French Doors
in Chester, Deeside
& North Wales
A wide, symmetrical opening onto the garden without the cost of a bi-fold — uPVC and aluminium French doors with multi-point locking and A-rated glass, fitted by a small, owner-led team with 30+ years' experience.
French Doors — the honest version
What it is
French doors are a matched pair of outward or inward opening doors that meet at a central mullion, giving you a clear opening across the full width when both leaves are thrown back. We fit them in Eurocell and Spectus uPVC and in thermally broken aluminium, with optional side screens to widen the aperture.
Who it's for
Homeowners opening a lounge, dining room or kitchen onto a patio, anyone replacing a tired 1990s patio door, and owners of extensions and garden rooms who want a wide opening without the frame stack and cost of a bi-fold.
When to book it
Book a survey if the existing doors drag on the threshold, the handle needs lifting hard to engage the lock, the units have misted, or you have a blank wall or old window where a door onto the garden would change how the room is used.
Why it matters who fits it
French doors live or die on the threshold and the frame being dead square. A pair of doors that meet perfectly on day one will bind within a year if the frame is packed into a twisted opening. We fit every job ourselves and register it with Assure.
What happens if you leave it — and what most people get wrong
French doors carry two moving leaves, a shared meeting stile and a threshold that takes weather from outside and foot traffic from inside. Get any of it wrong and it shows fast.
- •A frame fitted out of square makes the leaves bind at the meeting stile and drop out of alignment.
- •A poorly detailed threshold lets driving rain track inside across the floor covering.
- •Blown sealed units in a large glazed door lose a substantial amount of heat from the room.
- •Worn hinges let the slave leaf sag, so the shoot bolts no longer line up with the keeps.
- •Single-point or worn locking on a rear door is the single most attractive target for a break-in.
- •Choosing French doors for an opening that really wants a slider, then living with two leaves swinging into the patio furniture.
- •Forgetting to plan which way the doors open — outward opening loses patio space, inward opening loses room space.
- •Skipping side screens where they would have widened the glazed aperture cheaply.
- •Fitting a high threshold where a low or level one was needed for accessibility.
- •Accepting a quote without checking whether the lintel above the opening is adequate for a wider aperture.
Five steps, no surprises
Every install runs the same way. It's how we hit 3-week lead times on standard jobs and 48-hour survey turnaround.
Free On-Site Survey
We come out within 48 hours of your enquiry, measure every aperture accurately and check reveals, sills, lintels and drainage. No pressure, no gimmicks.
Written, Itemised Quote
You get a fully itemised quote — profile system, glass spec, colour, hardware and finish. Composite doors back in 24 hours, windows typically within 3 days.
Order & Manufacture
Once approved, we place the order with our trade suppliers. Standard windows and doors run ~3 weeks, bespoke items 4–5 weeks. Stock composite doors 7–10 days.
Expert Installation
Our own installers fit every job. Frames set square and plumb, sealed with low-modulus silicone and expanding foam, internal beading, no drafts or gaps.
Testing & Handover
Every window and door is tested for operation, locking and seal. Site left clean, old frames removed, care advice given, guarantees registered with Assure.
What you actually get — not marketing talk
Full Symmetrical Opening
Both leaves throw back to give an unobstructed opening — genuinely different to a slider, which always keeps one panel in the aperture.
Cheaper Than Bi-Folds
For openings up to around 1.8m, a French door pair delivers most of the benefit of a bi-fold at a considerably lower cost.
Slimmer Sightlines Closed
Two leaves and one meeting stile means far less frame in the view than a folding door stacked with panels.
Serious Security
Multi-point locking with hook bolts, shoot bolts top and bottom on the slave leaf, and PAS 24 tested cylinders and handles.
Warm and Quiet
A-rated argon-filled units with warm-edge spacers and full-perimeter gasket compression when the doors are locked shut.
Side Screens Available
Fixed or opening side panels widen the glazed area where the structural opening allows, without a wider door leaf.
How we spec & fit french doors
The decisions that matter on French doors are the opening direction, the threshold type, whether you add side screens and how the locking is specified. The rest follows from those four.
Materials & systems
Eurocell & Spectus uPVC
Multi-chambered, reinforced door profiles in white, cream, grey, black, chartwell green and 20+ woodgrain foils, with matching side screens.
Thermally Broken Aluminium
Slimmer sightlines and greater strength for wider leaves, powder-coated to any RAL colour including anthracite grey 7016.
A-Rated Sealed Units
Toughened glass as standard in doors and side screens, argon fill, warm-edge Super Spacer and low-e coating. Obscure and laminated options available.
