Out along Old Kent Road and Harrison Road in Kentlyn, most homes sit on big blocks with bush on at least one side, and many are brick veneer homes built between the 1970s and the 1990s. The living area usually opens to a deck or patio through a sliding door that has been there since the house went up. When that door feels heavy or lets the summer heat straight in, the question is what a new one should have on a block like this.
Key takeaways
- Homes near bushland in NSW may sit on mapped bushfire prone land, and the NSW Government notes that glazing on those sites is assessed against a bushfire attack level.
- Toughened or laminated glass is the normal starting point for a sliding door that faces bush, with the exact spec confirmed by your certifier.
- A deeper sill and a track that drains well matter more on a dusty rural block than on a suburban one.
- A stainless or aluminium mesh screen door keeps flies and mosquitoes out while the door is open in the evening.
- Newage makes aluminium sliding doors to measure in Smeaton Grange, about 11 km from Kentlyn, and installs them with its own team.
Does a sliding door near bushland need special glass?
Often, yes. If your Kentlyn home is on land that the council maps as bushfire prone, the glass and frame on any new opening may need to meet the bushfire attack level set for the site, and that is something a certifier confirms before work starts.
In practice this usually means toughened glass as a minimum on the exposed elevation, and in some cases a laminated or thicker build up. An aluminium frame with the right seals and a metal mesh screen also helps. None of this is exotic; it is standard work for a local maker.
The point is to ask early. Newage looks at the elevation, how close the vegetation on the Harrison Road Fire Trail side sits, and what the certifier has asked for, then quotes aluminium sliding doors made in Smeaton Grange to suit that spec rather than a generic one.
What do older brick homes in Kentlyn usually have in the opening?
Many homes in this part of Kentlyn still have the original builder door: a single glazed two panel slider with a shallow track and a torn flyscreen. The opening is usually a standard width, but head height and sill level vary a lot between a 1970s home and a 1990s one.
That matters for a replacement. A door made to measure fills the exact opening without packing out the sides or dropping the head, which is what happens when a stock size is forced into an older frame. It can also be made taller where the lintel allows, which brings more light into the back of the living room.
On larger blocks the living area often faces the yard, so the door is also the main viewing point. A two or three panel door with slim frames keeps that view open, and for a wider opening the stacking door range is the next step up.
Newage makes aluminium sliding doors to measure in Smeaton Grange and installs them with its own team. Book a free on site measure on 0408 585 846.
How do you keep dust and leaf litter out of the track?
Choose a door with a deeper sill, a track that drains to the outside and a brush seal along the interlock. On a block with gravel drives and gum trees nearby, the track gets the most abuse.
A sill with weep holes that actually drain stops water pooling after a storm and stops grit building up where the rollers run. Rollers on a new door are sealed and adjustable, so the door can be tuned to the opening after it is fitted. A flush timber deck and a raised slab patio also need different sill heights, which is worked out at the measure rather than on install day.
Which screen suits a sliding door on a bush edge block?
For most Kentlyn homes a stainless or aluminium mesh screen door is the right fit: it keeps insects out, lets the breeze through and does not block the view. If security is the main concern, a stainless steel mesh screen in a heavier frame does both jobs.
The screen runs on its own outer track, so order it with the new door rather than adding it later. That way the heights match, the locks line up and there is no gap at the bottom. Newage makes security screen doors to the same opening in the same run.
A metal mesh screen also gives the door a second layer on a fire exposed elevation, and the certifier will tell you whether one is wanted as part of the glazing spec for your site.
Single or double glazed for the living room slider?
Double glazing is worth considering when the door faces west or north west, or the room is hard to keep cool in January. For a shaded south or east facing door, single toughened glass with a good seal is often enough.
Summer afternoons on this side of Campbelltown are hot, and a west facing door in an older brick home is one of the biggest sources of heat gain in the house. Double glazing with a low emissivity coating reduces that noticeably and takes the edge off cold winter mornings. The table shows where each option tends to sit.
| Option | Suits | Heat and comfort | Notes for a bush edge site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single toughened glass | Shaded or east facing doors | Basic | Usually the minimum where a bushfire rating applies |
| Single laminated glass | Doors where noise or safety glass is the focus | Basic to moderate | Check with the certifier for the site rating |
| Double glazed with low e coating | West and north west facing doors | Good | Toughened outer pane is common on exposed elevations |
| Double glazed, laminated inner pane | Large doors on hot, open elevations | Best of the four | Heaviest option; needs the right rollers and track |
The double glazed door page covers how the units are built, and the Minto Heights guide on keeping a west facing sliding door cool covers the same orientation issues.
