Open Corner Sliding Doors for North Yorkshire Barn Extension

For homes in the countryside, open corner sliding doors create the perfect panoramic picture frame for those lovely views of rolling hills, lush fields and dry stone walls criss-crossing their way to the horizon.

Using two sets of doors that meet at a 90 or 270 degree angle and open away from each other, corner opening sliding door designs leave two walls of your home free from obstruction. There's nothing like it for enjoying seamless views, feeling closer to nature and savouring the benefits of fresh air and natural light - all from the comfort of your home.

This was the dream our customers were aiming to achieve for their detached 17th century farmhouse and barn near Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

And for our team at Solarlux by Reveal, this project was the perfect fit as both the customers and their architect were sticklers for detail and perfection - just like us!

The Vision

This project was all about the lovely views from the back of the house across open countryside. Our customers wanted to make the most of this with a new rear extension featuring corner opening sliding doors. The extension was part of a full renovation project to the original barn.

Whenever we start working with a customer, we always begin with their vision of what they want to achieve. As well as the aesthetics, we also consider how they intend to use their glass system and how they hope it will enhance their lifestyle. This helps us identify the most suitable solution for their requirements.

Sometimes, however, the vision doesn't quite balance with the budget or other constraints. When this happens, we work with the customer, and their architect if they have one, to ensure their vision is fufilled as far as possible within these limits.

We understand how important it is to deliver the vision that our customers and architects start out with. For this particular project in North Yorkshire, we worked closely with the customers and architect, Harrogate-based Shaw & Jagger, to fulfil their aspirations within a feasible budget. We listened to what they were wanting to achieve, and both the customers and architects trusted our expertise.

They also recognised the importance of pursuing their orginal vision; without doing so, the main point of the extension - to enhance the views - would have been compromised. We therefore worked hard to get this job within budget by tweaking the design. They even rejected a quote from a leading glazing company because the open corner design could not be accommodated within the budget, instead being replaced with a closed corner and a fixed corner window.

As seen in the images below, the final result pretty much mirrors the original vision.

The Solution

Two sets of double-glazed Solarlux Cero II sliding glass doors that meet at a 90 degree corner were the perfect choice for this project. These premium doors are truly exceptional, with attractive, slimline profiles at an amazing 34mm and large panes up to 4 metres high, 3 metres wide, 600kg weight, and a total area of 12 square metres.

They offer almost uninterrupted panoramic views when closed, while the wide aperture they create when opened dissolves the barrier between indoors and out. Thermally insulated to keep your home cosy during winter, their strength and highly engineered design allow for easy opening for daily use during the warmer months.

All Solarlux Cero sliding doors are bespoke designed and manufactured in Germany, and therefore can be specified to meet your vision and requirements. From the dimensions to the colour, the type of glazing to the handles, your glass sliding doors are unique to you.

This custom made solution is precision installed by our Yorkshire team, resulting in open corner glass doors that move impeccably, and seal together to millimetre perfection for energy efficiency and longevity.

Design and Survey

Our focus throughout the customer journey remains on how we achieve the perfect result for them in terms of how their doors look but also how they are going to work for their practical requirements, functionality and durability.

For this project, we spent a lot of time talking to the customers and the architects about the design as well as the capabilities of the product. By the time the homeowners approached us, they had been to all the main home improvement shows around the country and looked at a whole range of products from various other manufacturers/ suppliers. But it was the quality and capabilities of the Solarlux Cero II doors, as well as the expertise of our team of designers and installers, that cemented their decision. It wasn't just the glazing solution they chose, but also ourselves to deliver it.

The devil really was in the detail for this project. One of the homeowners is a brand and product designer, working on new product development and innovation. So he was very interested in the detail of the sliding doors and how the design fitted with the overall renovation project.

Once the design was more focused and all their questions had been answered, he and his partner vistied our Leeds premises to see the doors in real life at our showroom. He was literally on his hands and knees examining everything! From the sealing and the threshold, to the locking, handles and interfacing inside and outside, he spent ages looking at everything and scrutinising the detail.

This is great for us because we know we can deliver to that level of detail. Throughout the project, we left no stone unturned, discussing everything from which door would open first and how the handles would look, to calculating wind load alongside the architect-appointed structural engineer, and working out how the doors would meet on the corner (the interlock), where the head of the track was going to sit, where the blinds should be, and even the colour of the silicone sealant.

We also provided a 3D visualisation and large painted swatch samples with a guide to using them effectively, including the importance of viewing them in natural daylight, warm indoor light, cool LED light or direct sunlight to note how the colour appearance changes.

