A Custom Bi-Fold Door Opens a Washington, DC Kitchen to the Deck
PROJECT SCOPE
Type: Private Residences
Location: Washington, DC
Construction: 2026
Area of Focus: Kitchen + Outdoor Patio
Window Types: Ardmore Series 70mm, Bi-Fold Doors
At this brick rowhouse in Washington, DC, the kitchen and dining area look directly into a canopy of mature trees. A wood deck sits just beyond the dining table, creating an outdoor gathering space close to where meals are prepared and shared.
Vetrina manufactured a custom three-panel aluminum bi-fold door and a coordinating hidden-sash tilt-and-turn window using our Ardmore Series 70mm aluminum window framework. Together, these products provide two different ways to bring daylight, fresh air, and outdoor access into a residential space.
The finished project shows how carefully selected windows and doors can make an urban home feel more connected to its surroundings while fitting comfortably within its existing architectural character.
A 10-Foot Glass Opening at the Heart of the Home
The bi-fold assembly measures 10 feet wide and just over nine feet tall. Its proportions make the rear wall a defining feature of the dining area, framing views of the deck and leafy backyard.
With the doors closed, the three tall glass panels maintain that visual connection. From the kitchen counter or dining table, the outdoor space remains part of the room’s outlook throughout the day.
Rooflights bring daylight from above, while the glazed door introduces light and views at eye level. This combination is particularly useful in rowhouses and other attached properties, where neighboring buildings can limit window opportunities along the sides.
Here, the generous rear glazing maximizes the home’s connection to its backyard.
Folding Operation for Everyday Access and Entertaining
The outward-opening configuration lets the panels fold aside, creating a broad passage between the dining area and deck. When the assembly is open, the outdoor table and seating naturally extend the kitchen.
For the homeowners, that makes serving meals, carrying dishes outside, and moving between indoor and outdoor gathering areas more convenient. Guests can circulate between the two spaces while remaining connected to the activity in the kitchen. A separately operable passage sash also provides everyday access without opening the entire folding assembly. The system can serve as a regular patio entrance during the week and open more extensively for a weekend gathering.
Because the panels open outward, their movement preserves space around the interior dining table. Planning the exterior folding clearance alongside the deck furniture and circulation route helps make this arrangement practical on a compact residential terrace.
Explore Vetrina’s residential bi-fold doors.
Black Frames and Horizontal Grids Complement the Rowhouse
The door’s RAL 9005M black finish contrasts clearly with the white interior trim and warm wood flooring. Outside, the same finish coordinates with the dark roof edge and stands comfortably beside the red brick.
Horizontal grids give the tall glass panels an additional sense of proportion. Specified as three-quarter-inch flat black grids, they create a divided-light appearance while preserving generous views through each sash. This detail helps connect the contemporary folding system to the traditional residential setting. The result suits the kitchen’s combination of painted cabinetry, wood furniture, framed artwork, and familiar architectural trim.
For homeowners renovating an older property, custom frame colors and grid arrangements offer a way to introduce modern operation while retaining a visual relationship with the rest of the house.
A Compact Tilt-and-Turn Window Adds Ventilation Flexibility
A smaller window provides another useful function within the kitchen. The custom unit measures 26½ inches wide by 50½ inches high and uses a 70mm Ardmore Series hidden-sash aluminum system.
Its tilt-and-turn operation gives the homeowners two opening options. Tilting the top of the sash inward introduces ventilation while keeping most of the opening closed. Turning the sash inward provides a larger opening and makes the exterior glass easier to clean. A single handle controls both functions. See how Vetrina’s tilt-and-turn windows work.
The included insect screen supports everyday ventilation, while the black finish coordinates with the larger folding door.
This smaller opening complements the patio entrance: homeowners can bring in fresh air through the window while leaving the bi-fold door closed. In similar kitchen renovations, coordinating the inward sash movement with counters, fixtures, and cabinetry helps make the window convenient to use.
Insulated Glazing and Thermal Breaks Support Comfort
The specified glazing combines clear tempered glass with an SN68 Low-E coating and an insulating space between the panes. SN68 balances daylight and solar control while maintaining a relatively neutral appearance. That combination suits a room where views of trees and outdoor living space are central to the design.
The aluminum profiles incorporate thermal breaks to reduce heat conduction through the frames. Glazing gaskets, sash seals, and perimeter weatherstripping also contribute to the assemblies’ performance when closed. For a kitchen and dining area used throughout the year, these details matter alongside the ability to open the wall in pleasant weather. The products must serve the home as both generous openings and part of its exterior enclosure.
Hardware Designed Around Daily Use
The folding door combines hinges, a bottom roller, and an upper guide to support and control panel movement. A pull-hinge handle provides a grip at the folding joint, while a flat folding handle operates the intermediate locking hardware.
The passage sash uses a door handle that includes a multipoint lock. These components give the large opening the functions needed for regular residential use: passage access, folding operation, and secure closure.
Coordinating the hardware with the black frames keeps these working details visually consistent with the rest of the installation.
Custom Manufacturing for Residential Renovations
This project demonstrates the value of developing a large door and a smaller window as one coordinated package. Dimensions, operating modes, glazing, finishes, grids, screens, and hardware all influence how the products fit the home and how the homeowners use them.
Vetrina’s engineers are involved in those decisions before fabrication; they evaluate everything to the smallest detail, including the relationship between the door threshold and the surrounding floor construction. That information helps the project team prepare the openings and coordinate installation with the building’s finishes.
Vetrina designs custom aluminum windows and doors at its Bensalem, Pennsylvania facility and supplies residential projects across the United States. Homeowners and contractors can work with one manufacturer to develop products for a focused kitchen renovation, a rear addition, or a broader window and door package. Explore Vetrina’s residential aluminum window capabilities.
For this Washington, DC home, the result is a kitchen and dining area with a stronger connection to its deck, flexible ventilation, and a coordinated architectural finish.
Contact Vetrina to discuss custom windows and doors for your residential project.