Pocket doors and custom door suppliers - recommendations?

[TheInternet]

I am looking to install a 'hidden' sliding door into my house using a pocket door kit which will allow it to slide into the stud wall cavity. I was not aware of the existence of these until recently and wondered if their lack of market penetration was due to cost, that they are unreliable, or some other reason.

I need a non-standard width door & kit which are hard to find. This Coburn kit is available in 122cm size which will do for me, if anyone has experience of these or other kits I'd be interested to hear how it worked out.

The other difficulty is finding a 122cm door, if anybody can recommend a bespoke door supplier I'd also be glad to hear.

Cheers

[Tumbler]

We installed two Eclisse pocket doors around three years ago, both have been superb, especially the Fire door which automatically slides shut.

[TheInternet]

They look like good units but unfortunately don't seem to be available as a single door in the width required.

I've now discovered they are far more popular in the US where they seem to sell for half the price. The distributors here seem to be taking the piss with some of their pricing.

Luckily on the door front I think it might be possible to join two smaller doors together.

[Bluebarge]

I looked into getting one of these and the drawback of them is that you can't hang anything on the wall into which the door retracts (because it will interfere with the door when slid back). So you are left with quite a bit of bare wall. That, and the fact that lots of Brit houses are built with solid, often load-bearing, internal walls, might explain their lack of popularity.

[TheInternet]

Bluebarge said:

I looked into getting one of these and the drawback of them is that you can't hang anything on the wall into which the door retracts (because it will interfere with the door when slid back). So you are left with quite a bit of bare wall. That, and the fact that lots of Brit houses are built with solid, often load-bearing, internal walls, might explain their lack of popularity.

That is quite a good theory. Annoyingly it seems the wall I wish to use is not thick enough for the kits so will probably widen it by overboarding with plasterboard, this should help with the drawback you've highlighted.

I'm going to pay a trip to SDS London who sell a few pocket door kits, frustratingly they sell for around twice the price of the same kits in the US.