Bi-fold and patio doors in Harborne

Before your bi-fold or patio doors in Harborne

Live in a conservation area or a listed building in Harborne? Check with Birmingham City Council before changing the outside of your home. Otherwise the main rules for your bi-fold or patio doors are Building Regulations, and we'll explain at the survey which certificates you'll receive.

A flush threshold needs the outside ground set lower, with drainage in front of the door.
With a traffic door on a bi-fold set, you don't have to open every panel to step outside.
Sliding doors never swing into the room, which helps in a kitchen where space is tight.

Postcode district: B17
Planning and building control: Birmingham City Council
From our West Bromwich base: 4 miles

Choices to weigh up in Harborne

Widening an opening

Turning a window into doors, or making an opening wider, means cutting the wall and fitting a new lintel or steel beam sized by a structural engineer. Building control must approve the structural work. We organise the calculations, temporary supports, steel and making good, and show these costs on their own lines in your quote.

French doors

A pair of hinged doors that open outwards or inwards, sometimes with fixed side panels. French doors suit narrower openings and older houses. They're the simplest and most affordable way to replace an old single back door, or to turn a window into a wider opening onto a patio.

Guide prices for Harborne

For a home in Harborne, our guide range is £1,200–£8,500 per doorset. Three-panel aluminium bi-fold, about 2.4 m wide, in an existing opening: usually £3,200–£4,800 per doorset.

Guide prices for bi-fold and patio doors
Option	Guide price	Good to know
uPVC French or sliding doors	£1,200 – £2,400 per doorset	Openings up to about 1.8 m
Three-panel aluminium bi-fold	£3,000 – £5,000 per doorset	Openings of about 2.4–3 m
Four- or five-panel aluminium bi-fold	£4,800 – £8,500 per doorset	Openings of about 3.6–4.8 m

Guide ranges include VAT where it applies. A free survey turns this guide into a fixed, itemised price.

Your questions answered

What should I check before ordering?

Think about the floor level inside and out: a flush threshold needs the patio set lower, with drainage at the door. Decide which side the panels should stack and where the everyday traffic door goes, keeping furniture in mind. If the doors face south or west, ask about solar control glass to keep the room cooler.

Do you cover Harborne?

Yes. Harborne (B17) is about 4 miles from our West Bromwich base and inside the area we cover. Call 0800 088 6248 or send the form on this page to book a free survey.

Which is better, bi-fold or sliding doors?

It depends on how you use the space. Bi-folds open almost the whole width, which suits summer living and wide openings onto a patio. Sliders have fewer, larger panes and slimmer frames, so they give a better view when closed and never take up room when open. Sliders are often the better pick where the doors stay shut for most of the year.

Does Birmingham City Council need to approve my bi-fold or patio doors?

You won't usually need planning permission, but the work must meet Building Regulations. Building control in Harborne is provided by Birmingham City Council or a registered building control approver, and some work is self-certified by registered installers.

Also covering nearby

Other work we do in Harborne

Get the opening measured and the lintel checked: book a free survey in Harborne and we'll put it all in a written quote.