A Sydney family has found the ultimate way to bring the outdoors inside and make indoor areas brighter by retrofitting their Cherrybrook home with stylish Carinya bi-fold doors. In just six short weeks, a previously underused outdoor area has become the favourite living space for the family of six.

"It’s made a huge difference to how we live," says Tamara. "Sydney’s climate is ideal for indoor-outdoor living and now we’ve got the perfect space to take advantage of it." Before the renovation, the outdoor dining area was surrounded by a brick wall on one side, and a sliding door with dense security mesh on the other. These elements effectively isolated the outdoor area from the main kitchen and living room and reduced how much daylight reached the indoor areas.

The first step was to find an option which would best integrate the indoor and outdoor living areas, brighten up the interior, all the while being mindful of costs. The solution: add bi-fold doors to both sides. "I’ve always liked bi-fold doors, but I wasn’t sure if they were right for our space," says Tamara. Her first concern was whether such doors needed any special structural overhead support. If they did, it would have meant extra cost as well as extra time to complete.

Luckily Carinya had a product specifically designed with such retrofits in mind. The bottom rolling bi-fold system has no need for a structural overhead beam as the weight is transferred to the bottom of the door. This system is ideal for situations where the opening has been previously occupied by a standard sliding door.

The second concern was whether replacing the brick wall with bi-fold doors would expose the home interior to unwanted pests in summer months. With the help of their Carinya Dealer and their local builder, they identified the perfect addition – a Centor S1E screen. The retractable screen disappears completely into the door frame when not in use, and serves multiple functions. It screens out insects, creates privacy when needed, and can even be used as a movie projection screen at night.
"The combination of the bi-fold doors and the Centor screen has given us exactly what we needed," says Tamara.

Replacing both the old sliding door and the brick wall with bi-fold doors has dramatically increased the useable living areas, with the added bonus of bringing more daylight to the existing internal spaces and making the area feel larger.
"It’s given us so much more space, given us plenty of space to entertain, and it’s definitely increased the value of our home."

With the addition of a new pergola roof featuring opaque panelling, a new dining setting and modernised travertine pavers, the transformation of the outdoor living area was complete. "This renovation has changed the way we use our home and has truly helped us make the most of our space," says Tamara.

Builder: East Rock Projects
Carinya Fabricator: Enviro Windows and Glass Pty Ltd
Photography: Antony Benyamin

Carinya Products Used:
Select Bottom Rolling Bi-Fold Door
Centor S1E Screen