Purchasing a set of French doors is not a decision to be taken lightly. Ensuring they look good is important, but you want to feel assured that your new purchase will secure your home too. Both uPVC and aluminium French doors come with a vast range of impressive security features, which are designed to leave you feeling safe and secure in your home. But which of the two sets is safer? Read on, as we outline their respective security features.
UPVC FRENCH DOORS
- Here at Lifestyle, our uPVC French doors come internally glazed. This means the ultra-durable, double glazed sealed unit is unable to be removed from the outside, protecting your home from unwanted intruders.
- All our uPVC doors have been equipped with a steel core and substantially reinforced. This makes them exceptionally damage resistant. Made from top-quality construction materials that will last for years, you can be certain that the security of your home will not diminish as time passes
- A wide range of locking devices are available too – this includes dead bolts, interlocking bolts, claw latches and shoot-bolts. For those who want to feel that extra bit secure, anti-drill or anti-snap locks are available as optional extras on all our uPVC doors.
- uPVC doors tend to take about 15 to 20 years before any repairs are required. This means you can feel supremely confident the security levels will not diminish as time goes on. Our 10 year here to help approach can assist you if, in the very unlikely event, something should go wrong before then.
ALUMINIUM FRENCH DOORS
- Prior to modern reinforcement, old uPVC doors had been found with their frames kicked through by intruders. Aluminium as a material is, generally, stronger than its uPVC counterpart, particularly when it comes to the framing on doors.
- Aluminium French doors come with a multi-point locking system, which secure them at multiple points across the frame.
- A few years ago, police in West Yorkshire found that a quarter of all burglaries were being committed using a technique called ‘lock snapping’, where burglars would snap lock cylinders in two. Fortunately, the lock cylinders found on today’s aluminium French doors are built to strict, modern UK standards, meaning they are extremely sturdy and ultra-reinforced.
- The glass that is used on aluminium French doors has undergone thermal treatment in order to toughen it up substantially. Generally, the strength of thermally toughened glass is up to four or five times that of annealed glass of the same thickness. Also, the external removal of any glass is prevented via the use of internal glazing beads.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO INSTALL FRENCH DOORS?
Keep in mind that the $525 uPVC french door installation cost may vary depending on your area and the scope of your project. In fact, there are several things that may increase the total:
- Materials. The type of door you choose has a huge impact on the final cost. A mass produced door might cost anywhere from $400 to $2000, depending on the quality, whereas a custom specialty door could easily fetch up to $8000 or more. The frame and type of glass all play into it—expect to spend more for high end materials like mahogany, or glass features like insulation and low-E glazing.
- Wiring. If the wall beneath the window has outlets or wiring, your contractor will need to engage an electrician to reroute them, which will add to your labor costs. To keep the project simpler overall, it’s best to avoid walls with wiring when you’re looking to add an exterior door, if you can get away with it. Many building codes also require an exterior light on all home exits, with two light switches installed on the wall next to the door. In this case, you may need to hire an electrician anyway to do that part of the job.
- Roof Overhangs. If your roof overhangs are narrow in the spot over your future door, your door installation may turn into a roofing project, too! Many roofs have slim, two-foot overhangs on exit-free walls. That offers plenty of protection for a window, but it won’t be wide enough to keep your doors in good shape. So you may need to extend the roof overhang as part of the project—or at the very least, purchase an awning to sit over the door. Expect to spend about $100 to $500 for a basic awning, or $900 to $3,000 for a motorized version.