What is a Garden Door?

A garden door typically leads to a backyard. Lower level apartments as well as houses have these types of doors. While a sliding glass door is common, French doors that lead outside are often preferred.

French doors are a matched, double door set that opens and closes in the center. These double panels make a convenient garden entrance and exit because, unlike the sliding glass door types, both sides open up to create one large space. The bigger space means easier furniture moving, as a sliding glass door typically has one stationary side and only one panel that slides. This leaves only half of the width of the doorway in which to move items in and out. Many sofas and other large furniture items don't fit in only half of a doorway.

French garden doors often have glass inserts that give them an attractive, airy look. Another advantage French backyard doors have over sliding glass ones is that they can feature textured glass as well as other material to cut down on fingerprints as well as add style. Glass patio sliding doors are usually uniform in their design and have only a thin metal frame. They are usually just two glass rectangles set in a frame with a built-in handle for opening and closing.

Double types of French garden doors have different handle options available. Their hardware can be matched to the style of the home. For example, a modern house may feature wing-shaped, nickel handles, while a more traditional home's double garden door may have classic brass doorknobs.

In many houses, a garden door opens onto a backyard deck. There may be a few stairs that lead from the deck into the yard. Basement apartments may have a small cement patio and garden area rather than a sundeck. Many homes have a garden door located between the kitchen and family room or dining area.

Garden door design often allows a portion of the backyard's views of flowers, trees and lawn to show through from inside a home. Aside from the view alone, garden doors can allow light to enter the home in a larger amount that most windows can't since the door height starts right at the floor. Many people prefer garden doors that swing outward, or slide, when being opened rather than the inward swinging kind. If garden doors are installed to swing inward when opened, furniture can't be positioned anywhere near the doorway.