At SunSeeker Doors, we have two solutions for your outbuildings and conservatory: double-glazed UltraSlim with aluminium frames and single-glazed, tempered Frameless Glass doors.

Both types of doors use the same unique, proprietary system to slide-pivot-stack the doors, enabling full access through the wall opening. The main door pivots open (this may be inwards or outwards and placed either left or right of the opening); each of the other doors can slide along the guides, then pivot open to stack against the first or previous door.

If preferred, some of the doors can remain in place or be spaced along the opening.

Frameless Glass Doors

UtraSlim Aluminium-frame  Doors

UltraSlim Doors are suitable for all locations around the property. Their side frames are only 19mm wide and they are thermally compliant to British standards. Frameless Glass Doors are single glazed with tempered glass, suitable for out-buildings, internal use (such as room dividers) and commercial premises.

For a comparative quotation for your project, submit our no-obligation request form.

The post Best Glass Doors for Outbuildings appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

Bi-Folding Doors were the best patio doors available for garden access, from the beginning of this century and for the next ten years or so. For many homes, bi-folds opened up the whole of the wall, giving rise to the phrase “bringing the outdoors inside”. Their ‘concertina’ design of double-glazed doors with necessary sturdy hinges meant that the sightlines could be quite wide (although SunSeeker Slimline Bifold Doors had the most narrow frames and slimmest profiles).

Sliding Doors could provide more panoramic viewing as the panels were constantly supported and, therefore, the frames around the glazing could be narrow. The downside is that at least one door had to remain ‘in situ’ which limited the access to the patio. A wide aperture of 4 metres may enable an access space of 2 metres with some sliding door systems. However, a narrow aperture of 2 metres would only provide approximately 1 metre of access between the house and garden. This is where bi-folds provided a better option over standard sliding systems, a folding door with a 2-metre width would fully open to enable virtually the whole aperture to be useable – no squeezing through, one person at a time.

French Doors are suitable only for openings with a width of under 2 metres.

Slide-Swing Doors is a description of the way our UltraSlim system works. The sightlines and profiles are the slimmest available (excluding Frameless Glass Doors) with 19mm aluminium side frames – with up to 97% glass widths for virtually uninterrupted, clear viewing. The style may also be referred to as slide & turn or slide & pivot doors. SunSeeker UltraSlim Doors are unique.

In line with home-improvement projects, the popularity of slim frames has increased, despite operating difficulties throughout 2020. Which door system is best for you? When choosing a patio door, consider the available space and the look you wish to achieve. Budget is often an overriding factor as the best will be more expensive than the norm. However, consider the life-span of the items you are installing – doors are an essential life-style element that will remain a ‘wow’ factor for several years and could increase the desirability and value of your home.

Safe, Secure, Energy-efficient

Slimmer frames do not reduce security. SunSeeker UltraSlim doors have a double-shoot-bolt mechanism so that the glass doors are securely locked.

Double-glazing in all our door systems bears the British Standard kitemark. Together with the ‘thermally-broken’ aluminium frames, our doors are extremely energy efficient.

Options include:

• aluminium frames are available in a choice of more than 200 RAL colours (some at additional cost);
• glass units can be supplied as tinted (more glass options)
• integral blinds

Contact us for your obligation-free quotation.

The post Bifolding vs Sliding vs Slide-Swing Glass Doors appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

Home improvement is one of the industries that has grown during 2020’s Covid-19 difficulties and the choice of doors and suppliers can be difficult for home-owners who are planning their home improvements.

Throughout 2020, we’ve all struggled to make the best of our time. Instead of spending thousands of ££££ on holidays, some home-owners have saved enough money to invest in their property: loft conversions, new bathrooms or kitchens, extensions, landscaping, new patios or decking and, of course, doors to the new garden patio or terrace.

Identifying which services to use has been somewhat daunting, though. Many companies have had difficulties with supplies, distribution and managing staff levels under ever-changing guidelines and legal requirements. Most existing or potential new customers are aware of these issues but, sometimes, panic sets in if there is no immediate solution, which is completely understandable in some cases.

SunSeeker door systems are unique and, therefore, we have had a good number of enquiries but cannot always install our doors quickly, especially when staff members are ill or isolating. Similarly, maintenance requests are often urgent and require scheduling in as soon as possible, even though there is often no income generated – yet we may have to send a team on a half-day trip for a 15-minute resolution. It’s a necessary part of customer service but, as with all business, we need to make a profit to reinvest in the company’s future.

