Bi-folds are the flavour of the month – pick up any magazine, particularly window and door trade magazines – and they are dominated by adverts for these products.
Designed initially for use in masonry openings, they have been adopted ‘lock, stock and barrel’ for conservatories. The concerning feature of this – and the adverts that feature in the trade magazines to generate interest – is that the images in the adverts nearly always show them in buildings and not in conservatories( a quick examination of one issue of a trade magazine revealed 8 display adverts and only one that showed their use in conservatories).
The concern is this – do these fabricators and resellers of doors truly understand the structural and fitting requirements of bi-fold doors in the more challenging circumstances of conservatory builds? Those tempted by adverts like those shown alongside in the panel need to clearly understand the additional structural implications – it’s not just about battering your door supplier for a better price!!
Let me declare an interest on behalf of Ultraframe.
As it does by providing sealed units, Ultraframe likes to provide a one stop shop and it’s no different with it’s provision of aluminium bi-folds.
The doors are available in a variety of panel configurations (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) and widths and come in white as standard, although other RAL colours are available. Doors are glazed with a 28mm sealed unit and feature a centre pane ‘U’ value of 1.2.The bi-folds Ultraframe sells are specifically designed to be used in conservatories, where deflection of the beam above is a fact of life. The doors Ultraframe sells can handle a maximum deflection of 7mm without catching. Some bi-folds being offered for use in conservatories are not designed for conservatory use, but to sit inside lintel supported masonry where deflections are minimal – in these situations, you should check with the door system company or selling fabricator.
Ultraframe deliver innovative and top quality conservatory roof systems for the trade which suit all styles, all applications, all consumer types and which offer excellent value for money.
The market leading company invests heavily in research and development to provide the most technologically advanced and stylish conservatory roofing solutions, maximising light and space. Ultraframe are at the forefront of conservatory design and its systems are mainly used in the home improvement sector but also in new housing and commercial applications in the UK and Europe.
In 2006 the privately owned Latium Group, which has many interests within the glass & glazing and home improvement markets acquired Ultraframe. The Latium Group is owned by entrepreneur Brian Kennedy.
