Sarah Beeny’s Tips for Bi-Folding Doors from Double Your House for Half the Money

Author Profile
Ben Brocklesby is the Sales and Marketing Director at Origin. On top of this, Ben has always had a vested interest as his wife, Victoria, was one of the original founders of the company in 2002 and is now COO.
Ben has been building his house from scratch for the last 18 moths, so has built up a wealth of knowledge in building works, knowing what works and what is likely to add value to a home when it comes to resell. Needless to say, Ben has specified one or two sets of Origin Bi-fold Doors and Windows throughout the house.

By Ben Brocklesby

Top Tips from the "Double Your House for Half the Money" star
What's outside is just as important as the inside
Incorporate the picture perfect view into your home

Throughout the series, presenter Sarah Beeny has provided some superb advice on how to incorporate bi-fold doors into a home redesign so you can get the best results possible. Sarah’s key tip is to focus on creating a continuous flow between the outdoors and the indoors by using bi-fold doors to enhance the transition between the space, rather than interrupting it.

Below, we’ve highlighted some of Sarah’s key tips from the show.

Focus on flooring

In episode two of Double Your House for Half the Money, Mei and Yui Tse planned to expand their home to incorporate their growing family and a key design feature was to fit bi-fold doors to extend the sense of space in the kitchen-diner. Although they only extended the space in the house by one metre, incorporating bi-fold doors and reorganising the room and garden made the area feel much larger. Sarah’s advice was to extend the same style and colour of flooring used in the kitchen out onto the patio or decking area. The trick is to ensure the flooring both inside and outside is laid in the same direction if you’re using wood or wood effect slats, or in the same pattern, if you’re using stone or other flagged flooring, which draws the eyes inside.

In their design, Mei and Yui chose recycled plastic wood-fibre composite for their decking which gave a feeling of warmth underfoot and was very easy to clean, which helped to create the feeling of the inside being extended. Another top tip is to ensure the level of your decking or patio and the floor of your inside space are exactly the same level as this not only makes the area feel more united but it is also safer and more convenient.

Bring the outdoors indoors and vice versa

One of Sarah’s top tips was to choose garden furniture which looks as though it could also be indoor furniture. When this furniture is positioned by the doors, it creates an area for entertaining which feels as though it’s inside even though it’s actually in the garden. Zoning the decking or patio area into areas for dining, playing and relaxing can also make the best use of space and make the area seem larger.

A simple way to create a sense of flow between the indoors and outdoors is to introduce plants and natural elements to the kitchen-diner area such as driftwood, sheepskin throws, bamboo bowls or seashells.

Remember the view

In episode seven, Jason and Sarah want to double the size of their two-up two-down Victorian semi which had a stunning view of the West Sussex countryside. When Sarah Beeny arrives on site, she reminds them that whatever they do to their home, they have to remember that the amazing view is the most important feature of their home. Although the build isn’t fully finished when Sarah makes her return visit, the bi-fold doors are in place and they take in the vistas of the countryside. In a recent survey we completed at Origin, 81% of people felt a good view was so important that it influenced their mood and 87.5% of people thought a garden view would add £15,000 to the value of their property. It’s undeniable then that a good view is a must when considering extending your home!

Tune into Channel 4 on Tuesday 22^nd October at 8pm to see Origin’s doors in action on Double Your House for Half the Money.