About Our Doors

The door systems that we design, manufacture and install are all fully retractable in under a minute – an essential feature for frequent use. Our UltraSlim range will enable you to open up your home to your garden by ‘removing the wall’ or you can just use the personal door when days are not so nice.

For a contemporary look, increased thermal efficiency and more natural light into your home, choose SunSeeker UltraSlim.

Useful links for Covid-19: UK Government / NHS

The post Home Improvement – The 2020 Effect appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

When searching for the perfect patio door, what do people need to look for? Especially those who are unaware of UltraSlim, made in England by an established door technology company.

BiFolding Doors were designed and manufactured in England by SunSeeker Doors in 2003, one of the first companies to do so when virtually nobody used the term ‘bi-fold’. They were more commonly referred to as sliding-folding, concertina/accordion doors and, occasionally, multi-folding glass panel doors.

Aluminium-framed bi folds had advantages over timber and pvc alternatives: stronger, lighter, more durable and less bulky than wooden or plastic frames.

French doors are usually 2-door systems for small apertures, typically less than 2 metres wide. Bi folding doors could open at either side or somewhere in the middle. Good for modern properties but not so popular in period homes.

Sliding doors are available in narrow or wide widths and can run on one, two or more grooves to increase access space. They are not so useful for small apertures as there is always at least one panel that is ‘in the way’ therefore a 5ft wide opening will allow only 2ft 6ins maximum of access through them. A very large opening can look amazing if using Sightline sliding doors.

Pocket doors are similar to sliding but more useable walk-through space is available as the doors can slide into cavities within the side walls.

Patio and Panel doors are generic terms for various styles.

There is currently no specific term to describe UltraSlim slide and pivot doors. In addition to patio and glass panel doors, they are called bi-folds (although, having no hinges, they do not fold), slide-and-turn, slide-and-swing or stacking doors. You can view video demonstrations of slide-pivot doors.

Frameless Glass Doors work on the same principle. They are slide & turn without frames. The major difference is that Frameless Glass is not double-glazed and therefore the thermal values do not meet standards for forming part of the external walls of a house. They are made from tempered safety glass and are ideal for conservatories, external enclosures, internal room dividers or commercial properties where these rules do not apply.

UltraSlim was first launched in 2009 and has been honed over the past decade. In our opinion, UltraSlim aluminium framed slide-turn-stack offers the best of all options for most homes.

The post Patio Door Types appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

Almost 15 years ago, we installed a set of our Slimline aluminium bi-folding doors for a customer who was delighted with them. As bi-folds were uncommon at the time, the installation was a definite ‘wow’ factor of the refurbished house.

The customer is moving home soon, to a new house that is being built on a quarter-acre plot. SunSeeker slide-and-swing UltraSlim Doors were a must for this customer! Two sets have been installed: a four-door set for the west-facing lounge and a three-door set in the kitchen-dining area, which is south facing.

The client has invited us to use their doors in a new demonstration video when their home is completed, although this could be next year. Meanwhile, if you would like a quotation for UltraSlim Doors in your new-build, new extension or refurbishment, we will provide a free quotation with no strings – even if your project is months away. This will include all standard costs: manufacturing to order, site visit, installation and our two-year guarantee.

When comparing UltraSlim Aluminium framed slide and swing doors with our 2 or 3 competitors, be sure to compare the width of their door frames – ours are only 19mm. We are also able to quote for specific RAL colours, special glass and integral horizontal blinds (housed inside the double glazing) as optional extras.

The post Returning Customer Builds New House, Buys More Doors appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

There is a demand for SunSeeker Doors to be installed in period properties, including updating Crittall style.

Properties with original Crittall windows “the original steel window manufacturer” are sometimes subject to special conditions but there were many houses built in the 1950s – including council housing estates – with this single glazing system. There were condensation problems which eventually led to the need to re-paint the frames.

Where possible, UltraSlim’s aluminium frames can be finished in any RAL colour, to suit. The frames are powder-coated and, therefore, never require painting. Our doors and windows are double glazed to British Standards and kite-marked.

