Outdoor Bifold Doors Review – Sarita & Brodie

Sarita, a model for an Australian fashion label, and her husband Brodie, an ex-AFL player and local football coach, are a professional couple with a young family to keep them busy too.

As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve also been working through their long list of home improvements to renovate and uplift various areas of their home.

From the moment they set foot inside their heritage house in Melbourne, Sarita could immediately see the potential to create a beautiful family home for their three children and various four-legged friends.

It was an old Victorian property, with dark walls, and she was excited at the opportunity to freshen it up and bring more light in.

But after two years of DIY projects they reached the limits of what they could do themselves.

A Dark & Awkward Space

The sticking point was the awkward room at the back of their house.

It had become a bit of a nothing space, and a dumping ground for the kids’ toys and devices, but they were sure that it had the potential to be a valuable family space.

It was functioning as an extension of the lounge room, where the kids would play video games or Sarita and Brodie might watch TV, but it was an odd shaped room and only had two long, skinny windows, so it was always dark.

There was also the issue of not being able to see into the back yard when the kids were playing out there, or jumping on the trampoline.

Turning to Trusted Experts

They knew they needed to do something to make this room lighter and brighter, and more connected to the back yard.

They could see it working as more of an integrated family and entertaining space, and creating a flow from the outside in, but they needed some advice about the best way to achieve this.

That’s where Doors Plus came in. Sarita says, “I heard about Doors Plus years and years ago.

When I think of doors I do think of Doors Plus, always – I think the jingle helps!

Doors Plus, No Fuss… There’s a store quite local to us and a lot of my friends have used them before and have been really happy, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me to go with the professionals.”

Visualising the Potential

They were initially thinking of simply replacing the tiny windows with much larger alternatives, but when Sarita visited her local showroom in person she was blown away by the variety of options available to them, and excited about the potential to completely transform how they use their space.

She says, “Going into my local Doors Plus store was really important for me because I’m not great at visualising things and I like to be able to touch and feel a product before I purchase it.

I had a really friendly sales consultant, who was amazing.

He took me through my options and I didn’t feel overwhelmed.

He made the decision quite easy for me.” They settled on the Panoramic timber bi-fold doors and arranged a free measure and quote for the following day.

Specialist Advice for a Seamless Fit

Both Sarita and Brodie found it invaluable to be able to talk through their exact specifications in situ, and were impressed with how knowledgeable and thorough the Doors Plus representative was as they discussed their options.

As it was an older property, there were a few things that needed to be fixed or tidied up before the doors could be fitted, and they were also planning to install decking at the back, so they were given expert advice about the order and process of these works so that the end result would be a really flush fit.

They were impressed with how informative and helpful the Doors Plus carpenter was, and that he clearly wanted to make sure the job was completed to the highest standard.

When it came to installation day, he made quick work of the fit and left the area spotless: Sarita says, “I was really impressed that they left things perfectly clean, with nothing for me to do. It was great!”

An Effortless Paint Job

They chose to have their Panoramic bi-fold doors supplied in raw timber, and then enlisted the help of a professional to paint them white.

This was a quick and painless job, thanks to the Doors Plus Paint ’n’ Peel film.

The doors arrived with this film already in place, so the painter didn’t need to prep, mask up the doors, or worry about getting paint on the windows.

Once the paint was dry, they peeled off the film for a stunning and seamless finish.

A Transformation of Home & Lifestyle

As accustomed as they are to seeing a vision realised, it’s clear that the end results far exceeded the couple’s expectations.

Sarita says, “I could not be happier. I mean, I knew that they would look great, but just the amount of light and how much of the back yard I can see is incredible.”

Brodie agrees that he was blown away by the difference the doors have made: “I was impressed. It’s actually a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and letting more light in than I thought there would be as well.

But just as a visual, it looks amazing.” The once dark interior of this majestic Victorian home is now flooded with natural light and fresh air, and Sarita can see the benefits of this in more ways than one: “I’m excited to hopefully have some cheaper electricity bills because we won’t need as many lights on in the house, so that’s a bonus!”

Not only do their new doors look breathtaking and uplift the feel of their home from the inside, but the couple can already see how these Panoramic bi-folds have the potential to transform home life for their young family.

As Brodie says, “We’ll be able to leave the doors open when the weather’s good.

The kids will be able to play, we’ll be able to see them play. It just changes the way we live.”

By replacing the old, ineffective windows with full, Panoramic bi-fold doors, they have created a flow from inside to outside and expanded their living and entertaining space.

Sarita says, “It has honestly made the biggest difference to how we use both of these spaces.

We can open up these beautiful doors and bring the outside in.” She looks forward to the effortless flexibility of summer socialising: “I’m super, super excited to start using that space as an indoor/outdoor entertaining area.

I can imagine us having BBQs out on the deck, leaving the doors open, watching the football…”

And Brodie’s words say it all: “I’m looking forward to it already!”