Manufacture, Delivery and Installation

As a one-system design, every single element of the Cero sliding doors is manufactured at Solarlux's single-site factory complex in Melle, Germany, before being transported to site.

We always plan in detail for the arrival of the lorry carrying all the parts. We have to check access for the lorry to the site, including traffic management, as well as ensuring that everything is unloaded and stored correctly, ready for installation.

It was a difficult delivery in this instance, with very tight access to the site and then to the rear of the house. The large Solarlux wagon had to manoeuvre some narrow country lanes, and use a farmer's yard at the bottom of the site to turn around. It was then parked further up using a neighbour's drive to be able to get the Moffett forklift out. It was really tricky but the Solarlux driver, Mark, was excellent. Then we had to lift the truck's roof off to get the glass out because it was so big - the largest panel (frame and glass) is 7.17 square metres and weighs 375kg.

We also had to work out how to get all the parts to where they needed to be at the rear of the property. This was down a narrow path and through a small gap in the wall, as shown below. The builder had to take down one side of the gate to create enough width for the glass robot to get where it needed to be. Once through the gate, there was an incline and lots of gravel, which made it dificult to manoeuvre the glass robot which was needed to carry the glass as it was so large.

We assigned a dedicated team from our in-house installers, who are specialists in open corners, to work solely on this project until completion. We do this in all our work to ensure consistency, attention to detail and timely delivery of the finished result.

The walls were original from the 17th century barn and were very wonky in parts, so we had to do a lot of packing off of the wall as part of the installation. The first four images below show how much the wall runs out and how we have scribed in and out within the pressing/trim. This is something we encounter with older buildings and the only thing we can do is to work with what is there and make it look the very best possible.

The Challenges

One of the biggest challenges on this project was the unevenness of the home's original stone walls that the sliding door frames were attached to.

A lot of the masonry and walls needed to be repaired first by the builder with limestone mortar, but the walls still ran out massively in parts, as shown in the images below. The right hand wall was not plumb (vertical) by 76mm at the widest point, while the left ran out by 72mm. That's a lot to take into account when you consider that normally you are looking at 10mm max.

It needed a lot of jiggery pokery and a lot of skill to get it right. We had some hardwood timber firrings made to take care of the walls that ran out to 76mm and to give the trims/pressings something more to adhere to. This helped square up the opening and make it more robust and plumb to fix to, and will also ensure longevity of the doors.

We had to introduce some scribed trims following the contours of the stone both internally and externally on the left hand side and right hand side where the doors met the existing barn stone walls. We used a 3M tape in black to create a shadow gap effect (this gets stronger with time) and the trims made to match both colour and finish. We used colour matched Soudal Hybrid 215LM sealant (silicone) to seal the trims to the existing stone walls. And then we used Soudafoam SWS to install the undulating existing stone wall and the vertical abutment with the door.

The other main challenge of this project was the difficult access to the installation position and then to the rear of the property, as explained above.

Cero II Open Corner: The Details

• Aluminium powder coated Cero II sliding doors
• Concealed frame at width, top and bottom to create 99% glass appearance
• Two sets of two-pane doors meeting at a 90 degree angle
• Door sets open away from each other to create fully open corner
• Master door on right hand side that must open first (when viewed from inside)
• Multipoint locking to top and bottom, with flat handle internally
• Complies with British Building Regulations. No Document Q compliance requested as it is not a new build dwelling or a change of use to a dwelling

Dimensions

Left hand two-pane doors

• 5575mm wide
• 2575mm high

Right hand two-pane doors

• 5080mm wide
• 2575mm high

Wind Load

• Left hand pane: +0.91Kn (910 pascals)
• Right hand pane: Up to 1000mm from 90-degree corner -1.19Kn and remainder of door -.085Kn
• Includes interlocks and 90 degree corner

Glass Specification

• Double glazed
• Due to the high wind load on the very large panes of glass, as calculated by the structural engineer, Solarlux Germany’s static engineer allowed for the glass to be 10mm toughened safety glass
• The glass has been heat soak tested (HST) for additional durability and safety. HST helps reduce the risk of nickel sulphide inclusion, a microscopic impurity that can cause toughened glass to spontaneously shatter, even years after installation
• Ug-value (measuring the thermal efficiency of the glass itself) 1.1 W/m²K
• Overall Uw-value 1.4 W/m²K (in accordance with the latest Building Regulations)
• Largest pane 375kg
• All glass is clear, although its appearance can vary in each position due to the glass specification required for compliance with various Building Regulations

