No. We manufacture industry leading specialist products; therefore, we would never recommend a DIY installation.
We do offer a Supply Only Service where the products come complete with a fitting instruction manual. These instructions ensure that installation by a skilled tradesman is possible, however, if they are unsure of the term ‘toe and heeled’ or have little to no experience with fitting aluminium products we highly recommend allowing our fitters to install your doors – this also means longer and more comprehensive guarantees.
Yes, every door, window or roof system we manufacture is made to suit client and site specific requirements. We do not offer any standard size products as it is much simpler for us to cut aluminium profile than it is for architects and builders to work around a set size, and as our lead times are so short your project won’t be held up.
Whilst there are some slight restrictions on systems due to glass weights, everything we do is tailored to you.
The XP View can be manufactured up to 3000mm high, and our XP10 system can go up to 2400mm.
Although the XPView can go slightly larger, the general rule of thumb is that the largest panels should be 1000mm wide. We always recommend the minimum amount of panels possible within a run of bi-folding doors as this improves the overall aesthetic of the door due to maximising the glazed area. This is also a more cost-effective option as the additional components in each panel does have a heavy impact on the overall price.
We strongly recommend the minimum panels possible; this then creates large glass areas which can slide aside – they can be made in 2, 3, 4 6 or even 8 panel set ups capable of spanning extremely large spaces.
The maximum height of our XP Glide sliding doors is 2550mm, 2700mm for the XP Glide R and 3000mm for the XP Glide S – the slide panoramic is our most restricted at 2500mm.
WHAT GUARANTEES DO YOU OFFER?
All our products (sliding doors, or bi-folding doors) are bottom running meaning there is no weight in the head of the doors.
The doors being bottom hung is of great benefit because the doors themselves will not cause any additional deflection in the steel above, steel deflection can stop doors from operating correctly so a bottom hung system will vastly reduce the likelihood of this.
All our systems allow for a flush finish to internal floors, meaning no step up to get out to your garden / patio.
Our sliding systems can allow a completely flush finish between internal and external floors (providing adequate drainage is in place) to ensure bi-folding doors are weather tight, a small rebated upstand from the internal to the external is recommended to guarantee years of trouble free use.
All of our products are very thermally efficient; they meet and exceed all current and planned future building regulations.
All our products are thermally broken and benefit from high performance double glazing with a U Value of 1.1 as standard. The maximum overall U value of any of our products is 1.6 and 1.5 in our windows, with many of our door and window products boasting even lower U values.
Aluminium bi-folding doors are:
– Better looking
– Smoother to operate
– More reliable
– More durable
– Extremely secure
– Thermally broken, giving high performance European weather ratings
UPVC folding doors are less secure and much more prone to failures such as jamming, especially on larger door systems and they offer no comparable weather ratings.
Aluminium is much slimmer and stronger than UPVC, it also doesn’t expand and contract in the heat and cold like plastic products do.
Yes, our aluminium products are powder coated which is typically commercial application guaranteed for 25 years. Installed at a location within five kilometres from the sea this will reduce to around ten years but a specific guarantee can be given dependent on the site location.
In a marine environment, such as a home on the coast, the salt in the air can corrode the powder coating. To alleviate this, we ‘marine grade’ the powder coating which is a slightly different grade of coating and we also treat all corners, joints, and mitres during manufacture to prevent any corrosion, this coating and treatment guarantees the coating even in the harshest coastal environment.
The handles are standard on each door and window system, but they all have a range of colour options visible in our showrooms.
Our hinges and gaskets used are always made in black, regardless of frame colour due to the quality of material of gasket.
Yes, every door, window or roof system we manufacture is made to suit client and site specific requirements. We do not offer any standard size products as it is much simpler for us to cut aluminium profile than it is for architects and builders to work around a set size, and as our lead times are so short your project won’t be held up.
Whilst there are some slight restrictions on systems due to glass weights, everything we do is tailored to you.
All our systems allow for a flush finish to internal floors, meaning no step up to get out to your garden / patio.
