Master 2.7M Bifold Doors enhances the new bedroom-cum-lounge extension

In early 2014 Harriet Brown and her family who live in Bromley, Kent, decided that it would be best if Harriet’s mother moved in with them so she could have the care she needed. The Victorian semi-detached house they all shared was not quite large enough so Harriet hit on a plan to build a bedroom-cum-lounge at the back of the house which has local listed status.

“We wanted mum to be with us but have her own space as well. She was very keen to be able to see our landscaped garden from her room and enjoy the option of having the doors open or closed dependent on the weather. We looked at a number of options but in the end decided that bi-fold doors afforded the best solution as they should be able to provide an uninterrupted view through the glass and open fully to allow mum to feel like she was actually in the garden from the comfort of her own room,” says Harriet.

The building work started in August 2014 and was completed in November, allowing mum to move in the following month. With winter pretty much upon them, the thermal insulation of the room was of paramount importance to the Brown family; as was the quality of the doors they planned to fit.

“We looked at a huge range of doors but could not find anything that matched what we wanted; they all looked so flimsy and did not give us the confidence we needed. Mum really feels the cold so we had to make sure, what with the house being Victorian built, that she would be warm enough. Our builder recommended some but we found nothing to impress us till we discovered the Vufold Master range. My husband drove all the way up to Cheshire to see the showroom and came back almost blown away by the standard of the doors. They just looked so substantial and fit for purpose that we decided to go with them almost there and then,” says Harriet.

If the family had any concerns about how comfortable mum would be in her new space, they needn’t have worried, as Harriet explains; “You can really feel the difference when you move from the old part of the house to mum’s room – it’s just so cosy and warm, even in the middle of winter. In the summer she sits with the doors folded right back watching the wildlife and taking in the scents from the garden – it’s like she’s actually sat out there while enjoying the comfort of sitting on her own sofa.”

Apart from the aesthetic and practical qualities of the Vufold bi-fold doors, which Harriet says are superb, the Browns were delighted with the way their builder was able to work with the company to make sure the construction went to plan.

“Our builder told us he normally erects a building and then orders doors and windows to fit the spaces, as that way he can be confident they will fit. However, with Vufold he had to build the extension to incorporate the technical specifications of the bi-fold doors; which was completely opposite to how he usually works. He was quite nervous about this but really he need not have been. The technical people at Vufold were excellent with him and he spoke to them on the phone several times to make sure everything went to plan – which it did. When they arrived the doors fitted the space perfectly as they were indeed exactly the size he was told they would be. Overall we have been completely overwhelmed by the quality of the products and the service we have had from Vufold; we really can’t fault them,” says Harriet.