A hinged pair of exterior doors that meet in the center. One door is active, and the other is usually held still by flush bolts, which are bolts set into its edge that lock into the frame at the top and bottom.
Exterior windows and doors only. We do not install interior doors or interior windows.
How it opens
Exterior French doors are a hinged pair of glass doors that meet in the middle and open onto a patio, deck or yard. They seal better than a sliding door and open wider when both doors swing, but they need clear space to swing. In North Alabama's humidity, the center joint and its hardware are the parts to get right.
The details
Rear walls with room for the doors to swing, and rear entries onto a patio or deck where the look of the opening matters as much as how it works. With both doors open, a French pair gives the widest clear opening of any common patio door.
It seals better than a sliding door, because both doors press against the frame and the astragal, the strip where the two doors meet, instead of running on a track. The trade-offs are swing clearance and a higher price.
On an exposed wall, the better seal is worth real money in comfort.
French doors seal by pressing against the frame at the sides and against each other at the astragal. That makes them tighter than a slider, but it puts the whole weather seal on one vertical joint in the middle of the opening.
In this humidity that joint needs a good astragal and hardware that holds the inactive door truly still. Flush bolts that have worked loose are why a French pair starts letting air in at the center before anywhere else.
French doors can open in toward the house or out onto the patio. An inswing pair needs clear space the full width of each door on the house side. An outswing pair needs that space on the deck or patio instead.
Which suits your home depends on how much room you have on each side and what sits near the opening. We look at both when we measure.
We price after measuring, line by line, with the materials named. These are the things that move the number.
We walk your exterior, measure, and show you the options. There is no charge and no pressure.
You get a written scope with every line and material named. Then we order for your home.
Cut, fitted, trimmed, cleaned up and hauled away the same day. You never look at a pile of old frames.
Real ACM job photos. Every photo marked “ACM job photo” is from one of our own jobs.
ACM job photoPorch window replacement
Old porch windows with failing frames replaced with a new picture window and sliders, set and sealed from the outside.
ACM job photoDouble-hung window replacement in brick
A worn double-hung window with a deteriorated sill replaced with a new white double-hung unit.
ACM job photoNew picture window on a brick ranch
A large picture window installed on a brick ranch home, finished and cleaned up the same day.
ACM Pros replaced our windows and our front door in Hazel Green, AL. We are very happy with the work and the team.
Generally yes, because both doors press against the frame rather than sliding past a track. The exception is a pair whose flush bolts have loosened. Then the center joint leaks and the advantage disappears.
The full width of each door, on whichever side they open toward. On a rear wall with a deck that is usually fine. Where furniture sits close to the opening, it is often the thing that rules them out.
Yes, and that is the main practical argument for them. The inactive door is held by flush bolts at the top and bottom and released when you want the full opening, which is wider than any comparable slider.
A multi-point lock latches the door at several points along its edge, usually top, middle and bottom, from one handle. On a French pair it helps hold the active door tight against the astragal along its full height. It is one of the items that moves the price.
Usually loose flush bolts or a worn astragal. When the inactive door is not held still, the center joint opens slightly and lets in air and sometimes water. A warped door or a rotted threshold usually means it is time to replace the pair.
Often, if there is room for the doors to swing. If the new pair fits the same opening it is a direct swap. If not, that is decided at measuring and spelled out in your written estimate.
No. We install exterior doors only: entry, patio, exterior French and storm doors. The French doors we install lead from your home to the outside, never between rooms, and we do not do any work inside the house.
Entry, patio, exterior French and storm doors, set on a sealed sill pan so the threshold stays dry for years.
Learn moreExterior front doors in fiberglass, steel or wood, set on a flashed sill pan so the threshold stays dry for years.
Learn moreSliding glass or hinged patio doors that open onto a deck or yard, installed with a sill pan so the threshold stays dry.
Learn moreA second door outside your entry that blocks rain and sun and adds a screen for fresh air. Best on entries with no overhang.
Learn more
Every window style and frame material, measured and installed from the outside with a sill pan and proper flashing.
Learn more
Exterior windows9 minute read
Frame material, glass package and window style, judged against what North Alabama's long, humid cooling season actually does to a window.
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Five window problems worth acting on in a North Alabama home, and two that look alarming but usually are not.
Exterior doors10 minute read
Fiberglass, steel and wood each have a place on a North Alabama front door. Here is how humidity, hail and hard afternoon sun should steer your choice.
We're based in Madison and work across North Alabama, providing exterior french doors in every area below. We do not work in Tennessee.
Tell us what you're picturing. We'll come out, measure up, and give you a free written estimate, so you know exactly what to expect before any work begins.