Our sliding systems can allow a completely flush finish between internal and external floors (providing adequate drainage is in place) to ensure bi-folding doors are weather tight, a small rebated upstand from the internal to the external is recommended to guarantee years of trouble free use.
The handles are standard on each door and window system, but they all have a range of colour options visible in our showrooms.
Our hinges and gaskets used are always made in black, regardless of frame colour due to the quality of material of gasket.
Generally, the earlier the better!
As manufacturers of high quality glazed products we can offer advice on what solutions are available from our own product portfolio to suit various design ideas, at any point in a project. This allows you to incorporate the best products to suit your design right from the very beginning.
Our services do not extend to architectural design of properties or construction work, so whilst we can happily provide options for our own products, the final building’s design, planning permission, and building regulations drawings will need to be completed by an architect.
In order for us to carry out a site survey ideally your openings will need the steel/RSJ in place and your finished floor level will need to be clearly marked. This will allow us to carry out your site survey as we will know exactly what to measure to. It is possible to carry out a survey without the opening being ready however the manufacturing sizes will need to be agreed and signed off before manufacture takes place.
Our lead times fluctuate throughout the year. Our company ethos is to manufacture and install/deliver all of our products as quickly as possible.
Because all manufacturing takes place in-house we control all aspects of your project so even in our busiest times we will always have your works complete within weeks and not months.
Our sales staff can always advise accurately at the point of order what our lead time is likely to be on your project.
No, all of our staff are employed by Express Bi-folding Doors; this is why we can always assure you of a job well done. Our surveyors and installers are experts in their field and take great care throughout all of their works. It is this reason why we can offer unbeatable warranties, it also means we take full responsibility for all aspects of our works and you won’t ever be stuck in the middle of an argument between a sub-contractor and the manufacturer as is the case with many of our competitors.
Yes, we are happy to take on all works, including small building works for an extra fee – to ensure we can quote this accurately please provide our sales team with imaging of what needs to be taken away.
If we’re removing products we will also issue a certificate from Certass offering a 10-year insurance backed guarantee on our work.
We service the whole of mainland UK. We are happy to undertake installations anywhere within mainland England, Scotland or Wales.
Any overseas projects we are happy to deliver to mainland UK ports, but unfortunately cannot cater for the shipping of goods.
All of our products come complete with a comprehensive warranty. We offer a full five-year warranty on all integral blind products and a full ten years on our doors, windows, roofing systems and double glazed units. Our powder coating aluminium benefits from a 10-year warranty.
Unlike many of our competitors, our warranties are comprehensive with no disclaimers in the small print, if we install your products we fully guarantee for years meaning you benefit from our unparalleled after sales service.
If a job is done on a supply-only basis, Express still guarantee the manufacture of the products, however cannot guarantee the quality of a third party’s installation work, meaning if anything hasn’t quite gone how you would like it we can come out to asses a third party’s work for a small charge – but if you’re having an issue your first point of contact should be the person who installed the doors/windows.
No, all of our staff are employed by Express Bi-folding Doors; this is why we can always assure you of a job well done. Our surveyors and installers are experts in their field and take great care throughout all of their works. It is this reason why we can offer unbeatable warranties, it also means we take full responsibility for all aspects of our works and you won’t ever be stuck in the middle of an argument between a sub-contractor and the manufacturer as is the case with many of our competitors.
Generally, the earlier the better! As manufacturers of high quality glazed products, we can offer advice on what solutions are available from our own product portfolio to suit various design ideas, at any point in a project. This allows you to incorporate the best products to suit your design right from the very beginning.
Getting a quote is easy! You can phone in or walk into one of our branches with your requirements and one of our dedicated experts will send a quote to you at the earliest opportunity. You can visit our website and submit a quotation request. You will be asked some basic information about your requirements and the details will be looked at by a member of our sales team and a quotation will be sent to the email provided. Along with your quotations you will receive information about the product and its performance and a designated contact to help with any questions you have as your build progresses.
