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Look carefully through this ticklist, do any of these common home-owner issues apply to you? If so, we can probably help you!

Yes, the ticklist is customised more towards our potential customers (of bifold doors), but there are many other problems you may face with your home that can be solved by innovative thinking.

Bifold doors are not only built to enhance your living space, but are also intended to be one of many practical solutions to the problems faced by homeowners these days.

Remember – you don't have to move house to get a brand new home!

If you do have any questions about bifold doors, or you would like to give us a call to see how we can help you and your project, or even if you would like us to recommend some brilliant local builders who we've used and been impressed by – please give any one of our team a call on 0117 992 3101. Or if you'd like something to browse at your convenience – download our buyers guide below, it'll tell you everything you need to know about bifold doors.

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Origin electric roller blinds are worth thinking about...

One (rather important) reason would be the economic worth of the blinds and how they add to the overall cost-effective value of the bifold doors. The blinds help control the temperature of the room in which they are installed; in the summer they prevent heat build up – known as solar gain – to reduce the room temperature in hot weather and lessen the need for air conditioning. Even in winter, the blinds are able to further enhance the thermal performance of your doors by once again controlling the temperature of the room.

Basically – the blinds help you stay comfortable all year round, and (helpfully!) they can be valuable in the reduction of your household energy bills.

The choice is yours. 

Not only in the style of the blind but in the fabric, colour and furniture. You are able to decide whether the blinds need to be blackout blinds, look into the different scallop, braid and pull options, you can even have water-resistant blinds for the bathroom…the list goes on! 

In my opinion, the blinds add another aspect of interior design to a room, for example, when decorating or planning the colour-scheme for a room they make an attractive accompaniment to a set of bifold doors whilst co-ordinating with the rest of the room. They become another piece of furniture which not only adds to the look of the room, but is functional and economically advantageous.

As I've already mentioned, we have some of the roller blinds in our show room – please feel free to give us a ring (our number is 0117 992 3101) and come and see them for yourselves. Alternatively – if you would like me to send you out an informative pack about bifold doors including information from Origin blinds – email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Don't forget to download our free buyers guide below, which will explain in detail all you need to know when deciding on the specification of your doors.

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Although only highlighted by the BBC in February 2012...

Lock snapping has been possible in standard locks for a while – hence the introduction of the uprated cylinder lock which many companies are now offering instead of the original locks – however which are only being supplied as standard with a few door fabrication companies.

In the interest of public safety and general home security the UAP+ Anti Snap Cylinder is the first choice for many customers looking to replace the original locking system within their doors. The uprated lock protects against the most commonly recognised methods of burglary – lock snapping or lock bumping.

Another comfort for customers is that the lock is approved by British standards – and is Kitemarked to assure customers of this recognised quality specification.

We chose to start buying in our own UAP locks to replace the standard locks in our doors and adding this to every order free of charge. It is surprising what a difference something so small can make such a positive difference to our customers' peace of mind. They provide added home security, whilst allowing customers to enjoy the convenience and aesthetic benefits of their new bifold doors.

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We hope so....

With our Open Day fast approaching, and our fitters timetables booked solid through to the end of June, we are incredibly busy at the moment – which is no bad thing! Although everyone appreciates the 2 days off for the Queens Jubilee – I think a lot of people in this industry (including ourselves) will be sad to lose two extra fitting days in this peak time!

If you are planning on paying us a visit on June 13th for our Open Day, remember to register your interest here so that we can have a cup of tea (or something stronger...!) waiting for you on arrival!

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We fit bifold doors to a wide range of residences, old and new...

However, I think it goes with out saying that the majority of the properties we fit with bifold doors are those looking to encapsulate a more modern look. This consequentially means that many owners of period homes do not consider bifold doors as an option, which personally I think is a mistake.

The owners of this property had decided to make the most of their wonderful garden by extending part of the property and fitting floor to ceiling windows and bifold doors, including a corner opening which allowed them to effectively lose two walls of their room when they pulled the doors back.

The effect this created was outstanding; it meant they were able to remain sheltered whilst being very much outdoors and the gable window above the bifold doors meant that their garden view was virtually unbroken.

The best thing about this installation however, was the subtlety with which this rather grand property has been brought up to date and how the owners have taken full advantage of their property's potential whilst still paying respect to its age and remaining in-keeping with its style.

Is your property is crying out for a sympathetic modernisation or would you just like to make the most of its space? Download our buyers guide below for an in depth guide to buying bifold doors and their impact on your home.

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There will be informative client packs, a free Bristol Bifold DVD containing technical drawings and product information, and a business card prize draw.

We are even putting on a free lunch for all who attend, including a slice of all important Birthday cake!

Come and wish us Happy Birthday!

On a slightly more serious note, the open day is a great opportunity to come and learn about bifold doors and our other products, as well as a little more about us as a company. The event is specifically aimed at architects, builders and homeowners with stands from our suppliers, hourly CPD presentations, and advice from our fitters, directors and surveyors. However please feel free to come along, even if you just fancy seeing our showroom and talking about your project over lunch!

