How to glaze a balcony: tips and tricks

With proper glazing of the balcony or loggia, this space can be used as an additional living space. It is possible to increase the area of adjacent rooms due to the square meters of the balcony. However, before performing repairs, it is necessary to study a couple of important nuances about the glazing of loggias and balconies.

What tasks does balcony glazing solve?

Installation of windows on balconies and loggias serves for:

• Increase the living space in the apartment, or (at least) for safe storage of things
• Equalizing the temperature difference between the room and the street. A glazed, and even more insulated balcony serves as a barrier to cold in winter and will not allow air cooled by air conditioning to heat up quickly in summer
• Sound insulation. Even the simplest window on the balcony will significantly reduce the noise level in the apartment

The tasks are clear — but then it is necessary to critically assess the condition of the balcony or loggia. At the same time, pay attention to:

• Reliability of load-bearing structures and the age of the building as a whole. Some balcony slabs simply crumble over time and the glazing works turn into a full-fledged overhaul (installation of new or strengthening of old load-bearing structures). Or you have to put windows with minimal weight on dilapidated structures — such light structures usually have minimal heat and sound insulation.
• Floor. If for the lower floors (sometimes for the last one) it is important to take into account anti-burglar characteristics in the window design, then for windows on the upper floors of high-rise buildings, a more rigid profile is selected for wind resistance.
• The shape of the balcony. Even in typical houses, balconies can have different shapes. For example, balconies at an angle – "iron", "boat". In this case, it is necessary to calculate the strength of the structure separately — sometimes it is necessary to use a profile with increased rigidity.

Separately, it is worth considering the issue of thermal insulation of the balcony.

Which windows should be installed on the insulated balcony

If the main function of balcony glazing is barrier, and the balcony is not insulated, then a fairly light profile is used for the manufacture of structures. Even the simplest double-glazed window will cope with protecting the room from moisture, dust, wind. When using sun glasses, you will additionally protect the space from overheating in summer.

Of course, the use of double–glazed windows with a large number of glasses, with an inert gas in the chambers, will allow you to cope with the task even better - keeping a comfortable microclimate in the room.

If you start saving on double–glazed windows and a profile in the insulated version of a balcony or loggia, you can neutralize all the benefits of installing heating appliances. Through thin glass and a light profile, all the heat will go outside. Therefore, it is recommended to use:

• Lightweight and at the same time sufficiently energy-efficient profiles, such as WDS 5S or WDS 6S
• Double-glazed windows, the design of which includes low-emission glass. The double-glazed windows must be filled with inert gas

Only such a window design will help to provide the necessary thermal insulation indicators. In this case, it will be possible to organize a workplace or a recreation area on the balcony (loggia).

How to ensure comfort on a glazed loggia or balcony

Not with a single heat! Do not forget about the convenience of using windows and the aesthetic component of glazing. A few tips:

• Use shtulpovye windows when glazing. In the shtulpov variant there is no vertical impost, which allows you to open both doors at the same time. This improves the view from the window, helps to organize full-scale ventilation and provides free access outside the window if there are boxes with flowers or racks for drying clothes.
• Do not forget about the various ventilation systems — it is through the balcony that fresh air will flow into the adjacent room. Stepwise ventilation will help to fix the flap in several positions, micro-slit ventilation will provide a constant supply of fresh air.
• Maximize the use of additional sunscreen spraying on the glass for windows facing south. To protect the balcony from overheating, include multifunctional glasses or mirror-coated glasses in the design of the double-glazed window
• do you need to work in silence on the balcony? consider the option with soundproof double-glazed windows, good sound insulation will also be appreciated by young parents: maximum silence is important for sensitive sleep of infants
• If children live in the house — regardless of the floor, equip the window structures with child safety locks. It is important that children cannot open the windows on the balcony without the help of adults.

Recall that it is important to install burglar-proof fittings on the first and last floors. The increase in price will not be too big, but it will save you a lot of nerves and money.

More about the balcony block

A balcony block is a structure consisting of a blind window (most often, but an option with an opening is also possible) and a balcony door. It separates the space of the room from the balcony or loggia.

If you are updating the balcony unit together with the balcony glazing, follow these recommendations:

• The balcony block is another barrier between the street and the room. Therefore, a properly selected balcony block can compensate for insufficient thermal insulation of the balcony. While the loggia is not glazed, use the widest possible six-chamber profile with a width of at least 70mm for balcony doors. Double-glazed windows with inert gas will help to keep the room warm. In the future, when glazing the balcony, this design will also not be superfluous. Even the strongest frost from the street will not penetrate through the "double-circuit" insulation
• To increase the strength of the balcony door, you can make it glass only half by replacing the lower part with a sandwich panel.
• To protect yourself from accidental closing of the balcony, install a double-sided handle. For families with young children — a mandatory purchase.
• To minimize heat loss when on the balcony, you can install a smoker's handle with a latch. It will help to press the door more tightly against the frame profile while you are on the balcony
• Another convenient and inexpensive device is an erroneous opening blocker. It prevents the door leaf of the balcony unit from hanging on one hinge. The door leaf is heavy enough and not everyone can put it in place every time.

You can choose any design for glazing a balcony or loggia — especially if you take into account the recommendations given in the article. But the installation of the balcony block and balcony glazing should be entrusted to professionals.

To order a high-quality professional installation of metal-plastic windows on the balcony, follow the link