To our knowledge, Crittal doesn’t offer retractable doors and windows which is another reason to choose SunSeeker UltraSlim for your lifestyle. Our door frames are only 19mm wide. There is a main door to one side which can open inwards or outwards, enabling the next door along to slide towards the open door and also open… and so on. This system can be applied to windows (minimum height of one metre). Link to Crittall.

We are also able to make UltraSlim Doors and windows as specialised customisations, including the Crittall style shown in the images. Contact us for a quotation or to discuss your specific requirements.

The post Crittall style Slide & Swing Doors appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

SunSeeker UltraSlim slide and turn doors are secure. A client recently contacted us regarding an attempted break-in, providing evidence of the failed attempt via the patio doors.

“Unfortunately, last night, burglars tried to break into the property and used these doors as a potential point of access. The doors didn’t give in but substantial damage has been caused to the opening leaf as you can see in the attached images.”

In 2018, we installed a set of slide-pivot doors in South-West London. In March 2020, burglars tried to break into the property and used these doors as a potential point of access. The doors didn’t yield, although sufficient damage was caused to the main traffic door, which needed to be replaced.

As with the UltraSlim door concept, the locking mechanism is proprietary – we are the designers & manufacturers of the whole system.

At the risk of helping our competitors (or professional burglars) improve, we’d like to help potential clients with their decision making. Knowing how the secure lock mechanism is designed to work may be useful and interesting.

When the main door lock lever is turned. the whole height of the lock is moved against the first door panel. This squeezes all the other doors together. All door panels have a male-female interlock which secures all panels against each other. It is a very unique locking system, which most intruders could not guess. Even if they read this, it would be very difficult to attack the panels or locking mechanism. Breaking the kite-marked, double glazed glass unit is not only difficult but will be noisy. It can also be dangerous, as intruders may be injured by broken glass, leaving blood and DNA at the crime scene.

Please contact us for a quotation.

The post How Secure are UltraSlim Slide & Turn Doors? appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

We are often asked about the cleaning and maintenance of our slide-and-turn UltraSlim doors. It’s the same easy routine as the advice we gave for our bi-folding doors…

Keep the Floor Guide Free from Grit and Dust

It is very important for the doors to slide smoothly along the floor guide. To do this, regularly clean it with a vacuum cleaner nozzle and your doors should slide easily. The guide should never require oiling as this will lead to dirt and dust sticking to the oil and difficulty sliding the doors. Subsequently using force to slide the doors may cause them to ‘bump’ or become misaligned.

Failure to perform this easy maintenance routine is the main reason we are contacted for service requests. Please look after your doors!

UltraSlim Aluminium Door Frames

Our UltraSlim door frames are manufactured using powder-coated aluminium. As such, they are resistant to dirt and light scratches and require only an occasional wipe-down with a soft, damp cloth.

The Glass

As with any British Standard glass in your home, such as windows, use the glass cleaning product of your choice and an appropriate cloth. Of course, if you don’t have a pet dog (or cat) or young children, the inside will rarely need cleaning! Outside, depending on where your doors are situated, there may be splashes from heavy rain bouncing up from the patio or maybe a gift from the occasional bird ‘off-loading’ in mid-flight.

Integral Blinds

If you have integral blinds fitted, these are fully protected within the double glazing cavity, will never gather dust and, unless treated roughly, will not require any maintenance.

Note: Aluminium is a metal and, as such, may expand and contract in extreme hot and cold temperatures. Please take extra care when sliding your doors – please do not use force.

The post Easy Maintainance of UltraSlim Aluminium Doors appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

We are often approached by builders who want to supply and fit our unrivalled UltraSlim Doors on client’s extensions or property development projects. Whilst there might be some advantages to this, our experience during the past 15+ years led to our policy of taking full responsibility for the site-survey, door manufacture and installation.

Most builders are happy with this arrangement. Our experienced teams can install the doors in optimum time while the builders get on with their work. The client pays for the doors direct to us, therefore the builder doesn’t need to worry about collecting payment from the client and passing it on.

Clients are happy to deal direct, knowing that they are paying a fair price without an added premium to the ‘middle man’ (in this case, the building company). More importantly, if there are any issues discovered during site-survey and installation, we can resolve them. Our doors rarely require repairs or major maintenance but, if they do, the client can contact our experts without having to track down the builders.

