The patio is a great space to relax around the home where we can access through the patio doors. Now, you probably heard of these patio doors with built-in blinds.
Unfortunately, as functional and convenient as they sound, patio doors with built-in blinds problems can be pretty irritating.
So in this article, I will discuss all patio doors with built-in blinds. Besides the benefits, there are some problems you should know about beforehand. So without further ado, let’s begin.
Disadvantages Of Patio Doors With Built In Blinds
Let’s check the list of its common drawbacks first:
- Collects tons of dirt.
- Highly expensive.
- Limited design and color selection.
- Not so energy-efficient.
- Hard to maintain.
From my personal experience and through research in different forums and tons of reviews, I have come up with five potential issues you might get with patio doors with an in-built blind.
So let’s talk about them in detail.
- Blinds inside Can Collect Dust
Yes, I remember saying they don’t. The catch is that blinds don’t collect dust as long as the seals around the glass panes are intact.
As soon as the seal breaks or gets loose, the blind will start to collect dust.
As I previously mentioned, you can’t disassemble most of these doors. So the dust can keep on piling. Another reason for collecting dust is related to energy efficiency.
Remember the doors can’t be entirely airtight because of the in-built blinders? So as the doors are not completely airtight, they can collect dust easily.
Even if you make them airtight, the air trapped inside will start to expand when direct sunlight hits the glass panes, warping the glass from inside.
Either way, you can’t have low maintenance and energy efficiency simultaneously with patio doors with built-in blinders.
- Patio Doors With In-built Blinds Are Expensive
Isn’t this the most obvious drawback? Think about it. You just bought a new house, and you don’t want to spend extra bucks with a fancy new patio door with a built-in blind.
It’ll just pile up the extra expenses of changing or buying the new house.
A built-in blind almost offers the same functionality but costs way more than a regular blind and patio door. Simply put, the mechanical design of in-built blinds increases the price here.
Especially if you opt for more advanced options like a motorized or smart in-built blind, it can cost you hundreds of dollars.
Most doors don’t offer the option to add a blind inside by disassembling the glass panes, so if you want the built-in option, you have to go with buying a new door all over.
If budget is an issue or your old patio door is in good condition, you can avoid getting a new door with built-in blinds.
- Limited Design and Color Selection
Not exactly a problem, but I am pretty sure most of you will consider this an issue worth mentioning.
After all, we want a door that goes with the overall aesthetic of our house and patio, right? To accomplish this goal, the wider the variety of color and design we can get, the better.
However, if you opt for patio doors with built-in blinds, it minimizes your options in hand. While traditional patio doors and blinds can come in almost any color, material, and design you can think of, patio doors with build in blinds only offer a few.
Apart from the advanced models, most of the built-in blinds work with a slide.
Now I previously mentioned it as an advantage, and still, it is. But this slide mechanism also prevents you from using other styles like Venetian or roller blinds.
However, if you don’t care about the aesthetic and functionality is your key focus, you can go for patio doors with built-in blinds.
- Reparability Is a Concern
Patio doors with built-in blinds are pretty hard to fix, if not impossible. As these blinds depend on mechanical functions with lots of moving parts, the chances of malfunctioning are way higher than their manual counterpart.
The slide can stop moving; the internal mechanism can fail; the magnetic ones can stop working properly with poor magnets.
These are just some common issues I found throughout different online community posts. In some instances, problems can be easily repairable if the door can be disassembled.
However, the issue doesn’t end here because the replacement blind units for these doors cost more than regular blinds.
Additionally, you might have to get rid of the whole door for severe problems because the blind stopped functioning. That way, you can end up losing so much money.
However, you can minimize the chance of blinds malfunctioning by doing proper homework and getting a well-reviewed patio door. Still, the lack of reparability remains a bummer.
- Less Energy Efficient
Depending on where you live, the energy efficiency of patio doors with built-in blinds can be the biggest drawback to you. To understand this issue, you need to know how glass patio doors work.
Usually, the space between the glass panes of patio doors is filled with colorless, nontoxic gases like argon and krypton.
These gases help to insulate the doors. As most of the patio doors with built-in blinds are not entirely airtight, you can’t put these gases in there.
When you choose to put the blinders instead of in that space, it reduces the insulation of the patio door and, therefore, reduces the doors’ overall energy efficiency.
Some manufacturers came up with a solution to this problem with three glass panes in one door.
That way, you get an extra compartment to put the gas in. However, that extra glass pane can significantly increase the price too.
Why Do People Choose Patio Doors With Built-In Blinds?
Patio doors come in different types, and one with built-in blinds is trending among homeowners these days because of its benefits.
The number one benefit that will come to anyone’s mind is the cleaning. As the blind is now sealed inside the glass panes, it doesn’t get dirty at all.
One of the key reasons people use blinds is to prevent dust from getting inside. That way, the blind might does the job but end up getting dirty itself.
Now, as the blind is sealed inside, you have one less household chore: cleaning it after every few days.
Easier control is another good reason. Rather than the traditional corded blinds, in-built blinds usually have a slide at the side of the door.
That slide is used to open and close the blinds. So if you have pets or kids in your house, they won’t be able to pull the dangling cords and mess with the door anymore with the in-built blinds.
From my personal experience, I have seen some people prefer patio doors with in-built blinds just because they offer more privacy.
Wondering how?
Well, because these blinds have consistent gaps between the folds. Additionally, as the blind is sealed inside, no one can tamper and see through it.
The last reason I want to add to the list is that it simply looks more beautiful. With the almost identical functionality as a regular patio door and blind, why not choose a door with built-in blinds if it looks great?
As you can see, homeowners have some pretty compelling reasons to back up their preference about patio doors with built-in blinds.
If you are thinking about getting one for yourself, you are more than welcome to do it.
Conclusion
With a functional and durable patio door, you can have easy access to your patio anytime. Besides, it keeps the dust, pests, and break-in attempts away from your home.
Throughout this article, I tried to give you a little head start about patio doors with built-in blinds problems you might face in the future.
Besides these issues, this type of patio door can be a modern and convenient way of accessing your home patio.
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