At Express, our doors (excuse the pun) are always open, and we don’t require any appointments to be made, however should you have a tight schedule or something complex you wish to discuss we are more than happy to make appointments that work around you.
We always recommend visiting one of our industry leading showrooms, regardless of the size of project, as images online and online quotes can only go so far, with any investment into your home you need a real clear of idea what you’re going to receive.
Visiting with any project plans – especially if these require multiple items or complex requirements leaves you with a clearer picture of what you will be getting from Express, and allow you to really get a feel for the quality of our works – Links to our showrooms and opening times are below:
https://www.expressbifolds.co.uk/our-showrooms/leeds
https://www.expressbifolds.co.uk/our-showrooms/redhill
https://www.expressbifolds.co.uk/our-showrooms/glasgow
https://www.expressbifolds.co.uk/our-showrooms/romford-2
Nothing compares to the expertise, professionalism and quality of not only our products but everything in between. From your initial contact with Express you will be allocated a fully trained and experienced sales consultant who will be your point of contact throughout the process. We manufacture our own products in our world class manufacturing facility, which along with our surveying team and installation teams ensures that you are kept informed throughout the whole order process and the product you have purchased is up to your expectation with an installation that is second to none. Our relationship with you isn’t finished here, using our fully qualified and trained installers means we offer comprehensive guarantees for your profile, glass and moving parts for 10 years of the installation date. Should you ever have any issues with the door or its components you can contact our dedicated after sales team who will be happy to help with any of your concerns. This is the value of your decision to select Express as part of your project along with your chosen product.
We offer a broad range of premium quality aluminium products all with varied price points. The products that we manufacture have been designed by some of the leading aluminium system houses in the world and have been utilised in some truly stunning projects that have transformed thousands of homes around the UK and changed how people live in and enjoy their homes. The beauty of dealing with Express though is that we offer a full end-to-end service with no middle-men or agents acting on our behalf. Our size and infrastructure has made the UK smaller, so we offer great value for money for industry leading products backed up by exemplary service from your initial contact with our sales team right through to ten years of comprehensive aftercare.
No, all our staff are employed by Express Bi-folding Doors; therefore, our work is always to the highest standard. Our surveyors and installers are experts in their field and take great care throughout all their works. It is this reason why we can offer unbeatable warranties, it also means we take full responsibility for all aspects of our works and you won’t ever be stuck in the middle of an argument between a sub-contractor and the manufacturer as is the case with many of our competitors.
No, all the products that we manufacture are completely bespoke to your requirements.
Not long, we always endeavour to respond to our customers as quickly as possible. We always aim to send quotes to our clients the next working day as a rule and to respond to large scale plans within seven working days.
Of course, we often correspond with clients for a considerable length of time going back and forth as plans change and we will also offer our recommendations and expertise if we think we can add value to your project or specific elements of your plans.
Yes, we regularly work with and liaise with our client’s architects, builders, designers and project managers. It’s not uncommon for industry professionals to visit our showrooms on behalf of their clients, we welcome this as it helps to ensure that all parties are singing from the same hymn sheet with the client and the end-result everyone’s main-focus.
Yes, we have an experienced and consultative sales team, so our experts will be able to talk through your plans and outline which products will be most suited to your requirements.
As part of our commitment to industry leading quality we offer high security, anti-snap, anti-drill, anti-pick and anti-bump lock cylinders as standard throughout our entire range of doors. These premium lock barrels are 3-star diamond rated BSI cylinders which reaches Secured by Design accreditation. We even supply these cylinders in doors with a half a barrel so internally the lock cylinder boasts all the same security benefits meaning that if an intruder does get into a property they will not be able to break-out through our doors.
Unlike other Secured by Design standard lock barrels, the keys for the barrels supplied by Express can be cut at any locksmith without the need for a specific lock card to have further keys cut. The lock barrels themselves are supplied by one of the worlds’ leading manufacturers of lock cylinders, which we think is the perfect complement to our industry leading range of products.
Yes, we have several products which are certified Secured by Design and recommended by the police as products that reduce crime. We can offer bi-folding doors, sliding doors, windows and front doors that meet this specification, so our sales team can talk through these options with you.
