Windows and doors
Patio and sliding doors
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Patio and sliding doors: what the job involves
Fitting or repairing patio, French, sliding or bifold doors to the garden. Replacing doors in the same opening is a window-fitter’s job; making the opening wider is building work with a new lintel and often an engineer’s input.
Also asked for as: patio doors · bifold doors · French doors · sliding patio door repair · aluminium sliding doors
How the job is usually done
- Survey the opening: width, height, lintel, the floor and outside levels, and the threshold.
- Choose the door type, material, number of panes and how it opens; agree the threshold height and drainage.
- If widening: an engineer sizes the lintel or steel, and a builder props the wall and forms the new opening.
- Order the doors, usually several weeks.
- Remove the old doors and frame, fit the new frame level and square, and seal it to the wall and floor.
- Hang or install the sliding panels or bifold leaves, adjust them to run smoothly, and fit locks and handles.
- Make good the reveals and threshold and show the household how to use and maintain the doors.
Patio and sliding doors: what is included
Usually included
- Survey and measuring
- Removing the old doors and frame
- Fitting, sealing and adjusting the new doors
- Locks and handles
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Widening the opening, the lintel or steel, and the engineer’s design
- Raising or lowering the patio or floor to suit a level threshold
- Re-plastering, flooring and decorating around the opening
- Blinds and integral blinds, unless chosen
Materials and who supplies them
- Made-to-order door set — aluminium, uPVC or timber — supplied by the installer
- Low or level threshold with drainage
- Toughened or laminated safety glass, as standard for doors
How long it takes
A day to fit doors in the existing opening once made; widening the opening adds several days of building work before the fitting.
When to book
Fit in spring or early summer to enjoy them; allow extra weeks if the opening is being widened.
Patio and sliding doors: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
Replacement windows, external doors and roof lights should have an average U-value no worse than 1.4 W/m²K. Replacing only the glass, a sash or a door leaf counts as a repair, not a replacement.
Applies to: the installer
Building Regulations Part L — Technical Guidance Document L, Dwellings (2019), paragraph 2.1.1.2 and Table 5 · gov.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Widening an opening in a load-bearing wall must meet the structural requirements of the building regulations; in practice that means an engineer’s design for the lintel or steel and temporary propping while it is done.
Applies to: the homeowner and the builder
Building Regulations Part A (Structure) — Department of Housing technical guidance documents · gov.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
If the job involves a builder and a door fitter, or other particular risks such as heavy lifting of steel, the homeowner must appoint project supervisors in writing; one competent person can hold both roles.
Applies to: the homeowner, as client
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 — HSA guide for homeowners · hsa.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Grants
SEAI windows and doors grant
Up to €4,000 for new windows as a complete upgrade (€4,000 detached, €3,000 semi-detached or end of terrace, €1,800 mid-terrace, €1,500 apartment) and €800 per external door, up to two doors (€1,600). New windows and doors must reach a U-value of 1.4 W/m²K or better.
Who qualifies: Homes built and occupied before 2011 that already have good attic and wall insulation (or are upgrading it first or at the same time), replacing inefficient single- or double-glazed windows or draughty doors. Use an SEAI-registered contractor, get the grant offer before ordering, and have a post-works BER.
seai.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
What patio and sliding doors costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- Type: French, sliding or bifold, and the number of panels
- Material: aluminium, uPVC or timber, and the frame colour
- Overall width and glass specification
- Widening the opening: lintel or steel, engineer and builder
- Threshold and floor levels inside and out
- VAT: supply-and-fit windows and doors are usually charged at the reduced 13.5% building-services rate, but if the materials are more than two-thirds of the price Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the standard rate to the whole job
- VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.
What window and door upgrades cost: SEAI’s median figures
| Upgrade and home | Median cost |
|---|---|
| Windows, detached house | €10,453 |
| Windows, semi-detached or end of terrace | €7,110 |
| Windows, mid-terrace | €4,650 |
| Windows, apartment | €4,196 |
| Doors, detached house | €4,300 |
| Doors, semi-detached or end of terrace | €3,800 |
Median cost of grant-supported upgrades completed January–June 2026, as reported by contractors to SEAI — before the grant is deducted.
Paperwork to ask for at the end
- The manufacturer’s guarantee on frames, glass and running gear
- The installer’s workmanship guarantee
- The engineer’s design and sign-off for a widened opening
- U-value of the doors, for the BER and any SEAI grant
Safety
- Large glass doors need manifestation (stickers or a pattern) at eye level so nobody walks into them.
- Nobody should cut into a load-bearing wall without props and a lintel designed for the load.
- Bifold leaves can trap fingers: keep children clear while they are being opened.
Patio and sliding doors: before you hire
Questions to ask a tradesperson
- Does the opening need a new lintel, and who designs it?
- How low can the threshold go without letting water in?
- What guarantee covers the running gear on sliders and bifolds?
- Is VAT included?
What you can do yourself
Cleaning the tracks and drainage slots and lubricating rollers is a homeowner job; fitting or widening is not.
What to put in your task
- What kind of doors would you like?
- Is the opening staying the same size?
- Roughly how wide is the opening?
- What frame material would you like?
- Or is this a repair to existing doors?
Photos that help
- The opening from inside, showing the full width and height
- The outside, with the patio or step level
- The wall above the opening, inside and out
Patio and sliding doors by county
Choose your county for patio and sliding doors close to home.
- Patio and sliding doors in Dublin
- Patio and sliding doors in Cork
- Patio and sliding doors in Galway
- Patio and sliding doors in Kildare
- Patio and sliding doors in Limerick
- Patio and sliding doors in Meath
- Patio and sliding doors in Tipperary
- Patio and sliding doors in Donegal
- Patio and sliding doors in Wexford
- Patio and sliding doors in Kerry
- Patio and sliding doors in Wicklow
- Patio and sliding doors in Mayo
- Patio and sliding doors in Louth
- Patio and sliding doors in Waterford
- Patio and sliding doors in Clare
- Patio and sliding doors in Kilkenny
- Patio and sliding doors in Westmeath
- Patio and sliding doors in Laois
- Patio and sliding doors in Cavan
- Patio and sliding doors in Offaly
- Patio and sliding doors in Sligo
- Patio and sliding doors in Roscommon
- Patio and sliding doors in Monaghan
- Patio and sliding doors in Carlow
- Patio and sliding doors in Longford
- Patio and sliding doors in Leitrim
Windows and doors
Need patio and sliding doors? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals near you reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about patio and sliding doors
Does patio and sliding doors need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.cru.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
Bifold or sliding doors?
Bifolds open the whole width but leave the leaves stacked at one side and have more frame when closed. Sliding doors have fewer, larger panes and better views when closed, but only half the width opens. For Irish weather, many people find sliders more practical.
Do I need an engineer to widen the opening?
Yes for a load-bearing wall, which a rear wall almost always is. The engineer specifies the lintel or steel and its bearings, and the builder props the wall while it goes in. Keep the engineer’s design with the house documents.
Can my old sliding door be repaired?
Often. Worn rollers, a broken lock or a misted unit can usually be replaced if parts are still available for the system. If the frame is warped or the track worn badly, replacement makes more sense.