Looking for cheap, reliable patio doors (2 sets) for new extension

Hi all,
I live in London, England and I'm planning on extending my house, into the back garden. The House is 5.5m wide, and I'm planning a fullwidth, extension, going out 3 meters. The extension will be divided into 2 separate rooms down the middle, so I'm seeking 2 sets of 3-payne sliding doors, so each room can open out onto the garden, independently.
The opening onto the garden will be around 2.6m in each room, and I'd like 2 moving and one feed payne.

Can anyone give me any advice on this? Aluminium doors appears to be better, but would it make much difference (in terms of expansion from heat, or other factors) if I chose uPVC?

I'll be renovating the rest of the house at the same time (it's been decades since it was last done) so trades people will already be in situ, so I'd hope to be able to save some costs on the build/installation that way, but any further advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Rakesh.

 

I can only give you advice based on installations here in the States. Vinyl windows and doors transmit much less heat/cold than metal frames, and tend to warp less, and have a smoother operation. Coupled with LowE glass, it can make the environment feel better and have less wear on furniture and carpet from sun damage.

 

Hey Chandler, Thanks for your reply.
By "vinyl" do you mean uPVC? I've actually read from many sources that uPVC actually warps more over time, with can lead to gaps, drafts, etc. Apparently this is especially the case if the doors are south facing, with sunlight hitting them all day long.

 

I've never had a vinyl (quality vinyl) window or door warp on any facing. I am not ruling the possibility out, but normally better windows and doors won't. What brand are you looking at? I noted your title says "cheap/reliable", which may not be congruous. Better windows/doors aren't cheap, and cheap windows/doors aren't better.

 

To answer your specific question, uPVC (unplasticized PVC) is what we call vinyl here in the states, at least in the construction sector of windows, doors and siding.

We also have a saying here along the lines of: "Buying quality only hurts once" I agree with Larry that quality vinyl or uPVC doors will be designed to resist warping.

 

I'm right at the start of my search, so haven't looked at any particular brands just yet. I'm just trying to figure out the various options, their respective features, and prices. I dropped the idea of flooding doors as they appear to be more expensive overall, so I'm focussing on the sliding options now.
Reliability is the most important for me, but i'm not looking for top end, huge panes of glass, so if I can get a reasonable balance between the two, that would be ideal. At the end of the day though, I don't want something that falls apart after 2 year, so reliability is a priority.

Thanks for your help.

 

OK... I've kinda changed track... As I'm not planning to live in the property long term, and intend to rent it out, Ive decided to choose a cheeper option, and go with french doors that open outwards... I'd like to make these doors as wide as possible, to cover the approximately 2.4m width that's outlined above. How easy would this be? If anyone can point me in the direction of a good, reasonably priced supplier, that would be appreciated.

Thanks.