French & Double Doors

French & Double Doors in Los Angeles, CA | Lightwell Windows & Doors

French and double doors bring something to a home that sliding glass can’t: a true wide opening with symmetrical sightlines and the feel of indoor space flowing straight outward. In Los Angeles, where patios, pool decks, and backyard entertaining matter, paired impact-rated French doors are one of the most requested products we install. At Lightwell Windows & Doors, we’ve built our reputation in Los Angeles around hurricane-impact products that hold up to hurricane building code standards while looking like they belong on a coastal California home. Whether you’re replacing old wood doors that leak air and rattle, or planning new construction, call us at (562) 478-8017 to talk through what fits your opening.

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Product Overview – French & Double Doors

Our French and double doors are paired impact-rated units with laminated glass in every lite. You get the classic French door look: two active panels, or one active and one fixed, meeting at a centerline with matching stiles and rails. The difference from a standard patio door is what’s inside the glass and frame. Each lite carries a PVB interlayer that holds the glass in the frame under impact, and the frame itself is engineered aluminum or vinyl with internal reinforcement where the wind load demands it. Multi-point locking hardware ties the active panel into the head and sill, not just a single latch point at the handle.

These doors suit homes where the opening is a focal point: a dining room spilling onto a terrace, a primary suite leading to a morning coffee deck, a living room that opens to a pool. Symmetrical sightlines matter here because the door reads as furniture as much as fenestration. We install French and double doors across our PGT, CGI, CWS, ES Windows, ECO, and Mr-Glass lines in Los Angeles, and we match the configuration to the wind zone, not to whatever happens to be in stock.

Technical Specifications

• Frame materials: Aluminum or vinyl, chosen for the exposure and architectural style of the Los Angeles installation
• Maximum size: Up to 96 inches wide across the paired panels
• Glass options: Laminated impact glass with PVB interlayer, Low-E insulated glass, tinted glass, clear glass
• Finish options: White, Almond, Bronze, Black, Tan
• Hardware: Multi-point locking on the active panel, with handle sets available per finish package
• Design pressure: Matched to your wind zone, up to +/-100 PSF, never higher

Every configuration we quote in Los Angeles gets its own size, glass, and finish combination, and we submit the exact product approval paperwork that matches it. No substitutions that change the tested assembly.

Hurricane & Compliance Performance

Laminated Impact Glass
Every lite in our French and double doors carries a PVB interlayer bonded between two panes of glass. Under a large-missile impact, the glass may crack but the interlayer holds the fractured pieces in the frame, keeping the barrier intact and the wind out of the house.

Impact certification
Each configuration carries an impact certification number. These are issued per configuration, not blanket-rated, so the exact size and glass package on your quote has its own approval paperwork. We verify the numbers on your specific quote before ordering.

HVHZ Compliance
These doors are engineered to high-velocity hurricane zone (HVHZ) requirements. That’s the stricter hurricane-coast standard for impact openings, and it’s the baseline we work from in Los Angeles. Not every door sold in California meets it.

TAS 201 / 202 / 203 Testing Context
HVHZ-rated products are tested under the TAS protocol family. TAS 201 covers large-missile impact, TAS 202 covers cyclic wind-pressure loading, and TAS 203 covers forced-entry resistance. This is the testing context that gives the impact certification its teeth.

Design Pressure Matched to Your Wind Zone
We don’t sell a single “hurricane rated” door and call it done. Design pressure is matched to your wind zone, up to +/-100 PSF, never higher. A home near the water in Los Angeles’s coastal exposure zones needs a different DP than one inland, and we quote accordingly.

Energy Performance
Low-E insulated glass is available across the line, which matters in Los Angeles summers when the afternoon sun hits west-facing French doors. Tinted glass is another option for direct sun control, and clear glass keeps the view neutral where light quality matters most.

Color & Glass Options

Five finish colors cover most Los Angeles homes. White and Almond suit Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean elevations, and they hold their own on stucco. Bronze and Black read more contemporary, working well on mid-century remodels and homes with dark window frames. Tan splits the middle, warm without being cream.

