We design, make and fit aluminium bifold doors in Leatherhead, working with the Smart Systems Visofold 1000 and the Cortizo folding system. Each set is fabricated in our Fifield workshop and installed by our own team, with lead times from 10 days and a 10-year guarantee. For the detached family houses around Leatherhead, Fetcham and Ashtead, a folding door is the simplest way to connect a kitchen extension to a terrace and a long rear garden.
Free survey for bifold doors in Leatherhead
Made in our own Fifield workshop and fitted by our own team, with lead times from 10 days and a 10-year guarantee. Tell us about your opening and we will book a free survey.
Detached homes and long gardens
Much of the housing around Leatherhead is detached or semi-detached, set back from the road with driveways and generous rear plots running towards the North Downs countryside. Many have been extended at the back, often with a single-storey kitchen and family room. A wide folding door suits that layout well: open fully, it joins the room to a patio for summer entertaining, and with a traffic door on one end you can step out on a cold morning without opening the whole set.
Where an extension wraps around a corner, two folding runs can be arranged to meet, opening the room on two sides. Whether that is possible depends on the structural post or steel at the corner, so ask us to confirm for your opening at survey.
Choosing between Visofold and Cortizo
The Smart Systems Visofold 1000 is a well-proven folding system with sashes up to 1,200 mm wide and 2,500 mm high. It offers a low threshold and an integrated cill, PAS 24 approved roller and top guide hardware, and dual colour frames. Its U-value is listed as 1.4 W/m²K.
The Cortizo folding system suits taller openings, with leaves up to 3,000 mm high and 120 kg each, an 80 mm frame and a 45 mm thermal break. Cortizo has passed PAS 24 testing on this system. For a detailed side-by-side, read our Visofold vs Cortizo guide, and for configurations and finishes see the main aluminium bifold doors page. Cortizo windows and sliders are explained on our Cortizo range page.
Planning in Mole Valley
Leatherhead is in Mole Valley District, which has 26 conservation areas, including Leatherhead town centre around Church Street, High Street and Bridge Street, and Fetcham. Mole Valley has Article 4 directions on parts of the Leatherhead conservation area, which remove some permitted development rights. Outside those areas, a rear folding door replacing existing doors usually needs no planning permission, but a new extension may. Check with Mole Valley District Council if your home is in or near a conservation area, and see our planning permission guide for the general rules.
Survey and installation from Fifield
Our team travels from Fifield, about 20 miles from Leatherhead in a straight line, which is usually a 40 to 50 minute drive via the M25. We survey every opening ourselves and can work from your architect’s drawings for a new extension, confirming the structural opening before the frame is made.
Driveway parking on most Leatherhead roads makes delivery straightforward, and side access to the garden is common. Where a house is on a private road or estate with its own rules on contractor vehicles or working hours, let us know at survey and we will plan around them.
Practical points for a garden-facing extension
A wide folding door needs a stiff structure above it, because the panels run on a track that cannot tolerate much deflection. We give your builder the structural opening sizes and tolerances early, and check the lintel or steel before fitting. We also look at the patio level outside: in a garden that slopes towards the house, drainage in front of the threshold matters as much as the door itself. Where the doors face south or west, ask about solar control glass to keep the room comfortable on summer afternoons.
Compare with sliding doors
A long garden view can also be framed by a few large sliding panes rather than a stack of folding ones. Our page on sliding doors in Leatherhead explains the lift-and-slide alternative, and our bifold vs sliding doors article sets out how to choose. If you are also replacing windows, see our double glazing in Leatherhead page.
We work across this part of Surrey, including bifold doors in Oxshott and Cobham bifold doors, and further north in Richmond.
Arrange your free survey
For a free survey in Leatherhead, Fetcham or Ashtead, phone 01753 965 005, WhatsApp 07934 152 343, or request a visit through our free quote form. Our phones are staffed Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, plus 9am to 1pm on Saturday.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission for bifold doors in Leatherhead?
Replacing existing rear doors with bifolds usually falls under permitted development for a house outside a conservation area. Leatherhead town centre is a conservation area with Article 4 directions on parts of it, and Fetcham has its own conservation area. Check with Mole Valley District Council if you are in or near one of these.
What is the widest bifold door you can fit on a Leatherhead extension?
Width comes from the number of panels rather than one large sash. Visofold 1000 sashes go up to 1,200 mm wide, and Cortizo leaves up to 1,200 mm wide and 3,000 mm high. Very wide runs need a stiff lintel or steel above, so we check the structure and deflection with your builder first.
Can we have a single door for everyday use within the bifolds?
Yes. Most folding door sets can include a traffic door, a single panel that opens on its own like a normal door, so you can step into the garden without folding the whole set. We position it to suit your route to the patio, bins or garden path.
How long does it take to get bifold doors made and fitted?
Our lead time starts from 10 days once the survey is complete and the drawings are signed off. For a new extension, we can survey once the opening is formed, or work from your architect's drawings and then confirm on site before production, so the doors arrive when the builder is ready.
How far do you travel to Leatherhead?
Our workshop and team are in Fifield, near Windsor, about 20 miles from Leatherhead in a straight line. The drive is usually 40 to 50 minutes via the M25. We cover Leatherhead, Fetcham, Ashtead and the surrounding villages for both surveys and installations.