Newage checks the elevation and any bushfire requirements for your Kentlyn home before the door is made, then gives you a written quote. Call 0408 585 846.
When does a new sliding door need council or certifier approval?
Replacing a sliding door like for like in the same opening is often treated as minor work in NSW, but it is not automatic. If the opening is being widened, a new structural lintel is going in, or the home sits on bushfire prone land, a certifier or the council usually needs to be involved.
The bushfire point is the one that catches people in Kentlyn. On a mapped site the glazing on an exposed elevation may need to be assessed against the bushfire attack level, and that needs to happen before the door is made, not after. Newage advises on this at the measure and will tell you plainly whether your job is straightforward or needs a certifier’s input.
What are the steps from first call to a finished door?
The job runs in a handful of clear stages, and most of the waiting is in manufacturing rather than on site.
- Free on site measure Newage visits the home, measures the opening, checks the reveal and the sill, and talks through glass, colour and screens.
- Written quote A clear written quote follows, covering the door, the screen, the glass spec and the install.
- Approval check If the site is bushfire prone or the opening is changing, the certifier’s requirements are confirmed before manufacture.
- Made in Smeaton Grange The door is built to the measured size in the Newage workshop, with the chosen powder coat colour and glass.
- Install The Newage team removes the old door, fits and seals the new one, and fits the screen on the same visit where possible.
- Handover The door is checked for smooth running and locking, and the workmanship warranty is explained.
What homeowners near Kentlyn Public School usually run into
Around Kentlyn Public School and Kentlyn Park, installers tend to see the same few things on brick homes from the 1970s to the 1990s. The first is an opening that is slightly out of square. Older brick walls settle, and a door fitted tight decades ago can now gap at one corner and bind at the other. A made to measure door is built to the actual opening, so this becomes a measuring problem rather than a fitting problem.
The second is a worn sill. Original aluminium sills on homes of this age often have a bowed or corroded track where water has sat for years, and the rollers have ground a groove into it. Once that happens no adjustment will make the old door run well, which is usually what prompts the call. A new sill with proper drainage fixes it for good.
The third is a flyscreen that no longer fits, or was never there. On blocks that back onto bush the screen gets used most in the evening, and ordering it with the door in the same frame colour solves that.
The last is simply that the old door is single glazed and faces the afternoon sun. Many homes in this part of Kentlyn have the living area on the western side, and homeowners who move to double glazing on that door tend to notice the change straight away on the first hot weekend.
Planning new sliding doors in Kentlyn?
The Newage workshop at Unit 2/16 Blackmore Rd, Smeaton Grange is about 11.2 km from Kentlyn, so the door is made close to home. Newage has been making windows and doors since 2009, with more than 2,500 projects completed and a 4.7 star rating on Google, and it installs with its own team. You can read more on the About Newage page.
If you are in Kentlyn or anywhere across the Campbelltown service area, the next step is a free on site measure and a written quote for custom aluminium sliding doors from the Smeaton Grange workshop. Call 0408 585 846, Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm or Sat 8am to 1pm, and the team will come out, measure the opening and talk through glass, screens and colours on the spot.
The Smeaton Grange workshop is about 11 km from Kentlyn. Call 0408 585 846, Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm or Sat 8am to 1pm, to arrange a visit.
FAQ
Does a sliding door on a bushfire prone block need special glass?
Often it does. If the site is mapped as bushfire prone, the glazing on an exposed elevation may need to meet the bushfire attack level set for the property, which a certifier confirms. Toughened glass is usually the minimum, sometimes with a laminated or thicker build up and a metal mesh screen.
Can a new sliding door be made to fit an older brick home in Kentlyn?
Yes. Many homes in this part of Kentlyn date from the 1970s to the 1990s, and openings are often slightly out of square. Newage measures the actual opening and builds the door to that size in its Smeaton Grange workshop, so it fits without packing or dropping the head height.
Should I order the screen door at the same time as the sliding door?
It is the easier way to do it. The screen runs on its own outer track, so ordering it with the door means the heights match, the locks line up and the frame colour is the same batch. It also avoids a second visit and a gap at the bottom where insects get in.
Is double glazing worth it on a sliding door that faces west?
On a west or north west facing living room door it usually is, because that door is one of the largest sources of summer heat gain in an older brick home. Double glazing with a low emissivity coating reduces the heat noticeably and also helps on cold winter mornings.
Does replacing a sliding door need council approval in NSW?
A like for like replacement in the same opening is often treated as minor work, but widening the opening, fitting a new lintel or being on bushfire prone land can bring a certifier or the council into it. Newage advises on this at the free measure before anything is made.
