Aluminium Lift and Slide Door Recommendations?

[MJNewton]

I am looking for a set of lift and slide aluminium 'patio' doors and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations, or indeed non-recommendations!

 

In case it's relevant, the opening will be around 3.8m W x 2.1m H and I'm wanting either triple panel with centre opening (if possible) or quadruple panel with two centre openers. Lift and slide is preferred on the assumption that this would provide easier sliding and potentially better weather proofing, and also that they can be locked in a semi-open state to prevent the nipper from escaping. A low threshold would be preferred but it doesn't have to be flush.

 

I've been looking at products from Kawneer, Reynaers, Real, Sunflex, Kloeber, Air, Smart and no doubt numerous others but it is difficult to narrow the selection down. I am sure it doesn't help that my search has been pretty much all online and I haven't had opportunity to see most of them in the flesh yet - perhaps that's when I'd be in a position to rule some out based on aspects such as width of sight lines and cost; both of which I am keen to keep reasonably low! There may even be others differentiators that I hadn't considered; even just taking a liking to some subtlety of design on one over another.

 

I am in Wiltshire and any recommendations on suppliers/fitters would be welcome too as whilst the current plan is to go for supply-only I am mindful of the potential benefits of supply-and-fit either to avoid or aid the resolution of any problems.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2018 by MJNewton

[70sbrick]

Hi - we're looking at the same and just wondered what you ended up going with in the end?

[ProDave]

Must it be aluminium?  Would aluminium clad timber be okay?

 

Just fitted this Rationel aluminium clad timber slider.  Just under 3M wide and 2.1M tall triple glazed.

 

 

Very pleased with it.

 

All I would say is Rationel don't do triple sets, so if you must have 3 panes they probably won't do what you want.

[Ralph]

33 minutes ago, ProDave said:

All I would say is Rationel don't do triple sets, so if you must have 3 panes they probably won't do what you want.

I really like our Rationel doors but not having the triple set is a bit annoying, We ended up with what is essentially a fixed pain and a double door set with the frames being different widths. It bugs me a little but no one else seems to mind.

[DragsterDriver]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

Must it be aluminium?  Would aluminium clad timber be okay?

 

Just fitted this Rationel aluminium clad timber slider.  Just under 3M wide and 2.1M tall triple glazed.

 

 

Very pleased with it.

 

All I would say is Rationel don't do triple sets, so if you must have 3 panes they probably won't do what you want.

Are they expensive? ?

[ProDave]

15 minutes ago, DragsterDriver said:

Are they expensive? ?

That slider was £3079.  Roughly double what I could have got a local cheap double glazed slider for.  But the rest of the house has Rationel and it would be a crime to fit cheap UPVC to the sun room.  I am sure prices have gone up a lot since we bought the rest of the windows nearly 5 years ago.