French doors are a great addition to almost any home in Florida. With their distinctive, large panes of glass, they add elegance and style. But, are French front doors really a good option for your home in Florida? Are they even allowed?
The short answer is: “Yes, they can be a great option… and yes, they are perfectly viable as front doors if built and installed in such a way as to comply with the Florida Building Code (FBC).”
Let’s go over what French doors are, their benefits as a front door option, and how you can get French front doors that meet FBC guidelines.
What Are French Doors, Really?
A French door is, traditionally, a kind of double door with glass that takes up almost the entirety of the door, often with a grille of some kind over the glass. It’s hard to be more specific than that because the term “French Door” gets applied to many different things.
As noted by Frenchly, “The origins of french doors can be traced back to the French Renaissance… any window with two panels that opens outward can be called ‘french doors.’” However, even the ‘opening outward’ part isn’t a requirement either, as there are such things as sliding French doors!
When we talk about French doors, we mean doors that feature large glass panes designed to let in natural light while evoking classical French architectural styles. Some French doors are double entry doors, sliding glass doors, and there are even single French front doors that you can get for your home.
French Front Door Options for Florida Homes
There are many kinds of ‘french doors’ that can be used for your front door opening. Common French door sizes include:
- 6/0 doors. These doors are about 74 & ¼” wide in total (with two 3’ panels that open and close from the center).
- 5/0 doors. No, these aren’t Hawaii-themed. A 5/0 door has two door slabs that are each about 2.5’ wide and are a total of about 62 & ¼” wide in total.
- 6-foot high doors. To fit shorter front door openings.
- 8-foot high doors. For taller front door openings.
If a door opening is significantly wider than 7’ across, sidelights or mullions could be used to help fill in the gap.
In addition to different sizes, other common options for french front doors include:
- Decorative Glass: Many French doors, especially front door variants, employ decorative glass to add a distinctive look to the door and to help obscure the home’s interior while letting in natural light.
- Clear Glass. When the front doors lead to a smaller foyer/entrance hall, some homeowners choose to use clear glass to increase their visibility to the outdoors.
- Impact Glass. For compliance with FBC guidelines, French doors are often designed as impact doors with specialized impact glass designed to withstand heavy impacts and wind pressure.
- Low-E Glass. To enhance the energy efficiency of a French front door, many homeowners choose to use low-e glass that reflects away ultraviolet and infrared light to keep the inside of the home cool.
- Single French Door. For smaller door openings where double french front doors can’t fit, some homeowners might use single door french doors instead.
A French front door will be a swinging door, similar to a standard entry door. While there are such things as French sliding glass doors, the FBC specifies that “The egress door shall be side-hinged,” so a sliding door would not be suitable for a front entryway.
Why Use French Front Doors?
So, what are the big reasons to make your front door a French door, specifically? Some of the biggest reasons to use a French front door include:
- For the Style. Hands-down, the biggest reason to use French doors as a front door is for the style of it. To have a showpiece front door that will enhance your home’s curb appeal and leave your neighbors feeling a little envious of your gorgeous new look!
- To Brighten Your Entryway. Because of their large glass panels, French doors let in lots of natural light, making them a great fit for front entryways in sunny Florida.
- You Have a Wide Front Entryway. SInce French doors are typically (though not always) double doors, making them a great fit for 8’+ wide entryways in modern homes.
- To Enhance Your View. If you choose to use clear glass for your French front door, you can see very clearly to the other side of the glass, making it easy to see who (or what) is on the other side at a glance from inside your home.
How Can a Mostly Glass French Front Door Meet Florida Building Code Requirements?
Florida Building Code requirements dictate that doors be built to withstand severe weather conditions like hurricanes, with some municipalities dictating the specific wind loads fenestration (i.e., windows and doors) must be rated to withstand to be approved for use in a residential building.
To qualify for installation in a home in Florida, a French door needs to be impact-rated, able to withstand strong blows from flying debris per Small and Large Missile Impact D testing standards.
For the Large missile test, a door needs to be able to withstand having a nine-pound 2 x 4 fired at the window at a speed of 50-80 feet per second (higher risk category buildings have tougher standards, so the missile is fired at a higher speed in those tests).
The impacts will be targeted at the thinnest part of the door, and for French doors, the thinnest part of the glass.
If a door cannot pass the impact test and subsequent air leakage tests, then it won’t be approved for installation compliant with the Florida Building Code.
A French front door can qualify for installation in Florida by being designed as an impact door with reinforced construction, durable impact glass, shock-absorbing laminate interlayers, and other safety features that make the door more durable. The same goes for the sliding glass doors typically found on the backyard entryway of many homes.
Get French Front Doors with Professional Installation!
Looking for high-quality French front doors that don’t just meet, but surpass FBC requirements, are installed perfectly to maximize their appeal, and will last you for years to come? Reach out to Karoly Windows & Doors to request a french door installation quote!
Karoly Windows & Doors specializes in providing top-tier installation quality so that you know you can count on your beautiful new french doors to last a lifetime while adding grace, curb appeal, and security to your home.
Reach out today to get started with a free in-home installation quote!