Locking Hardware
Multi-point hook and roller locking on the master leaf, top and bottom shoot bolts on the slave, anti-snap TS007 cylinders, PAS 24 tested handles.
Thresholds
Standard weathered thresholds, or low-profile options where step-free access matters. We advise on the drainage trade-off at survey.
How we install
- The structural opening is checked for square, plumb, level and twist before anything is ordered — French doors are unforgiving of a twisted frame.
- Lintel adequacy is confirmed where an existing window opening is being widened to take doors.
- Frames fixed with expanding frame fixings into solid structure, packed under the threshold so it cannot deflect underfoot.
- Threshold bedded and sealed so water is thrown clear rather than tracking back under the frame.
- Hinges adjusted and the meeting stile set so both leaves close with even gasket compression along their full height.
- Every lock point, shoot bolt and keep engaged and tested, and both leaves operated repeatedly before handover.
Variations & options
Outward Opening
The usual choice in the UK. Keeps internal floor space clear and sheds weather naturally, but needs clearance on the patio side.
Inward Opening
Useful on exposed elevations and where a narrow path or patio furniture would foul an outward leaf.
With Fixed Side Screens
Glazed panels either side of the door pair, widening the aperture visually where the structural opening is wider than the doors.
With Opening Side Lights
Side panels that open, giving extra ventilation and a wider clear opening on larger apertures.
Georgian Bars & Astragals
Bar layouts matched to the windows on the same elevation so the doors don't read as an afterthought.
Low-Threshold Doors
Reduced-height thresholds for step-free access, specified with appropriate drainage detailing.
Situations we typically fit this for
- Replacing tired 1990s patio or French doors that drag, bind or have misted units.
- Converting a rear window opening into a doorway onto a patio or garden.
- Extensions and garden rooms where a wide opening is wanted without bi-fold cost.
- Dining rooms and lounges where symmetry across the elevation matters visually.
- Openings between roughly 1.2m and 1.8m, which is where French doors are the natural fit.
- Properties needing improved accessibility with a low-threshold rear exit.
French Doors we've fitted across Chester & North Wales
Real jobs — measured, ordered and fitted by our own team.
French Doors — your questions answered
How much do French doors cost in Chester?
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It depends on size, material, whether you add side screens, the colour and the glass specification. We survey free and give you a written, itemised quote covering profile, glass, hardware and threshold — no headline prices and no pressure.
Should I choose French doors or bi-fold doors?
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For openings up to around 1.8m, French doors usually make more sense — lower cost, less frame in the view when closed and a full symmetrical opening. Bi-folds come into their own on wider apertures where you want three or more panels stacked back.
French doors or sliding patio doors?
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French doors open completely clear, which sliders cannot do because one panel always stays in the aperture. Sliders win where you have no clearance for swinging leaves or the opening is very wide. We'll say which suits your opening at survey.
Should the doors open inwards or outwards?
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Outward opening is the norm in the UK — it keeps internal floor space free and sheds weather well. We recommend inward opening where a narrow path, exposed elevation or patio furniture would foul an outward leaf.
How secure are French doors?
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Very, when specified properly. The master leaf gets multi-point hook locking, the slave leaf gets shoot bolts top and bottom into the frame, and we fit anti-snap TS007 cylinders with PAS 24 tested handles as standard.
Can I have a low threshold for wheelchair or pushchair access?
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Yes. We fit low-profile thresholds where step-free access matters, and we'll explain the weather and drainage trade-off honestly at survey so the choice is an informed one.
Can you turn an existing window into French doors?
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Often, yes — but it depends on the lintel, the wall construction and what's below the opening. We check all of that at survey and tell you plainly if structural work is needed before we can price the doors.
What guarantee comes with French doors?
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10 years on the frames, 5 years on the sealed glass units and 1 year on ironmongery, backed by an Insurance-Backed Guarantee through Assure that transfers if you sell the house.
How long from order to installation?
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Standard uPVC French doors run around 3 weeks; bespoke colours, aluminium and configurations with side screens are typically 4–5 weeks. Fitting is usually a single day.
Do you fit French doors across North Wales?
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Yes — Chester, Ewloe, Buckley, Mold, Deeside, Flint, Wrexham, Ellesmere Port, Neston and the surrounding villages.
Get a Written Quote for Your French Doors
Free on-site survey within 48 hours. We check the opening, confirm the lintel, agree the swing and threshold, then quote it in writing — itemised, with no sales calls after.
Other things we fit for homes across the region
Fitted across Chester, Deeside & North Wales
Small, owner-led installer based in Ewloe, roughly 30 miles across the border into North Wales and Cheshire. Prefer a chat first? Call 01244 740219 or book a free survey.