Schüco bifold doors are the folding aluminium walls that concertina back to open up an entire rear elevation. They have become the default for extensions across Hertfordshire, and for good reason — but there is more variation between systems than most brochures admit.
How a bifold actually folds
Each leaf is hinged to the next and runs on a top or bottom roller track. Pushing the lead door drives the whole set to fold flat against the reveal in a neat stack. The number of leaves and the fold direction (which way they stack, and whether a single leaf acts as a day-to-day traffic door) is the configuration, and it is worth getting right on paper before manufacture. We cover the common layouts in our aluminium bifold buyer's guide.
- Leaves per opening
- 2–7 typical
- Track
- top-hung or bottom-rolling
- Threshold
- rebated, weathered or flush
- Traffic door
- optional single-leaf access
- Frame finish
- any RAL powder coat
Thresholds: the detail that dates a job
A flush, level threshold looks superb and helps wheelchair and pram access, but it demands proper drainage and a considered floor build-up. A rebated weathered threshold sheds water more forgivingly but you step over a small upstand. Neither is wrong — it is a design decision, and one your fitter should raise early. This is exactly the sort of thing that separates a considered install from a rushed one, which we get into in Schüco door installation.
Where bifolds beat sliders — and where they don't
A bifold's advantage is that it clears almost the whole aperture: brilliant for indoor-outdoor entertaining. The trade-off is more visible frame when closed, because every leaf has its own stiles. If your priority is the view on a wet January afternoon rather than the opening in July, compare with bifold versus sliding. For very wide clear views, a slider like the ASE 60 may suit you better.
Buying Schüco bifolds locally
Schüco is a fabricated-to-order system, so quality depends heavily on the fabricator and installer, not just the badge. In Hertfordshire the folding range is supplied and fitted by 5EC Aluminium, and current profile data is published by Schüco UK. Always ask to see a corner sample and a finished threshold before ordering.