Patio Doors near you

Under 16 CFR part 1201, sliding glass doors of the patio type are Category II products, which the standard also calls Class A. That category is where the standard places its most demanding applications, and it includes shower doors and enclosures, bathtub doors and enclosures, and any door or storm door containing a piece of glazing material greater than 9 square feet on one side. All glazing the standard covers must meet its impact and environmental test requirements, tested to the applicable provisions of ANSI Z97.1-2015, and must be labeled by manufacturers.

The glazing materials the standard recognises are annealed, organic-coated, tempered, laminated and wired glass, or combinations of them. Two of those behave in ways that decide how a patio door job runs. Tempered glass is defined as glass that cannot be cut, drilled, ground or polished after treatment without fracture, and when fractured at any point, if highly tempered, the entire piece breaks into small particles, which is why every tempered pane is made to an exact size and never trimmed on site. Laminated glass is two or more pieces bonded to an intervening layer of resilient plastic, which holds the fragments together when it breaks and is harder to get through.

There is a labeling detail homeowners can check themselves. The standard defines a permanent label as one that remains legible and visible after installation and that would be destroyed in an attempt to remove it, listing sandblast, acid etch, hot stamp and destructible polyester as examples. Look in a corner of each pane for that permanent mark before the crew leaves, and note that anyone who cuts certified and permanently labeled glazing into smaller pieces is treated by the standard as a private labeler.

ENERGY STAR certified products are made by a program partner, are independently tested, certified and verified by the NFRC, and carry NFRC ratings that meet the EPA's guidelines. For doors, the criteria are based on glazing level, the amount of glass in the door, which is exactly why a patio slider and a solid side door are judged against different requirements. The NFRC door label shows a circled value for the specific glass configuration, split into a solar heat gain coefficient and a U-factor, with the door U-factor range running from 0.00 to 2.00 and lower numbers keeping more heat inside.

Because a patio door is usually the biggest glazed opening in the room, orientation decides which numbers to chase. In warmer climates ENERGY STAR advises that a low solar heat gain coefficient matters for openings facing south, east and west, since the extra solar heat is unwanted. In colder climates the ideal south-facing product has a higher solar heat gain coefficient together with a low U-factor to reduce heat loss, while east and west openings want a low coefficient or shading, since west-facing glass takes the summer sun at the warmest part of the day.

Replacing a patio door in its existing opening and turning a window into a patio door are different projects. The second removes wall below the opening and usually changes a structural header, which is where permits and inspections come in. The code that decides is the one your state adopted and your jurisdiction enforces: Florida, for instance, directs its Building Commission to adopt by rule the Florida Building Code, which contains or incorporates the laws governing design, construction, alteration, modification and repair. Ask your own building department what applies at your address before the order is placed.

Licensing is separate and is set by the state. California's C-17 glazing classification covers a contractor who selects, cuts, assembles and installs glass and glass substitute materials and executes the fabrication and glazing of frames, panels, sashes and doors in any structure. Oregon generally requires anyone working for compensation in a construction activity involving improvements to real property to be licensed. Washington requires contractors to register with Labor and Industries and to be bonded and insured to protect the public, and publishes a verification tool. Texas lists no glazing, window or residential contractor program among the industries its Department of Licensing and Regulation regulates, so there the checks that matter are insurance, the permit record and references.

A HUD-code manufactured home follows federal rules instead. Under HUD's Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, exterior sliding glass doors must provide a minimum clear opening of 28 inches wide by 72 inches high, and sliding glass doors are built to the standard for windows and sliding glass doors used in manufactured homes. For homes designed for the higher wind zones, manufacturers must design the exterior walls around primary window and sliding glass door openings to allow shutters or other protective covers to be installed, and must supply instructions for at least one method of protecting those openings if they do not supply the covers themselves.

Patio door prices separate on scope rather than on brand. Opening size and panel count change the glass area, the weight and the crew needed to set it. Keeping the existing opening or enlarging it is the difference between a replacement and a structural alteration. Glazing choices, including laminated glass or a particular coating, change the product being manufactured. Sill condition discovered after the old unit is out is genuine carpentry. A house built before 1978 adds containment and cleanup, and in high wind zones, documentation adds work of its own.

Ask every bidder the same short list: the exact model and configuration with its certified ratings, whether the glazing is tempered or laminated, whether the opening is changing, who repairs framing if rot is found and on what basis, who hauls away the old unit, who applies for any permit, and the separate terms of the product and labor warranties.

LokalMatch is only the introduction step. You describe the patio door job once, with the opening size, whether you want a slider or hinged doors and anything you already know about water at the sill, and installers covering your area contact you directly. Installers pay LokalMatch for each request they accept. LokalMatch does not install patio doors, does not set prices, and does not vet, rank or recommend anyone, so comparing the certified ratings and checking licensing and insurance is still yours to do.