring a professional to install your bifold doors, including:

Window Cleaning Cost

To ensure your bifold doors and windows are clean and aesthetically pleasing, you may want to consider hiring a window cleaner to wash your exterior windows regularly.

How much does window add to the costs?

The average cost of hiring a window cleaner is typically around £40 to £50 depending on the size of your home and the number of windows you have.

New Windows Cost

If you have new bifold doors fitted, why not have new windows installed to enhance the look of your property's exterior.

How much will new windows costs?

The typical cost for new window installation ranges from £2175 for a terraced home with 4 new casement windows up to £5400 for a 4-bedroom detached property with up to 15 windows.

Rendering a House Cost

To protect your home's exterior walls and create a smooth finish, you may want to look into re-rendering. This type of external plastering provides a protective layer to brick walls while also enhancing the aesthetic.

How much is rendering?

The average cost of rendering a house tends to range from £2500 to £3500 for a small bungalow while a 4-bedroom detached house could cost up to £8300 for a full rendering of all external walls.

Paint Exterior of House Cost

Another great way to boost kerb appeal is by updating the paint on your property's exterior walls. This may just involve re-applying the same paint and making touch-ups or choosing a completely different colour to help make your home stand out.

How much will painting the outside of your property cost?

The cost of painting your home exterior will start from around £550 to £750 for a terraced property, £700 to £1000 for a semi-detached house and £900 to £1500 for a detached home.

New Patio Cost

To enhance the look of your exterior even more, you may want to consider laying a patio so you can walk out of your bifold doors onto an aesthetically pleasing pathway in the front or back of your home.

What does the cost of a patio depend on, exactly?

The cost of laying a patio will depend on the material you choose along with the size of your pathway.

For instance, the cost to lay a stone patio ranges from £800 for a small size up to £4600 for a large patio, while small brick patios cost around £550 and larger installations are normally priced at £1800.

Other options include slate patios, which start from £900 for a small pathway up to £3800 for a large patio and concrete patios, which cost anywhere from £550 for a little patio up to £3600 for a bigger patio.

New Front Door Cost

Bifold doors are a transformative addition to any property, opening up your living space in the summer months and allowing more light in throughout the year.

Replacing your front door is another job that you might want to consider at the same time if you're looking to improve your home's aesthetic appeal, security, or energy efficiency.

The average cost of a new front door in the UK is around £1,000. Composite front doors are a modern, stylish option that's growing in popularity. The price of composite front doors starts at £400 and reaches around £2,000.

How Much To Install Bifold Doors?

What is the average cost of bifold door installation?

The average labour cost for installing bifold doors is normally around £600 to fit 3 door panels in one day, while a 5-door system may take around 2 days to complete and typically costs around £1000.

What does this cost include?

The price normally includes hiring two tradespeople to complete the job, as it speeds up the installation.

You also want to consider hiring a structural engineer to assess whether the wall where the doors will be installed is secure enough to hold them. They normally charge around £50 to £90 per hour.

What do labour costs and duration of installation depend on?

The overall cost to install bifold doors, as well as how long it takes, will vary depending on the extent of the job.

For example, if a new opening needs to be made, then this may add on another day and increase the price. The price will also be dependent on the level of access, as tradesmen may charge more for a difficult job.

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What Is a Bifold Door?

Bifold doors (aka folding sliding doors) were first patented in 1998 by the Australian-based company Centor, which created the world's first bi-fold door system with weather-sealing abilities that offered a seamless transition between indoors and outdoors.

They are a relatively new option in the UK, although they are now a popular feature in contemporary homes thanks to recent technical improvements in structural materials and glazing.

These advancements have made it possible to completely open up the back of the house with mostly glazing, while still being able to meet current building regulations.

Typically, bifold doors have 2 or more standard-size glass doors that are connected and open in a concertina style - folding flat when fully open. Unlike sliding patio doors, bifold doors open fully, which will open up your living space, connecting with your terrace or patio while flooding the interior with natural light.

Bifold doors have become more popular as they are very easy to install, so it helps to keep labour costs low, while also being low-maintenance and easy to operate, unlike other patio doors.

They are also extremely secure as they usually feature multiple locking points, which help to prevent intruders from gaining access to your property. These doors also allow for great views and, on nice days, extend your living space out into the garden or onto a deck or patio.

What Impacts How Much Bifold Doors Cost?

Before investing in bifold door installation, you need to consider the following cost factors that will affect the final price:

Bifold Type

One of the most important elements you need to consider when having new bifold doors installed is the type of bifold you want.

