Folding Glass Wall Systems Like Nanawall Are Growing in Popularity

Learn About Glass Wall Systems For Exterior Walls

Many homeowners are choosing to bring the outdoors into their homes with beautiful, moving walls of glass. Nothing can transform a room into a stunning focal point more quickly while providing you with a seamless indoor-outdoor living experience.

Bringing the outside in can lead to a happier and healthier lifestyle, as well as creating a fabulous space in your home that's perfect for relaxing with your family or entertaining friends. A folding glass wall can open your home up to nature and improve access to natural light and ventilation without compromising comfort.

Today, you have many different options for creating a seamless transition between your home's indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces. Many glass wall systems open entirely, blurring the boundary between indoors and out, allowing for full, open views and cool summer breezes. It's not only excellent in the summer, but a folding glass wall can bring in plenty of natural light to help keep your home warm and bright in winter when the sun sits lower in the sky.

Manufacturers are offering products in a variety of styles, materials, and glazing options, making them able to stand up to any weather extreme and perfect for every region of the country, including Wisconsin! Let's explore some of the types of folding glass wall systems available to homeowners and some essential considerations if you're thinking about retrofitting or updating your home with a stunning wall of glass.

Types of Folding Glass Wall Systems

When it comes to glass walls, manufacturers like NanaWall, Origin, LaCantina, and others offer several popular types of folding glass wall systems for creating an indoor-outdoor experience. These include:

• Stacking Systems

This type of system is the next generation of the simple sliding door. Stacking doors consist of multiple sliding panels that stack behind a single fixed pane. To get the cleanest look, seek out stacking doors that stack flush like those made by LaCantina.

• Pocketing Systems

A pocketing system offers an entirely open wall as long as there is enough wall space to create a custom cavity. The multi-slide panels stack and slide into the wall completely out of view.

• Folding Wall Systems

This is an increasingly popular choice. Folding or bi-fold doors are a visually impressive way to provide an open indoor-outdoor living experience. Multiple glass doors fold accordion-like on hinges and can be stored neatly on one or both sides. This type of system offers an almost full opening, more substantial than a stacking system, and just slightly smaller than pocket systems.

• Pivot Doors

Pivot doors swing on a center hinge and are supported by a bottom arm, putting all the weight on the floor, rather than the frame. This allows you to use more massive doors and reduce wear on the frame. Pivot doors are an architecturally interesting choice and can be used in many applications.

• Multiple French Doors

If you have a run of unconnected windows and doors and would like to open up your space, consider multiple hinged French doors as an option. They can open up your space without requiring a huge remodel.

Factors to Consider

If you're considering adding a folding glass wall to your home, deciding between a folding, stacking, or pocketing multi-door system depends on more than just aesthetics (although aesthetics should play a significant role). You need to consider the intended use, room layout, and traffic flow. These factors will be important when thinking about the size, placement, and opening direction of your system.

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Consider how you intend to use your system. This is a direct factor when deciding on size and placement. What is its ultimate purpose? Are you looking to create a more flexible living space, or achieving a better view? You might want to consider installing an additional glazed door or purchasing a system with pivot doors that can open individually, or slide on a track as an alternative to opening the entire system. This option is an excellent choice if your location experiences cold winters. You can still have a single means of egress without needing to open the entire system. Traffic flow can help you to determine the best opening direction, whether it's left, right, or down the middle.

A second factor to consider is how the room is furnished, the layout of furnishings, and how that might affect a folding glass wall system. For example, if you're considering a folding system, you'll need to decide if the folding panels (which stack at 90-degree angles) are best with an in-swing or out-swing depending on the surroundings, and performance needs. For a stacking system, you'll need to stack to the side with the least amount of furniture. With a pocket system, furnishings are not an issue.

The door sill, or threshold, can also enhance the indoor-outdoor experience, but more importantly, it needs to protect your home from unwanted critters, water, wind, and debris. Ideally, any folding glass wall system should be protected with an overhang. If there is no overhang, you must use a weather-resistant threshold for maximum protection against wind and rain.

Finally, the type of glass you choose is vital in determining energy efficiency and safety. For an external wall system, double or triple glazed options are ideal for energy efficiency. If high winds or ice are an issue, impact-resistant glass is also an available option.

Aesthetic Considerations

While functionality is essential, there are some aesthetic options to consider. Many manufacturers offer a wide range of sizes, wood, finish and hardware options as well as customization. Depending on your needs, inside frames can be painted to match your existing décor, stained, or left natural. Some manufacturers offer systems with built-in blinds, frosted glass, coated glass, and other options.

Hardware is a practical as well as aesthetic consideration. Make sure the manufacturer offers cycle tested hardware options. This is an important test for durability. Also, ask about how the doors are installed. Most folding doors are "top-hung," meaning that the weight is supported from the top. This type of installation translates into effortless gliding and offers long-lasting durability because the assembly stays clean and dirt free.

Much like replacement windows, frames are available in many materials. Choosing the right material depends on location, function, and climate. Common materials include:

• Aluminum

It offers a slim profile, is durable, and low-maintenance.

• Aluminum Thermally Controlled

This type of system features a non-conductive thermal strut that minimizes the transfer of heat and cold to the home's interior. It also allows for a split finish color option between the indoor and outdoor frames providing maximum design flexibility.

• Aluminum Wood

The extruded aluminum exterior offers durability and weather resistance, while the wood interior offers design flexibility and added beauty.

• Clad

Aluminum over a natural wood interior offers different profiles to meet any architectural style as well as excellent thermal efficiency.

• Wood

Wood is timeless, classic, and is an attractive option for a glass wall system. It is a natural material that offers superior thermal efficiency but does require more maintenance than other options.

• Steel

Steel panes give you an exceptional modern or industrial feel. Thanks to the strength of steel, steel windows and doors have more slender sightlines offering a more clear view, and they require less maintenance than wood.

Creating an indoor-outdoor feel by adding a folding glass wall system to your home is an investment in your lifestyle that will add to your home's beauty and value. If you're not sure where to start or are overwhelmed by the choices available, your design-build contractor can help you to make the best choices to match your home's aesthetic style and meet your needs.

If you live in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area and are considering adding a folding glass wall system to your home, contact the award-winning designers at Degnan Design Build Remodel a call at (608) 846 – 5963. Let us help you to achieve your creative vision and work with you to design your dream home.