I am looking into replacing an original construction doorwall on a brick sided colonial style home built in 1960 in Michigan.
The existing doorwall is aluminum framed glass with one 4' slider, and two 4' 'sidelights', and exit is into an old uninsulated sunroom on a slab.
So, the rough opening is roughly 12' wide by 80" tall.
As most doorwalls on new construction, or available as a standard size when ordering through a home center or window supplier like Pella or Anderson are a good deal less than 12' wide, I am curious of my options and what might be the best route to go.
I believe i can either order a custom sized doorwall to my rough opening specifications, or frame in one or both sides of the 'sidelight' space to reduce the opening to an available standard size.
Can anyone recommend which route to go? It is not so much the cost of the doorwall issue but also I am looking into the thermal effect the larger opening may have on my heating bills.
The existing doorwall is aluminum framed glass with one 4' slider, and two 4' 'sidelights', and exit is into an old uninsulated sunroom on a slab.
So, the rough opening is roughly 12' wide by 80" tall.
As most doorwalls on new construction, or available as a standard size when ordering through a home center or window supplier like Pella or Anderson are a good deal less than 12' wide, I am curious of my options and what might be the best route to go.
I believe i can either order a custom sized doorwall to my rough opening specifications, or frame in one or both sides of the 'sidelight' space to reduce the opening to an available standard size.
Can anyone recommend which route to go? It is not so much the cost of the doorwall issue but also I am looking into the thermal effect the larger opening may have on my heating bills.