When it comes to any major home improvement project, it can be helpful to involve an interior designer. They can help you pick out the best type of folding door to match your existing theme as well as your architectural style. Otherwise, you could end up with a mismatched set of folding doors that just don’t go well with your home.

In today’s post, we’re going to explain the benefits of having an interior designer help you install bi-fold doors and walk you through the process of coordinating the installation with your designer.

Do You Need To Work With An Interior Designer?

If you don’t already have an interior designer, then you may be asking yourself, “Do I REALLY need to spend extra money hiring an interior designer for this project?”

To be 100% honest, you don’t need to work with an interior designer to install folding doors. In fact, many homeowners find that their contractor is talented enough to get the job done by themselves. Additionally, if you’re the type of person who likes to be in control of every detail, then you may not appreciate the input of a third-party designer.

However, hiring an interior designer has several notable benefits that might make you reconsider working with one, such as:

• Your interior designer will help you pick the best type of door for your home’s style.
• They’ll be able to help you identify high-quality companies, and may have a connection with some manufacturers that will help your doors get delivered and installed quicker.
• Your designer can work with your contractors to ensure that the doors are properly installed.
• The interior designer will make sure that all of your bases are covered, so you don’t forget anything or miscalculate your costs.

Do You Need To Hire An Architect For Folding Doors?

Since we’re on the topic, we figured that this would be a good time to address this. If your folding door installation is going to be a larger project that involves knocking down walls in your home or expanding existing doorways, then you may need to hire an architect.

This is because the doorway you’re installing your folding doors in may happen to be a load-bearing wall. If you start knocking out studs and structural supports, then your whole house could fall down on your head! Your architect will be able to help you create a plan that the installation team can follow to prevent any such problems.

How To Coordinate Your Folding Door Install With An Interior Designer

By now, hopefully, we’ve been able to convince you of the benefits of working with an interior designer to install bi-fold doors in your home. If you’re not used to working with an interior designer, though, then you may be wondering how the process works.

So, to make your life a little bit easier, we thought that it would be a good idea to create a simple, easy-to-follow guide on how to coordinate your folding door installation with an interior designer. Here’s what you need to know!

1) Discuss The Location And Size Of The Doors

First and foremost, you’ll need to nail down a location for where you want the doors installed. Typically, folding doors are installed to replace an existing patio doorway or balcony door. However, they can also be installed as part of a garage, kitchen, living room space, or even the main entrance of your home.

Your interior designer will be able to help you locate the best space in your house to install the bi-folds so that they’ll receive maximum use and make the biggest impact on your guests.

Once you decide where you want to install the doors, you’ll also want to figure out how big you want your folding door system to be. Perhaps, you just want a small 3-panel door system; or, maybe you want an expansive 30-feet-wide doorway that will completely open up your space.

2) Discuss Your Color Scheme

Once you decide on the location and size of the door, you’ll want to discuss your home’s color scheme and design with your designer. Preferably, you’ll want the stain or color of your doors to match the rest of the house. Otherwise, they’ll stand out like a sore thumb.

Another reason this is important is that you can add filtered tint to the glass folding doors. This can filter the light that comes through the doorway and affect the interior color of your home.

3) How Much Light Do You Want?

Figuring out how much natural lighting you want is a crucial part of your residential folding door installation. For example, if you want lots of natural light, then you’ll want to install the doors on a side of the house that receives maximum sunlight and close to a room that would benefit from more natural lighting.

Conversely, if you want to limit the amount of light in your home, then you’ll want to work with your interior designer to locate areas of your home where your doors won’t let too much light in.

4) Decide On Custom Vs. Pre-Fabricated Folding Doors

Next, you’ll want to talk to your designer about whether you want custom or pre-fabricated folding doors. Generally speaking, if you’re working with an interior designer, then you’re going to want custom doors. This will enable you to select the color of the doorframe, the door hardware, and fine-tune the various design aspects of the door.

However, if you’re looking for cheaper doors that can be installed quicker, then your designer may be able to help you find a pre-fabricated folding door system that meets your design requirements.

5) Figure Out Your Desired Doorframe Material

Last but not least, you’ll need to decide on the doorframe material that you want for your residential folding doors. All folding doors are either going to be manufactured using aluminum, vinyl, or natural hardwood doorframes. You may also find some “hybrid” doorframes that utilize an aluminum skeleton with vinyl or wood paneling.

Your designer will be able to go over the pros and cons of each system and help you figure out which type of door is best for your needs.

Conclusion

As you can see, working with an interior designer to complete your project is a good way to make sure that the project gets done right. Your designer should have the know-how and