All our products (sliding doors, or bi-folding doors) are bottom running meaning there is no weight in the head of the doors.
The doors being bottom hung is of great benefit because the doors themselves will not cause any deflection in the steel above, nor will they snag at the slightest deflection in any steels as is the case with top hung systems.
All our products are very thermally efficient; they meet and exceed all current and planned future building regulations. All our products are thermally broken and benefit from high performance double glazing with a U Value of 1.1 as standard. The maximum overall U value of any of our products is 1.6 and 1.5 in our windows, with many of our door and window products boasting even lower U values.
Both are great products, and both come with the same comprehensive guarantee. All our products have their own key features and benefits, so we’d always recommend seeing the products first hand before making up your mind. All our showrooms have all our products installed into real home settings which gives visitors a very real flavour of how they’ll look and work in their own home and it is examining all the products in this setting which really lets our customers know which product is right for them.
Not internal blinds no. We can pass on the contact information of a company who offers horizontal zip blinds that work well under our lanterns.
No, the benefits of the integral blinds we offer are light control, shading and privacy but they don’t offer total black-out.
In our sliding doors that are not structurally bonded yes. There are size limitations and certain configurations where the blinds cannot be operated so our sales consultants can advise which products can and can’t have integral blinds.
Yes, we can manufacture our products with marine grade powder quality and we pre-treat all joints and mitres prior to manufacturing the products. Typically, our powder coating guarantee is ten years but in coastal environments we will give a specific guarantee based on the site location and exposure, this specific guarantee will be for a minimum of five years if not more but will be subject to correct and regular maintenance.
We have varied height limits depending on the door product in question but while we recommend tall doors because they look slimmer and allow in more light we do advise that 2700m is about tall as we’d recommend. We can manufacture and install doors up to three metres high but that is our ceiling – literally.
Our lead times fluctuate throughout the year. Our company ethos is to manufacture and install/deliver our products as quickly as possible. Because all manufacturing takes place in-house we control all aspects of your project so even in our busiest times we will always have your works complete within weeks and not months. Our sales staff can always advise accurately at the point of order what our lead time is likely to be on your project.
Yes, we are happy to take on all works, including small building works for an extra fee – to ensure we can quote this accurately please provide our sales team with imaging of what needs to be taken away. If we’re removing products we will also issue a certificate from Certass offering a 10-year insurance backed guarantee on our work.
Yes upon request. When we install our products we can offer a ten-year insurance backed guarantee alongside our own comprehensive ten-year guarantee if you want extra piece of mind.
For us to carry out a site survey ideally your openings will need the steel/RSJ in place and your finished floor level will need to be clearly marked. This will allow us to carry out your site survey as we will know exactly what to measure to. It is possible to carry out a survey without the opening being ready however the manufacturing sizes will need to be agreed and signed off before manufacture takes place.
We do always recommend that the client should attend the survey as that is a key stage in the project where we finalise the order prior to manufacture. We understand this isn’t always possible, so we can meet with a site operative and then confirm all the specifications over the phone or by e-mail after the survey has taken place.
This varies depending on the size of the job and the state of the site. Typically, our surveyors will be on site for at least an hour, but on large jobs they could take all day and then draw the project up off-site which will then be e-mailed over to discuss, check and sign off prior to manufacture.
Yes, we have several fulltime project surveyors, so we will be as flexible as we can, but we will offer a specific date and as specific a time as we can. As we cover the whole of the UK the slots will be between 9-10:30 for example, we can ring en-route to advise an accurate time if required.
Yes, we will need the site to be a certain stage before we can survey it properly so we’re happy to speak to your teams on site to ensure that when we arrive we can survey the project with no unnecessary delays.
We have a team who arrange our surveys, so they may already be in contact with you or you can ring the survey department on 0345 340 9317. In most cases though the easiest option is to go straight to your sales consultant as they’ll be familiar with the job and the project.
