Guides
Straight answers, no brochure.
What these systems cost and why, how to choose between sliding and folding, and what a replacement actually involves — written by the team that installs them.
MaintenanceSliding glass door maintenance: what actually extends its lifespanA sliding or folding glass door is mostly aluminum and glass, which do not wear out on their own — what fails first is almost always the track, the rollers, the seals or the hardware. Here is what to look after, how often, and what actually shortens the life of the parts that move.7 min read 
SpecificationCorner sliding glass doors without a post, explainedOpening two walls of a room to the outside at once means solving a corner, and the detail everyone asks about is whether that corner needs a post. Sometimes it does not — but the reason has more to do with the structure above than the door itself.7 min read 
SpecificationFlush thresholds and accessibility options for sliding and folding doorsA step-free opening is a real, common request on both our sliding and folding systems, but the standard track sill is not flush by default, and it should not be assumed to be. Here is what changes, what the ADA numbers actually say, and what to ask before you commit to a low-profile sill.7 min read 
ChoosingMulti-slide, bifold, or French doors: how the three actually differA slider, a folding wall, and a pair of hinged doors solve the same problem in three different ways. The right one depends on how you actually want the opening to behave, not on which looks best in a photo.7 min read SpecificationPocket sliding glass doors, explainedA pocket configuration sends the moving panel into the wall instead of stacking it in the opening. It is a real option on our sliding system, but it changes the job from a door install into a piece of construction.7 min read SpecificationHow wide can a sliding glass door really be?There is no single maximum width — a sliding wall is built panel by panel, and the number that matters is the one for your opening, not a headline figure from a spec sheet.7 min read 
ComparisonCortizo COR Vision vs Western Window Systems: a Texas comparisonWestern Window Systems is the brand architects specify by default. That does not make it the right answer for every Texas project — and on a few things that matter in this climate, it is not the closest call.7 min read 
MaterialsAluminum or vinyl patio doors: what actually fails first in Texas heatThe two materials fail differently, and a cooling climate with 100-degree summers pushes hard on exactly the weakness vinyl has. Here is the engineering that decides it, including where our own product is the wrong answer.8 min read 
CostsWhat bifold patio doors actually cost in TexasA folding wall is priced by the leaf, not by the running foot, which is why two quotes for the same opening can land a long way apart. Here is what is actually behind the number.8 min read CostsWhat sliding and folding glass doors actually cost in TexasNobody selling these doors wants to talk about price, which is why the internet is full of numbers that turn out to mean nothing. Here is what actually drives the cost, and what to check before you compare two quotes.7 min read ChoosingSliding or folding glass doors: how to choose for your openingThe two systems solve different problems, and most of the confusion comes from comparing them on price rather than on what you want the opening to do.6 min read ReplacementReplacing a failed patio slider: what is actually involvedMost of the doors we take out failed in the same order, for the same reasons. Knowing which stage yours has reached tells you whether you need a repair, a glass unit, or a new system.6 min read PerformanceEnergy-efficient glass doors in Texas: what the numbers meanAlmost every door sold in this country is described as energy efficient, which makes the phrase useless. Two numbers decide it, and in Texas only one of them is really doing any work.6 min read