Feel free to pop in anytime between 9am and 4.30pm on Wednesday June 13th, and make sure to register your place here beforehand, it takes less than a minute! 

If you would like to learn a little more about us, or bifold doors before the event, please download our free buyers guide - there is a link below this post - and get to know bifolds before you visit us.

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Our winners began by explaining why they felt bifold doors would be such a welcome addition to their cottage:

"Our kitchen is west facing and therefore on the sunniest side of our cottage, however it was underused being too small to accommodate a good sized dining table. We were also fed up with the ugly white plastic UPVC doors and so began looking for a solution.

 Rather than build a costly extension which would have used up space in the garden we decided to knock the existing kitchen and utility room into one space and maximise the feeling of light and space by installing bi-fold doors."

 Opting for bifold doors instead of an extension is a frequent occurrence for our customers..

 ...especially in our current economic climate; instead of spending money on creating more space, our customers are choosing to optimize the space they already have by making more use of their outdoor areas and literally bringing the outdoors in.

 "Not only have our new doors transformed the appearance of our home, they have also transformed the way we live in it. We spend all our time in our new kitchen/dining room.

 Thank you Bristol Bi-fold!"

This is precisely why I personally love our product - bifold doors don't just affect the aesthetic quality of a home, they affect the people in it. 

I can't imagine walking through the front door after a long, hectic day at work and not being instantly calmed by their appearance, or deciding it's slightly too cold to sit outside, but a beautiful evening, so open up the doors and take in the night whilst sitting in something more comfortable than a patio chair! Or sitting and eating breakfast with the family on a bright sunny morning with the sun shining in and a warm breeze... I could go on (& on)!

 But the point is, that not just our winners but all our customers (we had many lovely testimonials sent in) appreciate the lifestyle altering aspect of bifold doors; how they not only maximise space but they maximise the enjoyment of the time spent in your home.

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More exciting news...

We ran a customer competition at the end of April, which encouraged our past customers to send in a picture of them enjoying their bifold doors and a brief testimonial for the chance to win £100 B&Q vouchers.

Lots of fantastic entries and pictures were sent in, not only of our customers using their bifold doors, but their pets as well! We ended up sending out a £10 B&Q voucher to all of our entrants - that’s how much we loved the pictures!

The above photo was taken by our winning competition entrants of their project. Look out for my next post, it will be a full feature on the lucky winners including a photo by photo guide to their transformed home and their testimonial. 

Fancy creating a similar space in your own home? Download our buyers guide below this post and see if bifold doors could make a positive difference in your home. 

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Think again, this is often the best time to begin your building projects, why?

• You have ample time indoors to go through planning and designs with architects. 
• You are able to see what would work in all kinds of different weather conditions (here in the South-West we have experienced rain, glorious sun and hail within a 45 minute interval!). 
• You are able to evolve your plans according to your timescale and budget effectively. 

 So that when summer finally does appear – and it will – you are completely ready to proceed with your project and can be basking in the knowledge of having a home worthy of considerable neighbour envy and all set to be coveted by family barbeque attendees far and wide. 

If you need any perusing material for those rainy afternoons we have become so familiar with lately, download our free buyers guide to look at in your own time and gage how useful bifold doors would be to your home improvement design. 

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Whether you are entertaining and creating extra space, breaking the divide between outdoors and indoors or revelling in being outside whilst still sitting at your dining room table, being able to open up your home on a brilliant summers day is fantastic, full stop.

Everyone likes being able to bask in the sun outside– but it's also nice to bring your guests back into the coolness of your home when the heat becomes too much. In this instance it would be disappointing to come back inside and realise your doors and windows had trapped all of the heat from outside in your house making it stuffy, unpleasant and ruining your BBQ!

Glass That Will Make Your Summer Even Better

To combat this common problem we offer performance glass with our Bifold Doors and windows:

• Celsius Elite, and
• Celsius Clear

Celsius glazing does exactly as you would presume – controls the temperature of your indoor spaces – 'keeping you cooler in summer and warmer in winter'.

Glass That Doesn't Heat Up Your Summer Home

Both Celsius Elite and Clear are ideal glass choices in both conservatories and Bifold doors – particularly on south facing properties - meaning the dazzling rays you soak up are not being trapped inside your home.

Living in England we are well aware that the majority of our customers will not experience dazzling sunshine from May to September. There may be times where you wish to keep your doors closed and view the weather from afar. Whilst normally this would take the 'sunny' feel from your BBQ, windows and doors that protect from the elements whilst still allowing maximum light into your home are able to transform a typically grey British BBQ into something light, bright and most importantly, stress free!

And in Winter, the Glass Keeps the Heat In

This protection from heat loss means even in winter you can relax knowing that whilst being able to look out upon a snowy landscape – there is no possibility of all the heat generated by your cosy log fire being lost through your glass.

Have you ever had any BBQ disasters due to the unhelpful British weather – or have your Bifold's saved the day already? If you have any questions or stories for us, please leave a comment below.