On the glass side, laminated impact glass is the foundation and is required for any opening we consider a true hurricane-impact door. Clear impact glass delivers the most neutral light and the truest view. Low-E insulated glass adds a thermal break and UV filtering, and it’s what we suggest for doors with heavy afternoon sun exposure. Tinted glass cuts glare on west-facing openings near the water in Los Angeles, where late-day light can be punishing. Every glass type still carries the PVB interlayer; the glass options change performance and appearance, not the impact rating.

Installation by Lightwell Windows & Doors in Los Angeles

An impact-rated door installed badly is just a door. The approval assumes the product is set correctly in the opening, anchored to structure, and sealed so water and air can’t bypass the frame. That’s what our installation process in Los Angeles is built around.

We start with a pre-install inspection: measure the rough opening, check the condition of the rough sill, and confirm the substrate we’re anchoring into. On older Los Angeles homes with stucco over wood framing, that inspection often turns up rot or termite damage at the sill that has to be corrected before a new door goes in. We set the frame level, plumb, and square, then shim and anchor it per the manufacturer’s tested requirements. The perimeter gets an AAMA 812 low-expansion foam sealant, and the installation practice follows AAMA 2400/2410 standards for flashing and sealant integration. After the panels are hung and adjusted, we run a water test on the sill and threshold before the interior trim goes back on.

Los Angeles has its own coastal exposure considerations. Homes in wind zones near the beaches are held to stricter design pressure standards, and HVHZ jurisdictions can require product approval submittals as part of the permit package. We handle that paperwork for you, including the impact certification numbers specific to your configuration.

Improper installation compromises the tested system. A door that’s racked, shimmed wrong, or sealed with the wrong product won’t perform to its rating, and no amount of paper approval fixes it. That’s why we install what we sell, with our own crews, in Los Angeles.

Frequently Asked Questions – French & Double Doors

What wind zone / design pressure is the French & Double Doors rated for?
Design pressures are matched to your specific wind zone, up to +/-100 PSF, never higher. We determine the required design pressure from your Los Angeles property’s exposure and jurisdiction, then quote the door configuration that meets it. Call (562) 478-8017 and we’ll walk through what your site needs.

What is the lead time?
Lead time depends on the frame material, glass package, and finish combination you choose, along with the production schedule at the manufacturer. Once we finalize your configuration and approve the submittal drawings, we’ll give you a firm delivery window before you sign anything. Typical ranges run several weeks from order date.

Does it require an impact certification submittal for my permit?
Yes, in HVHZ jurisdictions, the building department will want the state product approval or impact certification number for the exact door configuration on your permit set. We include that paperwork with your quote and handle the submittal as part of our installation service in Los Angeles.

Can I customize the size or configuration?
The doors can be built up to 96 inches wide and configured as true French doors with both panels active, or as a paired unit with one active and one fixed panel. The specific size and swing direction depend on the structural requirements of your opening and the design pressure your wind zone demands. We’ll confirm what’s achievable in the first conversation.

How do I maintain the frame?
Aluminum and vinyl frames need little beyond a twice-yearly wash with mild soap and water, plus inspection of the weatherstripping and the multi-point locking points. Coastal Los Angeles homes should rinse frames more often; salt film sitting on aluminum can dull the finish over time. We’ll give you a simple maintenance checklist at install.

Will the price change once work starts?
No. We quote fixed pricing from the beginning, and we honor it barring a change you request or an unseen structural condition at the rough opening that requires additional remediation before we can set the frame. You’ll get a written line-item quote before any work is scheduled. Call (562) 478-8017 to start that process, estimates are free.

Get a Quote – French & Double Doors in Los Angeles

If you’re replacing an old set of French doors or planning new construction in Los Angeles, the right first step is a measurement and a conversation. We’ll assess your opening, confirm your wind zone and design pressure requirements, and quote the exact configuration with the approval paperwork to match. Call Lightwell Windows & Doors at (562) 478-8017 to schedule your free on-site measurement.

Written by the team at Lightwell Windows & Doors, serving Los Angeles, CA.