Front doors
Double front doors in uPVC and composite
Short answer
Double front doors are a pair of entrance doors in one frame, made for openings too wide for a single door. One leaf is used day to day and the other is bolted shut until you need the full width. We supply and fit uPVC and composite double front doors, measured and priced after a free survey.
Double front doors and French doors are not the same
French doors are a pair of mostly glazed doors that open onto a garden or patio, chosen for light and the view. Double front doors are an entrance. They face the street, so they are built and styled like front doors: solid or partly glazed panels, a letterplate if you want one, front door furniture and a lock you would trust on the main way into the house.
If you are looking at a pair of doors for the back of the house, our French doors page is the better place to start. This page is about the front.
Where double front doors suit
A pair of doors looks right where the entrance is genuinely wide and the house has the proportions to carry it. Squeezing two narrow leaves into an ordinary opening tends to look awkward and leaves each leaf too slim to walk through comfortably.
- Wide hallways and entrance porches
- Detached homes with a broad, central front entrance
- Period homes that were built with a pair of doors
- Entrances where you sometimes need the full width for furniture, prams or a wheelchair
How the two leaves work
One leaf is the master: it carries the handle, the lock and the letterplate, and it is the one you use every day. The other is the slave leaf. It stays shut, held top and bottom by shoot bolts that slide into the frame head and threshold. When you need the whole opening, you release the shoot bolts and both leaves swing open.
With no centre post between the leaves, the master closes against the slave leaf, so the meeting edges have to be well sealed and properly aligned. That is the detail to check on any pair of doors, because it decides both draughts and security.
Security on a pair of doors
A double door is only as strong as its weakest leaf. The master leaf locks with a multipoint lock that engages into the slave leaf as well as the frame, and the slave leaf is held by its shoot bolts. Ask how the slave leaf is secured, whether the hinges are protected, and whether the cylinder is anti-snap. Laminated safety glass is worth considering for any glazed panels.
Thresholds and access
Double front doors sit on a threshold like any front door. Where step-free access matters, a low threshold can be fitted so the entrance is easier for wheelchairs, walking aids and pushchairs, and opening both leaves gives a wide, clear way in. We look at the step, the drainage and the floor levels at survey before recommending a threshold.
uPVC or composite double front doors
uPVC double doors are the lighter and more economical choice, with a clean, smooth finish and a good range of colours and panel styles. Composite double doors have solid-core leaves that are thicker and more rigid, with a woodgrain finish that reads more like a timber entrance. On a large pair of doors, that rigidity is a real advantage.
Our single doors start from £799 fully fitted in uPVC and from £1,099 fully fitted in composite. A pair is a larger, different build, so it is priced on its own once we have measured the opening and you have chosen a style.
Common questions
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