A beach house is a magical place where summertime memories come to life. The things we attach emotions are often the things we remember, like a beautiful sunset through a beach house window! My beach house has sliding doors, and they’re practical and allow us to keep an eye on the weather and guests. So, what are the best sliding glass doors for a beach house?
The best sliding glass doors for a beach house are pocket sliding doors, patio glass sliding doors, lift-and-slide patio glass doors, bi-fold sliding doors, slim glass sliding doors, and bypass sliding doors. They create a lot of space, allow light to fill a room, and provide a clear view outside.
It’s crucial that a beach house feel spacious and welcoming and that every room has enough light. The right glass sliding door can do all of the above, so let’s explore our options and compare different types to find your perfect fit.
Pocket Glass Sliding Doors
As the name suggests, pocket glass sliding doors slot into a pocket in the wall when you close it. This type of beach house door is excellent for saving space and creating light in what may be a dark and gloomy room. In particular, utility rooms, storerooms, and en-suites would benefit significantly from a pocket glass sliding door.
Traditionally, a noticeable drawback of sliding doors is an opening that is not entirely unobstructed because the doors slide behind a fixed panel at one end. Thankfully, pocket sliding doors do away with the issue and provide substantially more space.
The walkway remains unobstructed since the panels slide on an extended track into a pocket in the wall. People can enter and exit freely between the interior and exterior of the beach house. Additionally, the large glass panels work well with the slim aluminum frames to provide a healthy amount of light into the beach house.
Patio Glass Sliding Doors
The traditional glass sliding door, or patio door, operates with two or more side-by-side panels mounted on sliding rollers along a track. One of the panels remains stationary while the other can move and slide to cover the fixed panel when it opens or closes.
Their specialty lies in maximizing the glazed area and minimizing the frames to provide an exquisite view from the inside or outside of the beach house. Another great attribute of patio glass sliding doors is their potential for using four, six, or even eight window panels to create an impressive 16-meter open space.
This type of door could work to your advantage when you have a lot of visitors at your beach house, or you plan to move bicycles, paddleboards, or other large outdoor equipment through your beach house.
Lift-And-Slide Patio Glass Doors
An exciting alternative to the traditional patio sliding door is a lift-and-slide patio door. This door system functions using an elevated gearing system. It has a handle that can open and close the door when you take the handle and rotate it to face downward.
When you open or close it, you can rotate the handle upward to lock the door into a stationary position and prevent it from moving any further. This gimmick is a fantastic feature that enables you to adjust the amount of entrance space available if you need to move drinks, beverages, or beach chairs through the beach house or outside.
Furthermore, the door system also includes a soft-close mechanism that, with a simple push, runs the door along the rails and closes it.
Bi-Fold Glass Sliding Doors
If you were ever curious whether a door can slide and fold, consider your curiosity now sated! The bi-fold glass sliding door is an excellent addition to any beach house and enables you to show off the look of a traditional bi-fold door while enjoying the convenience of a sliding door.
This type of sliding door can slide to one side when you open it while compacting both door halves towards one another. In truth, it doesn’t provide the same amount of space as a space-saving pocket glass sliding door, but it still works flawlessly to enlarge a door space while allowing light to travel through easily.
Slim Glass Sliding Doors
Slim glass sliding doors allow large amounts of light to enter the room while boasting a sleek, modern, and somewhat futuristic aesthetic. Thanks to their 20mm sightlines, the aluminum frames don’t obscure the glass or light from entering a room. They specialize in creating large glazed openings for a panoramic view of the sunset!
Despite their slim design, they offer excellent protection from the elements and are often highly customizable for the perfect beach house fit.
Sliding doors with a frameless look are also available for glass rooms and glazed expansions. They boast thermally insulated frames, a high-quality construction, and minimum sacrifice on security that continue to provide a stylish patio while keeping the summer light in and your family safe from intruders.
Bypass Glass Sliding Doors
Bypass doors get their name from their tendency to stack over each other when you open them. Furthermore, it’s highly customizable, and you can choose to purchase hardware that allows you to buy hardware for allowing this type of door to slide over one another rather than out onto the wall.
If you are yearning for more space in your beach house, a bypass glass sliding door may be the answer you need. It provides more wall space, plus you may prefer it since it looks neater than having a track run across the wall.
Glass Types For Beach House Sliding Doors
When deciding on a glass sliding door for your beach house, remember to consider the glass type, too.
Tempered Glass
Tempered glass, referred to as safety glass, is typically used in sliding glass doors because it shatters into tiny fragments rather than leaving more significant, dangerous shards of glass lodged in the door when struck.
Reflective Glass
Reflective glass fights direct sunlight and reduces heat gain in the living space, thanks to the coating on the glass. Additionally, energy efficiency is essential, and a popular type of reflective glass is low-emissivity glass.
The glass in these doors generally consists of two pieces of glass joined by airspace and filled with gas. Insulating glass units is a typical term for this type of glass, although other names include “double-pane” and “dual pane.”
These systems can be effective insulators, but they won’t perform like a traditional opaque wall with insulation. As a result, buyers should consider their home’s environment, choosing either single, double, or triple-glazing in their doors.
Conclusion
Pocket sliding doors are excellent for maximizing space inside your beach house, while patio sliding doors aim to maximize your immersion with a beautiful view. Bi-fold & bypass sliding doors combine different door types for an intriguing combination to provide ideal space and practicality.