There are a number of ways to upgrade the security of your products.

Firstly, your glass turns our to be the weakest point of your glazing product, but this can be turned into one of the strongest by upgrading to laminate glass. Laminate glass is a film which sits on the inside of one pane of glass, this strong film will stay intact if the glass unit is broken restricting access to your home. 

Secondly, some of our products have the option to upgrade the barrel to a more secure model. The ultian lock from Solidor has a core stronger than iron and a series of bolts which activate when the lock is tempered with going into a ‘lockdown’ mode keeping your door safely locked. Many of our manufacturers have upgrades, to find out more ask our sales team.

Majority of the door we install are fitted with a standard threshold giving an almost flush finish for our clients. 

With the UK being so rainy it is important to ensure you have a weather tight finish and you are protected from the elements. A flush threshold although desirable, is not weather rated. Therefore there is no guarantee that your doors will meet building regulations or that they will not leak.

However this is where our really flush threshold option comes in. The standard threshold can be sunk down leaving only a small upstand at the back of the threshold which the doors close against. This meets all building regulations and disabled access requirements. 

Ventilation is dictated by current building regulations, if your product is being installed into a new build or extension there will be an amount of ventilation required dependent on the size of your room, trickle vents are a great way to meet this.

If we are replacing an existing window or door the rule currently stands that you can not install anything with ventilation deemed ‘worse’ that the original item. As most new windows will improve the airtightness of the dwelling these may decrease the airflow. As such if you do not have a continuous mechanical extraction ventilation system or another ventilation provision you will be required to have trickle vents in your windows. 

Do no fear, these do not decrease the aesthetics of your products and there are more and more options for where you would like them installed (e.g. in the sash or in the frame) and how you would like them spaced.

Almost all of our products are bespoke and made to your specific measurements and to meet your design choices. Bespoke gives us the chance to source your perfect product in the perfect size for your home. 

The only products where you may find a standard size options are roof lights and these sizes have been set by the manufacturer. 

No, think of your doors as a stand alone product in the same way you would your front door. If you had white windows you would not need to have a matching white front door. Your bifold or sliding door is no different, this is a change to show your personality, match your traditional or modern stylings and let in as much light as possible.

Unless specified differently our standard glass id low-e, argon filled double glazed units with a warm edge spacer bar. This, as well as all of our other glass units exceed all building regulations. You are able to upgrade to a number of other glass types such as laminate and acoustic.

Simply, yes, all of our products meet current building regulations.

We do not supply nor install UPVC bifold doors as personally we do not recommend them. When we first started to install bifold doors we included UPVC bifolds in our range but found due to large expansion issues that the material was not fit for this purpose.

Unless specifically asked otherwise we will start your installation upstairs and move downstairs. We find with starting upstairs it ensures no debris falls onto the new products fitted below.

Yes, we do everything that we can to protect your home during our installations with dust sheets and coverings. If you would like any specific precautions made please do not hesitate to let us know in advance and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

We register your installation with FENSA and they send your certificate directly to you. Please note that due to Covid there are some delays and this can take up to 6 weeks. 

If you have lost your FENSA certificate you can also obtain a replacement direct. There will be a small fee. Simply visit the FENSA website and on the homepage you can search your postcode and go from there – easy peasy.

We have a blog talking all about this, click here.

We understand this will be stressful, but the first thing to do is stay clam and see if there is  way to secure your doors. A lot of the time doors will only require a little adjustment, in the mean time you may be able to lift your door using the handle and turn the key to lock the door. If this does not work please contact us as quickly as possible to allow us to see if we can arrange a service call quickly for you, as we do not run a 24 hour call out service. 

There are a number of ways to get in contact:

• Call 01727 845600 and select aftercare
• Email service@hbdsystems.co.uk
• Fill out our online service request form which you can find here.