Oversized patio door - help!

For all those Replacement Window decisions - just read, review or post a question. You will be helped!
Post Reply
Message
Author
gariak
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:37 pm

Oversized patio door - help!

#1 Post by gariak »

We have a 20 year old 2 panel wood frame patio door in our main living area that needs to be replaced. It was never better than builder grade to start with, so it hasn't improved with age. It is difficult to open and drafty, the screen won't stay on track, the seal on the fixed panel is broken and collects condensation, and it has started to leak from the top of the frame during blowing rain. There are two problems, of course. First, it is very large, approx 94" tall by 96" wide. Second, we live in a townhouse condo and are allowed very little cosmetic latitude, so there's no possibility of somehow shrinking the opening to accommodate a more standard sized door.

We received a quote recently on this and some DH windows that also need to be replaced. The installer, who comes pretty highly recommended, said that Soft-lite and most of the other manufacturers he works with can't do 94" high doors. He found a manufacturer who can do it, but the quote for the door is just short of $4000 installed. I have no reason to believe he's overpricing me as he quoted Soft-lite Imperial DHs and casements for under 500 installed each, but I have no idea what a reasonable price is for a door like this and no good approach for looking for manufacturers who can make them. I had focused most of my research on windows and am now back to square one with this door.

This door is our biggest value-add from an energy savings perspective, so it was where I wanted to go as high-spec as possible, but I'm not sure anymore whether there are even products available. Does anyone have any advice or experience with doors this size? Are there Kingsroyal grade products out there? If it matters, I'm in Chicago and this is a south facing wall that gets a lot of wind against it. Thanks in advance!

toddinmn
Posts: 632
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 7:11 am

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#2 Post by toddinmn »

Would they allow you to add sidelites or a transom to a standard sized door?
Maybe put an overhead garage door in there?

TheWindowNerd
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 5:52 pm
Location: SE PA & NJ; CT
Contact:

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#3 Post by TheWindowNerd »

What color does the exterior need to be ?
All of the following make an 8x8... Pella, Andersen, and InLine.
Mty first choice would be InLine fiberglass, then Pella(only if done by a PCC not WME),
lastly Andersen.
the window nerd

gariak
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:37 pm

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#4 Post by gariak »

toddinmn wrote:Would they allow you to add sidelites or a transom to a standard sized door?
Maybe put an overhead garage door in there?
Definitely not. A transom would be my first choice, but, while the board isn't ruthlessly policing specific brands and design specs, a readily noticable difference from street level would not be allowed. The garage door is clever, but its a second floor balcony access from our living room, so that's not practical.
anthony wrote:What color does the exterior need to be ?
All of the following make an 8x8... Pella, Andersen, and InLine.
Mty first choice would be InLine fiberglass, then Pella(only if done by a PCC not WME),
lastly Andersen.
the window nerd
The exterior needs to be white, which I didn't imagine would be an issue for any manufacturer. I'll look into InLine, that's not one I've seen before, thanks!

IknowPGTstuff
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:17 am

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#5 Post by IknowPGTstuff »

It's kind of a stretch for as far as you are away, but PGT makes a series 470 sliding glass door and they make it to any size (up to 40 feet wide and 10 feet tall in vinyl) they do both bypass and pocket doors (pocket doors are more of a Florida thing) and there is not an up charge for custom size. If you look into it, ask about the box screen. Call their 1800 number to find a dealer near you.

If you are looking for a door that is strong and very wind resistant, it may work for you. They use the same frame for their huricane impact sliding glass door (series 570) but I dont think you need huricane resistance where you are. :)

User avatar
Windows on Washington
Posts: 4843
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:21 pm
Location: DC Metropolitan Area-Maryland/Virginia/DC
Contact:

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#6 Post by Windows on Washington »

+1 to Anthony's advice.

If in vinyl, I am pretty sure that HiMark/Okna will make one that size too.

User avatar
HomeSealed
Posts: 2744
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:14 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Madison, Northern IL
Contact:

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#7 Post by HomeSealed »

+2. The HiMark/Okna is an excellent door, and comparable to that Softlite Kingsroyal. In fact, that stats on it should be slightly better, and in my experience it costs less. Either would be a great choice... The Pella and Inline options are good as well, but if you are trying to find an option cheaper than $4k, I don't know that they would fit that bill.

gariak
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:37 pm

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#8 Post by gariak »

Thanks for the further advice, here are some updates:

I got more information on the original quote, turns out that it was for a PH-Tech door, a Canadian company. I don't think I'll be going with a $4000 door under any circumstances, but I'm curious whether anyone has any opinion on them. It's not a name that's come up before in my search. It just must be a very expensive door. As far as I can tell, their website doesn't provide any technical specs at all, so it's hard to compare.

I have another quote in the works for an Okna door, but I'm told they only quote sizes up to 92", so I'm waiting to hear back if they can do a 94" door. The public-facing website doesn't seem to have any of this info. Does anyone actually have any experience with Okna doing doors this large?

Asking around the complex, it appears that most of my neighbors have replaced theirs with Aeris doors, apparently by ProVia. I'm guessing these are less of a high-end product, but I'd like to hear anyone's opinions on them. The stats aren't terrible, in comparison to the Oknas. I'll probably have a quote for those on Monday.

gariak
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:37 pm

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#9 Post by gariak »

IknowPGTstuff wrote:It's kind of a stretch for as far as you are away, but PGT makes a series 470 sliding glass door and they make it to any size (up to 40 feet wide and 10 feet tall in vinyl) they do both bypass and pocket doors (pocket doors are more of a Florida thing) and there is not an up charge for custom size. If you look into it, ask about the box screen. Call their 1800 number to find a dealer near you.

If you are looking for a door that is strong and very wind resistant, it may work for you. They use the same frame for their huricane impact sliding glass door (series 570) but I dont think you need huricane resistance where you are. :)
If any of the local installers were selling it, I would look into it, but the installer is as important as the door to me. Without an easy way to look up installers on their website, it's pretty tricky, since I want to simultaneous cross-reference with Angie's List resources. Phone calls aren't my thing. The hurricane resistance might be a bit of overkill, although we do get some strong winds now and then. Thanks for the info though.

TheWindowNerd
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 5:52 pm
Location: SE PA & NJ; CT
Contact:

Re: Oversized patio door - help!

#10 Post by TheWindowNerd »

several mfg have dealer locators, you could do some research that way.

Post Reply