About Sliding Glass Doors
Posted on September 15, 2009
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Sliding glass doors have become quite popular in modern buildings, especially in North America. Aside from aesthetics, there are some practical benefits to be gained from having sliding glass doors.
Benefits of Sliding Glass Doors
Less space consuming. If space is an issue for you then this could be a solution. This is one of the reasons they tend to be used within offices. Shower doors also often utilise this advantage.
Appearance of spaciousness. Aside from the fact that they do consume less space when opening and closing, they can give a feel of spaciousness especially when they interface with the outdoors.
A nice view of outside. So if you have a beautiful landscape, having sliding glass doors will allow you to enjoy it from the inside of your house or office. For this reason they are often used for patios where the garden or backyard is in sight.
More lighting allowed inside. If your home tends to be dark or gloomy, having sliding glass doors can make a huge difference.
More fresh air is facilitated into your home. If better ventilation is one of your objectives, you might consider sliding glass doors, as they usually provide a bigger interface to the outdoors.
If you’re considering having sliding glass doors, you probably have some concerns, and if you don’t, then you should. Here are things you should think about.
Concerns about Sliding Glass Doors
Sliding glass door security is probably the most obvious one. Since they are breakable, it could be a security risk as potential intruders might see this as a vulnerable place to target. There are also potential vulnerabilities with how they lock, and how they are installed.
Safety. The fact that they are breakable means there is potential physical harm from the shattered glass. And if little children are in the vicinity, it becomes even more alarming.
Window Treatments. Choosing window treatments for sliding glass doors can be somewhat difficult because they are normally much bigger than regular windows, and they also serve as doors, so they require special attention.
How to Clean and Maintain? These doors must be maintained otherwise you may find that they don’t slide readily anymore. Depending on the type of sliding glass doors you have, you might have to constantly remove leaves and other debris from the sliding track. So how to properly maintain is an important consideration.
Replacing. Although cleaning and maintaining your unit will help to prolong its lifetime, sometimes the best thing is to replace it (for eg. when you are re-modeling, or you want to upgrade to better quality). What is involved in replacing sliding glass doors should therefore be something to consider.
Privacy. Depending on where you place the doors, you might want to consider the potential of people spying on you. Just how good is the view on the inside from the outside? Assuming privacy is important to you, then you need to resolve how you will satisfy this need.
Insects. Since these doors tend to provide a bigger open area to the outside, and they will likely stay open longer than regular doors, there is the likelihood of insects such as mosquitos intruding your home or building.
Your pets. If you have a dog or a cat, and your sliding glass doors provide the main entrance or exit to your place, then you would want to know how to facilitate pet-doors. (See dog doors for sliding glass doors)
Lack of insulation. If these doors don’t provide sufficient insulation, then your place might become less bearable in the winter and summer seasons. It could also mean higher energy consumption due to the energy loss.
All these concerns can be addressed readily to put your mind at ease. We will address them more at this site. But keep these in mind, so when you go shopping for sliding glass doors, you can raise these issues and ensure you are getting adequate service.