Loggia is a large and practical balcony that complements some houses and apartments. A similar part of the room may well be used to expand it. This design solution has both advantages and disadvantages. About them and how to implement the expansion of space from a design point of view, will be discussed in this article.
Is it worth combining?
Increasingly, homeowners decide to expand the space of their room by connecting it to the loggia. But this is not an easy process, and sometimes it takes a long time to get permission. You can find out if you can arrange a redevelopment at your place by contacting the BTI at your place of residence. The fact is that if the wall that you will demolish to combine the room with the loggia is load-bearing, then it cannot be dismantled in any way. Besides this point, there are other pros and cons.
Let's start with the benefits of such a combination. The first and foremost is that it allows you to significantly expand the space. This is especially true for not very large rooms or one-room apartments.
Another important point is that the room combined with the loggia will immediately become brighter. It will also help visually expand the space. You can also experiment with the original design of the space.
The main disadvantage of such a layout is that you lose space for storing your things and all kinds of blanks. Also, after the demolition of the wall, which in itself is a rather difficult and long process, you will no longer have the opportunity to retire to your loggia. However, installing a simple partition will help you solve this problem.
And the last minus - in the room after unification it can get noticeably colder. Especially if the loggia itself was not insulated before. And the cost of heating your new premises can also increase.
Design
If you want the loggia to become part of your living space, then you need to take care to properly remodel it.
If before that the loggia was not glazed, then this must certainly be done. When it is connected to the main room, the room must be kept warm. For this, it is best to install double glazing. As for the frames, they can be either plastic or aluminum, or wood.
But heat loss is not only due to insufficiently insulated windows. Cold can also enter a room and through walls or floors. When reworking the loggia, you should pay special attention to the insulation of the parapet. Different materials are used as insulation. Most often it is polystyrene, penofol or expanded polystyrene. Choose one of the suitable options for yourself and use it to insulate the parapet, floor, ceiling, as well as all existing walls.
It is also advisable to additionally treat all existing cracks with a sealant or foam. This procedure will provide a normal indoor climate. In addition, moisture will not penetrate into the room and you will not face the risk of mold in the room.
With regard to glazing, it is advisable to give preference to the warm method. With cold glazing, swing or sliding frames are installed. But this option is not able to fully protect you from the noise and cold coming from the street. Therefore, it is best to choose the warm glazing method - it uses plastic or wooden frames with double glazing.
When connecting the loggia with the main room, take care of the floor insulation as well. When decorating a floor, both its warmth and design are important, which often plays a decisive role in the interior of a room. The simplest and most commonly used coating option is linoleum. It is very practical and resistant to many mechanical damages. High-quality linoleum will serve you for several years without rubbing or cracking. In addition, this coating option also provides additional floor insulation.
And you can cope with the installation of linoleum on your own, without resorting to the help of professionals. A nice bonus will be a wide variety of colors, which is faced by everyone who decides to insulate the floor in the loggia with this particular material. You can choose a plain linoleum, decorated with various patterns or even stylized as parquet or stone.
You can also use other materials as a covering: stone, parquet or tiles. The choice of coverage depends on what tone you want to set the entire interior. So, for example, if the loggia is a continuation of the nursery, then it makes sense to cover the floor with carpet. And the room connected to the kitchen will be complemented by such a coating as tiles. If you choose cold coating options (stone or tiles, for example), then it makes sense to equip the floor with a heating system.
Design
Increasing the room by combining it with the loggia allows you to create a more interesting design of the room. You can make the room of your dreams by expanding the space and complementing it with the necessary details.
If you have a loggia for two rooms with an exit from one, then the room will be even more spacious. Part of it can be separated into a recreation area, and part can be made a work space. In small houses or apartments, this expansion will be very noticeable.
Joining the loggia to the main room allows you to create in a glazed and insulated room a great place where you can relax and unwind alone or with friends. To do this, it is enough to place a sofa or several armchairs in your new, expanded room. And if possible, you can even tell the story of a hammock - in this way, the room will look more interesting, and the place will be preserved.
Having located a recreation area on the loggia, you can admire the view from the window, spending time with friends or drinking hot tea.
Expanding the room at the expense of the loggia can make the nursery larger. If you do not have a room for your baby, or if it is too small, then this option is worth considering. By connecting the space of the main room with the balcony space, you will give your child more space for play and development. On the new territory, it will be possible to place a desk, play mat and other details that previously could not fit in the baby's room.
Loggia as an extension of the room can be used as a study. If you work from home, or just have some kind of hobby, then in this area it will be possible to install a desk, poufs, shelves or shelves for all the materials you need. Thus, you will spend time for your hobby in a specially designated place, but at the same time, without completely separating from your family.
And if your hobby is the cultivation of indoor flowers, then the space of the loggia will be the ideal place to place a mini-greenhouse there. Install shelves or racks there for placing pots or boxes of flowers, and this small conservatory will become a kind of addition to your main room.
Also, the loggia can expand the kitchen space. In this case, it will make an excellent place to install a bar counter or a table where you will eat and drink tea or coffee while admiring the views from the window. In this case, the countertop between the room and the loggia will help to unite the space and allow it to be used more rationally.
Connecting a loggia with any room in the house is a great option to make the space more free. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to do this, and there are no prohibitions, then feel free to take such a step and expand your premises without changing your place of residence.
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