Many apartment owners are trying to maximize their living space. Increasingly, they manage to do this due to the territory of the balcony, which they turn into a change house or a full-fledged living room. To solve such a problem, they resort to wall insulation and glazing of the loggia with the help of special structural elements.
Glazing classification
These operations involve closing the balcony opening with a special frame structure that holds the glass on itself.
These designs can be divided into 2 categories:
- Cold glazing. This approach involves the use of a profile and double-glazed windows, which do not contribute to the preservation of heat inside the room. The structures are characterized by a small thickness of the frame. Metal is used as the main material in the manufacture of a profile (in most cases, aluminum, but other options can also be found).
- Warm glazing of the balcony is used in cases where apartment owners want to create comfortable living conditions in this room, independent of the period of the year. A thick profile and double-glazed windows with several layers are used as materials.
Some experts distinguish the so-called semi-warm glazing. A feature of this design is the use of sliding doors, which are not able to provide a high level of thermal insulation. We should also highlight the panoramic systems that are used to create unique interiors by many modern designers.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of warm structures include several characteristics:
- High level of tightness. Some modifications of the profile and double-glazed windows prevent the penetration of not only wind, moisture, but also sounds. This makes it possible to isolate the apartment from noise in a peculiar way.
- Strength and durability. Warm systems can withstand very heavy loads without losing their technical properties for several decades. Please note that some assembled frames can be over 6 meters in length, which allows them to be mounted even in industrial facilities.
- Minimal care. Many types of modern materials are made of PVC, which do not react in any way to external stimuli. Therefore, in order to maintain their beautiful appearance, you only need to remove dust in time by wiping the surface with a damp cloth.
- Variety of designs. This allows you to create unique interiors.
- The possibility of expanding the living space by installing warm systems. This approach is very often found in rooms with a loggia.
- Relatively low cost of installation. First of all, this applies to plastic structures, since aluminum glazing is somewhat more expensive.
Among the disadvantages of such products, several significant points can be distinguished:
- Reduced space by increasing glass and frame thickness.
- Installation of warm glazing is possible only on solid bases, since the entire product has a significant weight. This is due to the same thickening of the walls and the use of multilayer glass units.
- The price for materials and installation is much higher than for similar works for cold glazing.
- Wide frames reduce light output, so some rooms need extra lighting.
Warming
Many apartment owners are interested in whether it is possible to install such structures without the need for repair work on the entire balcony. It is quite simple to solve such a problem, since its implementation requires only the removal of the glasses and sashes themselves and the installation of the necessary analogs in their place. If you want to completely transform this room, then you need to additionally carry out high-quality insulation of the surface of the walls, ceiling and floor with special materials.
Variety of materials
A warm balcony is a modern necessity, allowing not only to expand the space, but also to reduce heat loss (cost savings).
Several different materials are used in the production of a profile:
PVC. Metal-reinforced plastic is the main product from which profiles for such products are obtained. The material is notable for its low cost with relatively good indicators of strength, heat and sound insulation. It should be noted that there are several technologies for obtaining plastic, which makes it possible to initially set the properties necessary for a person
Aluminum. Warm balconies based on this product are relatively rare, as increasing the profile size to accommodate additional seals increases the cost
Wood. Many experts will argue that it is difficult to achieve optimal temperature maintenance with this material, but it is still possible. Please note that wood has better technical indicators than plastic, but needs constant maintenance to maintain them. This has led to the fact that it is used to solve such problems less and less
Determining the parameters of the plastic profile
In order to achieve optimal indoor temperature indicators, it must be borne in mind that the technical features of the frame play an important role in heat loss. Therefore, when buying such products, you should pay attention to the thickness and type of profile:
Single-chamber products up to 58 mm are often installed on the loggias of Khrushchev and standard apartment buildings. With their help, you can achieve a moderate temperature during the cold period, but this does not mean that the room can be used as a residential one.
The two-chamber frame, 70 mm thick, allows you to keep warm and create a comfortable environment inside the house.
It should be noted that such indicators are also affected by the number of chambers in the glass unit itself. If the territory of residence presupposes severe winters, it is advisable to give preference to windows, which are complemented by three-layer double-glazed windows (more can be). When choosing the best option, it is imperative to take into account the feedback from the owners of certain systems. To clarify the full cost, it is advisable to use special calculators that consultants and window measurers have at their disposal.
Installation Algorithm
The process of installing a "warm" window can be divided into several stages:
- Opening preparation. It is supposed to assess the condition of the walls with the subsequent installation of the base under the frame. Some experts recommend using bricks for such purposes, some are considering replacing them in the form of metal welded structures.
- Formation of the frame around the perimeter. For such purposes, a metal corner is attached to the surfaces, which are aligned in a single plane.
- Exposing the frame. This stage involves the installation of a window structure in the opening, alignment and fixing it in all planes.
- Fastening. The final step is to fix the frame to the walls using dowels or other similar fasteners. To eliminate cracks, use foam, which is used to fill the holes between the wall and the frame.
It should be understood that the installation of plastic balcony systems requires significant effort and skill. In this case, some work can be carried out without changing the facade. It is advisable to entrust the solution of such problems only to experienced specialists who will do everything much more reliable and of higher quality.
