How it works
Two hinged panels swing open from the center. Either both are operable, or one is fixed and one swings. Open both and the full width of the opening is clear, with no track or frame down the middle, which is the main reason people choose them over a slider.
Where it fits an Inland Empire home
French doors suit houses with a traditional line: farmhouse, cottage and older ranch elevations that already carry divided lights and hinged doors elsewhere. A study, a dining room or a den opening onto a patio is where they earn their place, in a doorway that is meant to look considered rather than purely functional.
What to watch for
Where the two panels meet there is an astragal, and that seam leaks air more readily than a slider’s single continuous seal. Good multi-point hardware pulls both panels tight at the top, the center and the bottom when you throw the lock, which closes most of that gap. It is a fair question to ask before anything is ordered.
Swing clearance is the other one. Both leaves need room inside, which competes with furniture, and room outside, which competes with the patio, the planters and the path. Walk it with the real furniture in mind before choosing French doors over a slider in a tight room.
The glass follows the same Climate Zone 10 rules as a window, a U-factor at or below 0.30 and a solar heat gain coefficient at or below 0.23 on most jobs. Given the seam down the middle, the weatherstrip and the lock hardware do as much for comfort on a west-facing pair as the glass spec does.