A patio sliding door can enhance the natural light that your home receives, allowing the healthy flow of fresh air into your residence. This article will provide more information on the basics of exterior sliding doors for the home.
Costs of Exterior Sliding Doors
The cost of a new sliding glass door will typically run from $400 for the most basic door to $3,000 for the most intricate. Including deadbolts and installation, homeowners can expect to spend anywhere from $1,200-$3,200 for their new patio sliding door.
Types of Sliding Doors
Sliding doors are typically composed of one movable panel and one fixed panel. They come in two basic types: top hung or bottom rolling. Patio doors are almost always bottom rolling, which makes it possible to use heavy-duty panels that top hung systems could not easily accommodate. The frames of sliding glass doors are typically made of wood, vinyl, aluminum, or steel. Your choice of material for the frame will depend on your preferred aesthetic as well as your budget.
Repairs and Maintenance
Sliding doors have a reputation for getting stuck in their tracks and require constant maintenance to ensure proper functionality. Fortunately, modern sliding doors are slimmer and lighter. They also generally have less difficulty sliding in their tracks. Occasional cleaning of the inside of the rails and the wheels of the door will increase one’s ability to slide the door smoothly along its tracks. When doing so, it is best to apply lubricant to both the rails and the wheels to help the door slide even easier.
Security for Sliding Doors
Security is often cited as a concern for homeowners with exterior sliding doors, because homeowners assume that they can easily be removed from their rails. Fortunately, many modern patio doors come equipped with multiple locking points to provide a safe and secure entrance to a building.
Energy Efficiency
Sliding doors provide both advantages and drawbacks to an energy-efficient home. Because sliding doors are made of glass, they could be very effective in passive solar heating design. This could help you save on your energy bill by capturing the heat of the sun during the colder winter months.
Still, glazed surfaces are typically the weakest elements of the thermal envelope of a building. A sliding glass door has a typical R-value of R-2.5-R-3, and will lose more heat than other exterior doors. However, a properly weatherstripped sliding door system with insulated, double-glazed panels should be airtight, without excess heat transfer.
Summary: A Functional and Beautiful Addition to Your Home
In elegantly connecting outdoor and indoor living spaces, an exterior sliding glass door can enhance the beauty and functionality of a home. For this reason alone they are a popular option for many homeowners, even if they are not be the most energy efficient exterior door on the market. Find a patio sliding door today with HomeAdvancement's easy links.