Thresholds

• Fully weather rated thresholds on both sets of doors
• Specified with flush thresholds for unobstructed views, seamless mm perfection indoor-outdoor flow and full accessibility

• The dimensions of the top of the track to the underside of the track allowed the threshold to be sunk 75mm
• As we do with all our Solarlux installations, first of all we put a base down below the threshold of 115mm of two layers of adjustable purenit®, a high-density, rigid polyurethane (PUR/PIR) foam material known for its exceptional thermal insulation, moisture resistance and durability. Critical for such large doors, it works as a durable, load-bearing and machinable building board similar to MDF in workability but with the benefit of being waterproof. This made up the floor height difference from the structural slab to the final finished floor level, ensuring a millimetre-perfect transition from the house to the outside. The perimeter ran out quite a bit so needed a fair amount of packing.
• We adjust the purenit®, pack it and insulate it with EPDM, a type of synthetic rubber that we use as standard for all Cero sliding door installations. We overlap it to create a waterproof, airtight barrier as recommended and tested by Solarlux. The EPDM is shown in the image and diagram below.

• ISO Chemie top flex adhesive was used to give a really good strong bond behind the structure and the Solarlux-supplied EPDM.

Drainage

• Hidden and controlled at the lowest level of the frame section
• Perimeter drainage together with all necessary below ground drainage provided by other contractors
• Example of drainage with EPDM is shown in the third image above

Colours and Finishes

• Internal colour: Anthracite Grey (Nearest RAL colour 7016)
• External colour: Anthracite Grey (Nearest RAL colour 7016)
• Paint finish: Fine Structure (Textured), which we recommend for its scratch resistant properties

• Ironmongery / hardware colour: Black and Stainless Steel
• Handles colour: Solarlux Cero Stainless Steel

Sealant

• Soudaseal 215LM, a high quality, neutral, elastic, 1-component joint sealant based on MS-Polymer

Foam in door and window frames:

• Soudafoam Window and Door SWS, a one component, self-expanding, ready to use polyurethane foam. Airtight, and with high thermal and acoustic insulation, it has elastic properties which allow the foam to follow the movement of the joint and keep its insulation properties for many years

The Finished Result

Throughout the project, the customers and their architects were a pleasure to work with. The architects managed the project really well, and the shared focus on detail and getting everything perfect meant the final result was stunning and delivered on time.

The open corner sliding doors not only look amazing but have achieved exactly what our customers wanted: the perfect picture frame for the views from their home.

Installed to millimetre perfection despite the challenges posed by the original barn walls, the glass doors move like a dream and will last a lifetime. The floor tiles that finish 100% flush with the top of the door threshold, seen in the image below at the top left, creates a seamless transition from the home to the outdoors. The sightlines and detailing are beautiful, and the soffit, fixings and door interlock impeccable.

Being bespoke, the doors could be designed to mitigate any challenges such as wind load, as well as offering design freedom in terms of colour and finish. And with fantastic thermal performance, the doors will keep the new extension cosy and warm in winter before transforming into an amazing living space seamlessly connected to the outdoors during the warmer months.

Approach and Aftercare

As a specialist glazing company, we offer a full service that ensures we deliver the long term, quality engineered product expected from Solarlux's outstanding glazing systems.

We work alongside clients, architects, builders and building control officers, utilising our industry experience, skills and product knowledge to minimise unwanted surprises. However, we do not carry out any internal or an external finishes, architectural works, planning, building control or structural engineering.

We ensure that the glass sliding doors and their installation meet all British Building Regulations, standards and practices.

Our award-winning seven step approach to delivering a successful project, shown below, ensures an outstanding end result.

Our Yorkshire team of architectural glazing specialists act with integrity and honesty, and aim to do the job right every time. We cover all bases to ensure your glazing system is structurally sound, extremely safe and will last a lifetime.

While on site, our team are always respectful of the fact it is a customer's home and are often complimented on their politeness and cleanliness. We think it's important to turn up when we say we will and remain fully committed to the job until it is finished and handed over to the customer.

All Solarlux Cero sliding doors come with a comprehensive 10-year manufacturer's warranty covering the whole system (terms & conditions apply).

And, unusually for our industry, we also offer a complimentary 12 month aftercare service where we visit your home one year after installation to check that your glass doors are working as perfectly as they did on the day you got them.

We help homeowners and architects achieve their vision with high quality, impeccably installed glazing solutions. Please get in touch with our industry specialists to tell us more about what you are hoping to achieve. We would also welcome the opportunity to show you around our display in Leeds. Contact us by clicking the button below.