There are three main types – timber, aluminium and uPVC – which all have different qualities and vary in price.

If you have a low budget in mind, you may want to opt for uPVC with supply prices ranging from £1350 to £3240 and timber bifold doors, which cost around £1400 to £3200. For a long-lasting and robust installation, you may want to consider aluminium bifold doors, which are normally priced at £2550 to £6200.

Door Size

Another important cost-affecting factor is the door size, as there are multiple options available that fit different budgets.

For example, smaller sizes such as 1.79m to 2.4m range from £1350 to £2200, while medium-sized bifold doors between 2.7m and 3.5m cost around £2240 to £4070. For larger door panes, which range from 3.6m to 5m, you should expect to pay around £2680 to £6200.

Property Location

Where you live is also a contributing factor to the overall installation price, as the rates set by tradesmen will vary depending on the location.

For instance, joiners in London tend to charge around a minimum of £36 per hour, while tradespeople in northern areas normally have a set rate of around £20 per hour.

Accessibility

Another important aspect that will affect the cost is the level of access to the area where the doors will be installed. If this area is hard to reach due to a wall being in the way or uneven ground, then you may end up

What's Involved in Installing a Bifold Door?

To help you understand the process of hiring a professional tradesman to install bifold doors, here is a step-by-step breakdown of what the job entails.

1. Checking the Structure

Before the doors can be installed, a structural engineer will check that the wall is able to support the new installation. This usually involves drawing up plans and installing a lintel beam for horizontal support.

2. Preparing the Door Sill

Once the structure has been deemed sound, then the door sill can then be attached. If yours does not come pre-assembled, then the tradesman will use silicone to attach the parts followed by drilling pilot holes in the fixing holes on the underside of the sill to secure it.

3. Assembling the Frame

After the sill has been assembled, the door installer will then start to fit the frame, which will normally be attached using woodscrews and gaskets along with silicone sealant, which should be applied to each end of the head assembly, the tenon and jamb assembly.

4. Joining the Sill and Frame

The next step involves attaching the head and jamb assembly together followed by screwing it to the sill. They will then check that all the frames are square and even before tightening any loose screws.

5. Fixing the Frame

Once everything has been assembled, the door installer will then fit the frame onto the wall opening while making sure the head track fixing holes are in the correct position. If everything is right, they will then pre-drill the lintel, followed by removing the head frame and pre-drilling any masonry above the lintel.

6. Installing the Packing

After the positioning has been checked, they will then install around 5mm of packing around the head and top of the opening and the bottom of the sill. The tradesman will then use a spirit level to check everything is in line before securing the packers by drilling into the prepared holes and attaching frame fixing bolts.

7. Attaching the Sill and Head

The next step involves establishing a fixing point and drilling for a masonry plug in order to attach the sill ties. The head should then be installed by screwing in the outer fixings first before lightly tightening the screws to a point where the lintel and head are almost touching.

8. Fitting the Hinges and Pivots

To ensure your bifold doors open properly, the installer will fit the carrier hinges and pivots onto the top track making sure that the adjustment screws are accessible at the bottom of the doors.

9. Mounting the Bifold Doors

Before installing the doors, the tradesman will check all the other fixtures and fix anything they need to. Once they are happy that everything is in the right place, they will mount the doors onto the frame and hinges.

Can I Install a Bifold Door Myself?

Bifold doors are not a typical DIY project as they are more complex than traditional sliding doors, so you really should seek professional advice on the products available.

You may also have to deal with planning permission issues and structural concerns due to the sheer size and weight of the doors. This can often mean expert calculations will be required to specify some structural steel to ensure the building is safe and the door frame will not be overloaded or distorted.

However, in some cases the wall can be prepared by a builder to an architect’s specification, just leaving the fitting of the doors into the cavity.

This ensures that the structure is safe and makes fitting bifold doors possible on a DIY basis for those with the right experience.

If you do not have any experience with fitting external doors, then you should leave it to the professionals, as you may try to hang the doors without installing structural support, which could result in expensive wall damage.

Choosing Bifold Doors

To help you choose the right bifold doors for your home, here is a breakdown of the different types of bifold doors, along with the costs and pros and cons of each.

Cost of uPVC Bifold Door

uPVC bifold doors are a low-budget option which cost around £1950 to £4240 to install. uPVC stands for unplasticised polyvinyl chloride, which is a type of hard and resistant plastic.

