Most sliding door jobs around Uckfield fall into two kinds. Either an old patio door in a 1970s to 1990s house is being replaced in the same opening, or a newer kitchen extension needs one wide door onto the garden. Both are aluminium almost every time now.
Two panes or three
A two-pane slider is usually around 2.4 metres wide: one panel slides, one stays put. It suits the standard patio opening in most post-war houses on estates like West Park or Manor Park, where the brickwork already spans that width.
A three-pane slider runs to about 3.6 metres. The two outer panels slide towards the middle, or one slides across two fixed panes, depending on the track. It is the usual choice for the rear wall of an extension, where the builder can leave the opening at whatever width you ask for.
Wider than that, four-pane sliders exist, but the panels get heavy and the job becomes a different one. A surveyor will tell you plainly if the opening is too wide for a sensible slider.
What you are paying for
Thermally broken aluminium frames. A plastic break inside the profile stops the cold outside face chilling the inside face.
Double or triple glazed units with toughened glass throughout, as building regulations require in a door.
A choice of threshold. A low threshold gives an almost level step; a standard one sheds rain better on a patio that faces the weather.
Multi-point locks on the sliding panel, with the panel lifted into the frame when locked.
Dual colour if you want it: dark grey or black outside, white inside to keep a small room light.
Why sliders suit the way people use Uckfield gardens
Many gardens on the newer estates are not large. A bifold that folds outward needs a clear strip of patio about as deep as one door leaf, every time you open it. A slider needs none. It also leaves the frame lines thin when shut, which matters in a north-facing room in February.
The cost is not the reason. At matched sizes a slider and a bifold come out in the same price bands. Read the full comparison.
Replacing an old patio door, or widening the opening
If the new door fits the existing opening, the old frame comes out, the new one goes in, and the work is covered by the installer's FENSA certificate. If you want the opening wider, there is a lintel or steel to put in, and that needs building control approval from the council or an approved inspector. How widening works.
A typical job
Illustrative example of a typical job
Two-pane aluminium sliding door, 1980s house in Buxted
The house: A 1980s detached house on the former Britts farmland in Buxted, with a 2.4 metre patio opening onto the back lawn.
The spec: A two-pane aluminium slider, about 2400 by 2100 mm, one panel sliding and one fixed, anthracite outside and white inside, low threshold.
Typically £5,350 to £9,250, supplied and fitted, including VAT.
The opening was already the right width, so this is a straight swap. The spread in the range comes from glass spec, colour and threshold choice.