Another advantage of having our engineer visit your home is to show you how to use the doors. The engineer will also to run through the easy maintenance that will keep the doors working and looking their best. This includes removing dirt and dust from the floor runners that can accumulate when doors have been open to the elements. It takes only a few minutes. If you have ordered integral blinds with the doors, these will also be demonstrated for you.

Contact us for your UltraSlim Doors quotation.

The post How well do you know your Builders? appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.

We don’t offer our doors at SALE prices…
Our doors are designed exclusively by us, using technical knowledge gained over a couple of decades to develop a unique product that delivers the contemporary style of a concept door that is suited to today’s lifestyle.

Development

SunSeeker UltraSlim Doors were developed during 2008/2009 as “hingeless bifolding doors”. Initial installations, during 2009, allowed us to test the doors in a real environment before launching the product at the end of 2009. Since then, we have continued to make refinements and improvements.

When SunSeeker launched UltraSlim Doors almost ten years ago, we were the only company to offer 19mm side frames which were at least 80% slimmer than hinged bifolds. The 38mm sightlines on closed UltraSlim Doors offered almost uninterrupted views when closed.

Additionally, having no hinges meant that the door profiles were narrower and the fully opened doors, stacked at the side, also required less space when fully retracted.

Competition

Today, ten years on, we have started to see competitors emerge with similar doors but none can offer narrower sightlines or slimmer profiles.

Occasionally, we have been accused of being a little ‘cagey’ when asked for technical information. We know that we have an enviable product and we don’t want other companies to benefit from the years of development that we have invested in our market-leading doors. Hence, we no longer attend trade shows and we use our own installation teams, in order to protect our unique door system.

Pricing

We are a family business with in-depth knowledge of door technology. In order to maintain the quality of manufacturing to order, we price UltraSlim Doors as competitively as we can. We also keep the price keen by dealing direct with our customers so that there is no ‘middle man’ needing a profit.

The recent collapse of sterling is a challenge and any future trade agreements will affect pricing, from raw materials to importing full products that are manufactured abroad. SunSeeker Doors are made in England.

The price is quoted for each client’s bespoke requirements and is not over-inflated just to allow us to offer discounts. When we see a blanket “30% off” it begs the question – were their prices 30% too high in the first place? We don’t offer fake price reductions. Innovation and quality engineering, such as we poured into SunSeeker UltraSlim, results in a unique, bespoke system that will never be as cheap as off-the-shelf generic doors – and won’t have the same ‘wow’ factor.

Payment

It is common practice to pay in full before the doors are installed, just as people expect to pay for a holiday, flight or train ticket in advance. There is an element of trust, which is why it is important for purchasers to deal with established, reputable companies. Once someone has had their patio doors installed (or, indeed, completed their holiday), it can sometimes be more difficult to obtain final payment. Our doors come with guarantees and we want to please our customer base so that they become our marketing force. It’s not always possible to please everyone but we do try.

Snagging

With new-builds and building extensions, there are generally some ‘snagging’ issues as things settle (e.g. plaster or timber drying out). Also, elements such as wood and metal can be affected by climate and temperature). Occasionally, our doors may need some after-care and we aim to resolve issues within a reasonable timeframe.

Reviews & Testimonials

Whether you are in Waitrose or Marks & Sparks, most purchases are made and forgotten – unless it results in dissatisfaction. If you’ve received poor customer service or a faulty product, you will probably do something about it. For a large purchase costing a four figure sum, dissatisfaction is escalated to higher levels, with a need to let others know via social media, discussion groups and negative reviews. This is perfectly acceptable.

However, people reading a handful of negative comments do not have a balanced perspective because most happy purchasers don’t have the same motivation to shout about their experience. On average, there are two positive reviews posted for every negative one which gives the impression that 33% of all people who bought a certain product were unhappy. In reality, in our case, we receive negative feedback from less than 1% of our client base, most of whom are subsequently satisfied. Sometimes, people write and tell us how delighted they are – check out our door testimonials.

If you are a happy customer who would like to share your experience of how UltraSlim Doors have improved your lifestyle, please consider leaving reviews on our testimonials page, Google, Facebook or any other online groups – or you can email us!

Thanks very much 🙂

The post Why SunSeeker Doors Don’t Offer Discounts appeared first on Sunseeker Doors.