How to Choose the Perfect Glazed Doors for your Porch

Your porch or some call it patio often has doors that can give you direct access inside your home. Whether yours are solid or glazed (with windows), choosing how this door operates and looks are important. Glazed doors are a great way to let in light, and to have a visual connection with the outdoors. Your lifestyle and decorative style of your space can vary your door glazing. Read on to see how to choose the right glazed door for your porch.

Function of your space: Depending on where your porch leads to can have a strong determining factor of what type of door to choose. For example a porch that leads off a master bedroom may look beautiful with French doors with paned windows. While a door off of a basement space may only require a half window glazed door. Choose the amount of glass desired by the function your space is serving. Basement spaces can be more utilitarian while a master bedroom is more for aesthetics.

Safety glazed doors: If you desire full glass sliding doors to access your porch, safety tempered glass should be used. Tempered glass if broken will break into tiny pieces as opposed to shards of glass that could hurt someone. Depending on your locality, if you’re a pool owner a slider glass door is required to have a child safety pin lock on it. This is usually a hole in the door frame with a pin that is inserted by an adult. This avoids children accidentally getting into pool areas unattended. Ensure you choose to have glass doors near a pool that is safe and secure.

Window wall doors: Access to your porch can also be achieved through window wall doors which open up to the outdoors. Window wall doors are similar to pocket doors but they slide in a track that allows individual glass wall panels to slide to one area and leaves a breathtaking wall of openness. Many luxury homes use these to join an adjacent outdoor room, lanai, and indoor living space together to create one large space when needed.

Large single pane: Special order glazed doors can house one single pane of glass that will act as one giant door. Used in modern architecture and interiors, these doors usually span from ceiling to floor and give uninterrupted views of the outdoors. For ideas of what type of door will fit your décor style, visit glazing door manufacturers online for galleries and ideas.

Choose doors by your location: Porch doors should be appropriate to the climate and geography in which your home is located. Large spans of glass may not be appropriate in a hurricane prone island home and double pane insulated doors should be used in a mountain home retreat. Be mindful of your location when choosing, but most areas have an array of doors that will fit most homes!

Glass doors for your patio have a multitude of options and applications for the smallest apartment to the largest of homes. Take into account your budget, lifestyle, and house décor to make the right decision for your home. Let the beautiful outdoors in with charming glazed doors in an array of styles to meet your function!

Interior Design Looks readers what type of porch doors do you prefer? Do you think you’d like French doors or modern expansive glass? Share with us your ideas!