Some of the advantages of opting for uPVC bifold doors is that they are one of the cheapest options available and are also very low-maintenance.

This bifold door material has the highest U-value rating of 1.7W per m2, which means it is the least efficient of all. It is also prone to warping and is susceptible to weakening during adverse weather conditions.

Cost of Timber Bifold Door

Timber bifold doors can be made up of various types of wood including solid timber, hardwood and engineered wood although the latter is the most popular option.

This material is one of the robust options available, especially if the bifold doors are built using engineered wood which is also long-lasting. It is also an average U-value rating of 1.4W per m2, making it more efficient than uPVC doors.

Cheaper timber doors do not last well exposed to the UK weather, whereas the engineered timbers and hardwood products are more durable but also pretty expensive. Though timber does offer that traditional appearance and natural beauty of wood, the downside is timber bifold doors will require regular painting or varnishing over the years.

Cost of Aluminium Bifold Door

Aluminium bifold doors are one of the most durable options, which typically feature a thermal break made of a less conductive material which helps to increase thermal conductivity.

Aluminium has the most efficient U-value rating of all bifold door materials at just 1.3W per m2. It is also a much stronger material so can offer much slimmer profiles. In addition, the powder-coated finish requires virtually no maintenance, so there is no need to varnish or paint every few years.

Aluminium bifold door panels can also be made wider than timber doors, so you can sometimes need fewer doors within the same frame size, which saves money.

The downside of choosing aluminium bifold doors is that they are costly, so they may not be the best option if you have a low budget in mind. Aluminium is also known as a poor thermal conductor, which means it may be susceptible to heat loss if no thermal break is installed.

Bifold Door Alternatives

If you feel as though bifold doors are not the best option for you, then are various other patio door types to choose from, including:

Sliding Doors Cost

Sliding doors are categorised by the horizontal sliding function, with some featuring a disappearing effect behind a wall when slid open. The average cost of sliding doors is normally around £500 to £1500.

The main advantage of sliding doors is that they offer the best views due to the amount of glass on show. The increased glass also makes it much more efficient as it enhances thermal efficiency.

Sliding doors can be hard to install and usually require specialist equipment if fitted on the first floor or above. Also, if installed in an existing opening, they will not open completely.

French Doors Cost

French doors offer a traditional style door system which opens outwards on a hinge.

The average cost of french door installation is between £900 to £1925.

One of the benefits of choosing French doors is that they can be customised to suit both traditional and contemporary properties. They also help to boost kerb appeal as they tend to make homes look bigger and also increase natural light.

A downside of opting for French doors is that they require a significant amount of space for the doors to open, so if you have limited room outside, then French doors may not be the best option. They also have poor energy efficiency ratings and are also prone to leakage as the seal is not as robust as that of bifold doors.

Building Regulations & Planning Permission for Bifold Doors

If you are installing bifold doors in an existing open, then typically you do not need to apply for planning permission or building regulations approval.

However, if you need a brand new opening or plan to widen the opening to accommodate your bifold doors, you may need to submit a planning permission application, although this will depend on your local authority's regulations.

An application will also be required if you live in a listed building or conservation area, which should cost around £200.

If you are creating a new opening for your bifold door installation, you will need to ensure that the structure where they are being fitted is secure.

You should also make sure that the lintel used is at least 150mm at each end with a minimum opening width of 300mm.

Cost of Bifold Doors Removal

If you wish to replace your old bifold doors with a brand new model, then you will need to have your existing doors removed. To hire a professional to remove your bifold doors, you should expect to pay around £160 to £220 per day.

If you plan to remove them yourself, you will have to consider the cost of waste disposal, which typically ranges from £70 to £120.

Checklist: Hiring Someone to Install a Bifold Door

Before hiring someone to fit your bifold doors, you should consider the following checklist:

• Check their accreditations which may include a Level 2 Diploma in specialist installation occupations for door systems.
• Make sure they have at least 5 years' experience installing bifold doors.
• Request evidence of previous work in the form of photographs or reviews.
• Check that they have public and employer's liability insurance.

FAQs

Sources

https://centor.com/us/hardware-systems/folding
https://www.jbkind.com/info-centre/how-to-door-guides/how-to-install-bi-fold-doors
https://www.originbifolds.com/advice-centre/bi-fold-door-size-and-configuration-faqs
https://www.coastal-group.com/blog/what-are-bifold-doors
https://www.prenton-glass.co.uk/bi-fold-doors-aluminium-wood-or-upvc/