Home renovation can be as exciting as it can be daunting. On one hand, you’re excited to finally revamp your home and see some much-needed changes. On the other hand, you may be required to put in some long hours, hard work, and possibly sacrifice some of your privacy if you’re hiring contractors to help you with the project.

One of the biggest renovation-related questions that we get about installing folding door systems is, “Do I need to build new structural supports for folding doors?”

Whether or not you need to add extra structural supports for to accommodate your folding doors really depends on how big your project is and the space of your existing doorways. Most small multi-fold doors can be installed without considerable structural changes. However, larger systems may require you to add or modify the existing supports in your walls.

In today’s post, we’re going to break down this issue and explain why this is such a big deal in home renovation, and how to tell if you’re going to need to modify supports for your folding door installation.

New Construction Vs. Home Renovation

To start with, let’s break down one important factor- are you building a new construction project or are you renovating an existing home?

If you’re building a new home and you want your folding doors to be part of the build, then your job is going to be a lot easier. All you have to do is work with your builder to create a doorway opening that can accommodate the size and type of folding doors you want.

However, if you’re modifying an existing home, then things can get a little bit trickier…

As we mentioned, smaller folding door systems are relatively simple. Often, they can just replace an existing glass sliding door or utilize another home entranceway. Larger folding doors typically require some extra TLC, though.

If you’re installing extra-wide or extra-tall folding doors, for example, you’ll usually have to rip out an entire wall (or at least a large portion of it). This process typically involves re-arranging some of the joists and studs that support that entire side of the home. It may also involve re-routing electrical wires and plumbing that run throughout your walls.

If you’re committed, though, then the result is that you’ll have a beautiful new folding door system that can substantially increase the value of your home.

Understanding Home Structural Supports

If you’re not entirely familiar with home renovations, then you may be wondering why this is such a big deal. “I see them knock down walls on HGTV all of the time!”

Although television certainly does a good job of making everything seem “easy,” there’s a lot of planning that has to be done before you start ripping down walls in your house. The entire home is designed to stay perfectly balanced on its supports, which are also its walls.

If you start knocking out supports without a plan, then your entire home could end up falling down on top of you!

Upgrading Structural Supports For Folding Doors

The good news is that with proper planning, the process is entirely possible. You’ll just need to work with an architect, professional builder, or a structural engineer to identify where all of the major supports in your home are and how to navigate around them (or remove/replace them).

Often, during construction, the contractors will have to install braces between the ground and the side of your home to prevent anything from shifting or falling during the installation of your doors. As long as everything is planned out and proper attention to detail is observed, though, the renovation should go smoothly.

Small Folding Doors Vs. Extra-Large Folding Doors

Generally speaking, the larger your doors are, the more “trouble” they’re going to cause during the renovation process. Smaller doors don’t require as much aggressive deconstruction, and may be installed around existing supports, studs, and beams. Larger door systems may require you to rebuild half of your home (or build an addition to your home).

Will Folding Doors Decrease My Home’s Structural Integrity?

As long as they’re installed correctly, then folding doors won’t decrease your home’s structural integrity! In fact, a properly installed folding door system may even provide extra strength to your home thanks to high-quality support systems made from industrial grade stainless steel.

If your folding doors are professionally installed, you’ll also have the added comfort of knowing that the work should be covered by warranty. This means that if anything does go wrong, the builders will most likely come out and correct the problem before it gets ot of hand.

Do I Need To Re-Route Electrical/Plumbing To Install Folding Doors?

Conduit pipes for electrical wiring and plumbing pipes run all throughout your walls. So before any walls are ripped out, your contractor will likely need to obtain a plan of your home to identify where all of the wires and pipes are located. If no plan can be found, then this can be a painstaking manual process.

Ripping through live wires and pipes that contain water can be a recipe for disaster, so it’s important that you don’t underestimate this step of the process.

Conclusion

As you can see, a lot goes into installing a set of folding doors into your home. This is one of the reason why contractors and builders often charge a lot more than you’d expect to install new exterior door systems. However, you can be rest assured that every single dollar you invest into the project will go towards increasing the market value of your home, making it an investment worth taking seriously!