Garden Escape

Mark and Sarah Evans’ home in Newick, East Sussex, is a relatively new build, but the beautiful garden originally formed part of the grounds of an old nursing home. This meant the south east facing mature garden has a great deal of history, including a 100 year old yew hedge and beautiful silver birches, which gave the home a fantastic view, which the Evans wanted to make the most of.

In the first instance, the Evans' wanted to add a traditional conservatory to their home, but felt a brick base would break up the view and create an unnecessary divide between outside and inside.

“It took several years to decide what we actually wanted. Finally, when speaking to Lifestyle Conservatories, who were part of the design process from the start, Origin Bi-folding Doors were recommended. Once we realised that bi-folds would create the conservatory we had in mind, with large glass expanses and modern architecture, we knew this was the look we wanted,” says Sarah Evans.

Bi-folding doors provided the Evans’ with the expansive view they wanted, this, combined with the security features and the ease of use, proved to be the perfect combination for their space.

The couple specified a five door and a three door set of doors for their 16sqm conservatory, with all doors in both sets folding and sliding in the same direction to fully open up the corner of the room, revealing the wonderful view of the garden.

In the five door set, each door leaf measured 989mm wide by a standard height of approximately 2351mm and the leafs were fitted into an aperture of 5123mm. The three door set was installed into a 3050mm aperture with each door measuring approximately 966mm x 2351mm. The configuration included a traffic door for everyday use, which features a magnetic keep to prevent the door slamming shut, plus a highly secure eight-point multi-point locking system.

A Modern Finish

The Evans chose the crisp finish of Hipca White powder coating for their doors to continue the modern fresh look on their interiors and to complement the French doors already installed in the house.

Powder coating the aluminium doors not only gives them a stylish finish but also removes much of the need for maintenance as the highly durable finish protects against scratches and colour fading.

Top Security

The Evans opted for Origin’s industry-leading eight-point multi-point locking system and magnum security cylinder which protects against all forms of physical attack. Within this system, chamfered 20mm linear bolts give a smooth lock-engaging mechanism, as well as maximum compression for increased weather resistance. Add to this the deep throw 25mm security hooks and the result is a lock which provides the best in security and weather proofing.

The Evans also liked the fact that on top of being incredibly secure, the Doors were all manufactured in Origin’s Buckinghamshire based factory, meaning that Origin are able to maintain an exceptional level of control over quality as well as offering a 20 year guarantee.

Garden Living with the Comfort of Being Indoors

The doors were fitted in May 2012 and Mark and Sarah Evans noticed a huge change in their day-to-day living, as the room became a key feature of the house, completely incorporating the garden. “We find ourselves sitting out here come rain or shine. When the doors are folded back, it feels as if you are out in the garden, but we experience the comfort of being indoors. The whole process from beginning to end has been effortless – we have brought the garden into the house without having to move the earth,” concludes, Mark Evans.