Are external pocket sliding doors right for homes in County Down?
Most homeowners choosing external pocket sliding doors want the same things: more light, a clear view and a door that is easy to live with.
Want the whole width of your County Down kitchen open to the garden but prefer the look of sliders to bifolds? A pocket gives you both, at the cost of more building work.
If the wall beside your County Down patio opening is free of windows, radiators and sockets, it may be long enough to take a pocket so the panels disappear completely.
- With every panel slid into the wall, the full width of the opening is clear, so the room and terrace join without a fixed panel in the way.
- Open panels are hidden inside the wall rather than stacked in view, keeping the opening clean-lined compared with a bifold stack at one side.
- A lined and drained pocket carries rainwater running along the track out of the wall, protecting the structure as well as the rollers.
Guide prices for external pocket sliding doors in County Down
Guide prices include the door, fitting and structural calculations, including VAT. They include forming the opening and the pocket in the wall; Building Control fees are set by your council and are extra.
| Overall width | Typical panels | Guide price (fitted, inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 m | 1 panel | £7,095–£8,595 |
| 2.4 m | 2 panels | £7,495–£9,195 |
| 3.6 m | 2 panels | £9,295–£11,395 |
| 4.0 m | 2 panels | £9,895–£12,095 |
Every size is on the external pocket sliding doors page.
Daylight and glass in County Down
Daylight in County Down runs from about 7 h 17 min in December to 17 h 14 min in June, with the noon sun at roughly 12° and 59° respectively. Use that to choose your glass: standard low-E double glazing for north and east elevations, and consider solar-control or triple glazing for sunny south and west walls.
Towns we cover in County Down
We survey and fit external pocket sliding doors in 13 towns across County Down, including the BT18, BT20, BT21, BT23, BT24, BT25 postcode districts.
Approvals in Northern Ireland
Opening up a wall in Northern Ireland needs district council building control approval and structural calculations. We take on this work in Northern Ireland by arrangement.
Questions about external pocket sliding doors in County Down
Do you fit external pocket sliding doors in County Down?
Yes, by arrangement. County Down is in an area we cover by arrangement: the survey is still free, and survey dates, delivery and any travel cost for delivery and fitting are confirmed in your quote before you order.
How much wall do I need for an external pocket door?
An external pocket door needs a clear length of wall beside the opening at least as long as the panels that slide into it, plus a little for the frame. For a single 2 m panel that means just over 2 m of wall with no windows, radiators, sockets or pipes in it. A two-sided pocket splits the panels between both sides, so each side needs less length.
How much do external pocket sliding doors cost?
External pocket sliding doors start from a guide price of £6,595 for a 1.8 m single-panel door, fitted, inc VAT, at standard 2.1 m height, including forming the wall pocket. A 3 m two-panel door is a guide £8,395–£10,295, and a 6 m three-panel door is around £12,895. Wall construction, glass and finish affect the figure, which is fixed in a written quote after survey.
How wide can an external pocket sliding door be?
An external pocket sliding door in our range typically gives a clear opening of about 1.8 m to 6 m, using one panel at the narrow end and two or three panels on wider doors. Wider openings usually use pockets on both sides, or a multi-track pocket so the panels stack inside the wall. Sizes are confirmed after survey and the engineer's design.