The open concept home design we see these days has many benefits, but quiet and privacy is not one of them. My client needed their first-floor office to close to keep everyday family noises out of the working space. There were two existing openings to the room, a large one in the home’s entryway, and another to the kitchen. Since neither opening could fit ready-made options, I designed and built custom sliding doors for them.
Custom Sliding Doors
The large opening off the entryway required a custom design for a few reasons. Changing the existing entry would have been expensive and involved before any doors were even purchased. And, my client wanted four doors of the same size within the 12 ft opening, two of which would be stationary and the other two would slide. My client and I decided to work with the existing space, crafting custom sliding doors to her design specifications. There was a great deal of engineering that went behind the design and build. I had to ensure there was proper settling when the doors were closed, and appropriate clearance to allow them to move across each other to open. Finally, since my client wanted the doors to settle in a particular way when they were open, so I had to design the four panels to function with that look in mind.
My client also wanted more glass than trim and a mullion style to complement the other windows throughout the home. I decided to use exterior grade glass which already had the mullion, which simplified the process and saved my client some money. I built the frames out of redwood, chosen for its stability and weight. The doors are oversized – 8ft tall rather than the typical 7ft. The sliding track system had a weight limit, so the height combined with heavy exterior glass meant we had to choose our other materials carefully. I felt that redwood would be the perfect option since it is lightweight and has a straight grain, reducing the tendency to warp or twist (which would make the doors inoperative). I painted the wood white to complement the rest of the home.
Custom Barn Door
My client had always wanted a sliding barn door in her home, and the entryway from the kitchen was the perfect spot. She had found a picture as an example and we worked together to design the amount of window vs. wood. The goal was to allow a quick check into the room without having to open the door, so 1/3, 2/3 ended up working best. We chose commercial-grade hardware to ensure the door was supported well and moved smoothly. Since the sliding doors I installed on the other side of the room were glass, the first thing one sees upon entering the home is the cool barn door. It sets a modern, updated tone to the home, which was a goal for the project.
I really enjoyed working on this project, combining cool design with special technical elements that made it all come together. There were some design limitations due to the engineering; my client was a great partner in marrying the two together, allowing us to create just what she wanted. I had completed other projects with her before, so she understood my approach and trusted me to use good judgement. It’s these wonderful working relationships that I have with my clients that make me love what I do. If you have a design vision for your home but are not sure how to engineer it, send me an email or give me a call at (317) 679-5890.