Yes, but this isn’t a straight forward agreement, so we’ll still need a site meeting with your builder and ideally you as well. We will need to know exactly where the finished floor level will be to ensure there’s no unnecessary up-stand and your builder must be 100% confident to manufacture the opening to the agreements made and signed up with our surveyor. When we survey a job, we take full responsibility for the sizes, if the sizes are agreed the onus falls heavily upon your builder so he must be confident and happy to accept this responsibility.
Your sales consultant will be able to explain your invoice if you have any questions, alternatively you can ring our accounts department on 0345 340 9313
For us to install your products we need a clear opening space to be able to successfully install the doors and commission them to our high standard. This means no scaffolding or any other interferences around the area of install. This will have to be cleared or moved prior to our arrival on site to ensure a swift, safe and stress-free installation.
Although this is not recommended, in some instances where you have a larger scale floor to cover it’s hard to avoid! We advise that with all smaller builds the flooring be put down after the installation of the doors for obvious reasons. Once the glazing is in your build will then be wind and water tight allowing you to continue with the finished details like internal plaster, insulation and electric works along with the flooring you have chosen to install. In circumstances where flooring is a large part of the project you can begin the process but will be advised that you leave an area around the opening for the doors unfinished to ensure perfect finishes and protection of your new flooring. Our installation teams are clean, efficient and courteous to what is around them and are aware of protecting areas of property when required – this can all be requested at point of survey or point of install and we will be happy to assist.
No, we always recommend installing our products first and then you can render/plaster up to the products once they’re in to achieve a proper quality finish. We have had projects before where clients have plastered internally but left the reveals where our products are going, this is fine but as the space isn’t watertight until our products are installed it is best practice to do all plastering once the products are in.
You need to arrange for adequate parking for our surveyors and installation teams as it is not our responsibility to arrange for parking. We will either need a space left for our vehicle(s) or you will need to provide a permit for as long as we require on site.
No but it is beneficial to all parties if you are there at completion to check that you’re happy with everything and to be shown how to operate the products correctly and do a complete sign off and handover. At this stage you will then receive our operation and maintenance pack also.
Yes, but we’ll need someone to inspect the goods and sign off that they’re not damaged prior to the protective tape being put on. We’ll also advise how long the tape can stay on for because in the Summer months the tape can melt onto the profile if left on for months.
Yes, we provide full maintenance and operation instructions with supporting photography.
If your installation is on-going you’ll have a designated contact who’ll be regularly in contact with you but once your installation is complete just e-mail aftersales@expressbifolds.co.uk with your job number and a brief description of the problem and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
Your product guarantee is transferable on sale of your property to the new owner upon receipt of proof of the property transfer and payment of our prevailing charges detailed below, all transfers are subject to a site inspection to confirm the product(s) have been maintained properly. Once signed off the new user will receive a maintenance guide and maintenance pack. In line with GDPR written permission from the existing guarantee holder will be required.
The charge for a site visit and guarantee transfer is £400 + VAT (mainland UK only) for other areas this price may vary, please contact our head office for a quotation.
Our guarantee period is comprehensive for ten years. Subject to correct use and care the lifespan of the products can easily exceed the guarantee duration so we can still resolve any issues with the products, but these will be subject to a call-out charge.
It is important that trades on site take care when working in and around our products. The bottom tracks need to be cleaned and kept clear of debris and protective tape should be placed over them if trades are working within their vicinity. Post installation you will receive a complete maintenance pack which advises on how to clean and maintain them.
With our full installation service, you will receive a comprehensive guarantee as part of your purchase. This means your powder coating, all mechanisms and moving parts, our labour and glass is all fully guaranteed for 10 years (willful or accidental damage to the products and glass breakages are not covered by the guarantee). Installations in coastal locations are subject to specific powder coating guarantee which is given based on the site post-code. Integral blinds & the double glazed units housing the blinds come with a 5-year manufacturers guarantee.
Any issue no matter how slight will be deal with professionally by our after-sales department who will arrange a site visit by one of our skilled engineers to resolve any issues with our installation or products.