An apartment with a balcony is always an advantage. After all, the balcony can be perceived not only as a place for drying clothes or storing supplies for the winter, but also as a space that expands the area of the apartment. But if it is not glazed, then its functionality immediately decreases.
Such a balcony cannot be used in the cold season or in rainy weather, and garbage, cigarette butts and other "troubles" are constantly falling on top of the balcony space. Therefore, it is wiser to glaze your balcony, making it, thus, an ideal place to rest and store your belongings. You will learn about what types of glazing exist, and how to do it yourself, from this article.
Cold and warm methods
Glazing of a loggia or balcony can be carried out using a warm or cold method.
The cold method has been more popular since the days of the Soviet Union.… If you do not plan to use the space as an alternative to living space (for example, place a study or a mini-greenhouse there), then you can stop at just this option. Glazing the balcony in this way allows you to protect it from street dust and dirt, as well as from all kinds of debris that often flies in or falls from the upper floors. The temperature with this type of glazing will be significantly lower than room temperature, but above zero. In winter, it will not be possible to fully relax here, but in the summer you can install an armchair and a table without fear that a sudden rain will ruin your tea drinking.
Also on such a balcony it will be convenient to store blanks for the winter and all kinds of vegetables or fruits. The cool temperature is great for keeping all food in good condition and not spoiling.
It is possible to glaze a balcony in this way using strong wooden frames or aluminum profiles. Opening doors of different types can complement it. Traditional options are swing or swing-out flaps. More modern - sliding.
For cold glazing of a balcony, simple wooden frames with revolving doors, complemented by single glass, are most often chosen. They are not too expensive, and they are pleasantly pleasing with their environmental friendliness. But you need to remember that the tree has a huge drawback - it requires constant care.
Under the influence of rain or bad weather, the tree can deteriorate very quickly. It will deteriorate and rot over time, so this option is considered very impractical. However, if you pick up expensive and high-quality wood treated with special solutions, then you will not have to worry about the condition of your balcony for several years, or even decades in a row. In addition, wooden frames can be self-coated with special solutions or painted over.
A small balcony is best insulated with a simple aluminum profile with sliding doors. Roller doors save space. However, this type of glazing is far from always possible. To do this, you need to agree with professionals who will tell you if you can implement sliding glazing in your apartment.
Another disadvantage of sliding doors is that they are not very suitable for our climate. In severe frosts, the mechanism that ensures the normal operation of the sliding doors may freeze, and you will no longer be able to breathe fresh air by opening the balcony window.
In addition to cold glazing, there is also warm glazing. It provides for the installation of double-glazed frames. This allows you to make a glazed balcony almost a full-fledged room. You don't need any additional permission to install a double-glazed profile. Repair and cladding can be carried out independently, without the help of specialists.
Reviews confirm that a balcony glazed in this way really helps to expand the living space. There you can lay laminate flooring, glue wallpaper and use additional decor tools. Thus, the inner space of the balcony will become as cozy as any other room in your apartment. Along with how we insulate the balcony, we need to take care that it is not too hot there in the summer. This can be solved with a simple air conditioner, which is not difficult to choose.
Frame materials
Today, different materials are used to decorate balconies. The most common ones are plastic, wood and aluminum. An option such as a full glass or even mirror finish is also used. To understand what works best for you, check out the pros and cons of each.
Plastic
The easiest and most affordable is glazing with plastic. A simple plastic frame with two-chamber or even single-chamber double-glazed windows will make your balcony cozy and warm enough. In addition, it will provide adequate noise isolation and annoying sounds from the street will not interfere with your rest and sleep.
This "economy" option is also good because, even without additional painting, it looks attractive and well-groomed. The disadvantages of PVC coating include its high weight. Also, they often try to deceive consumers by slipping low-quality material at an attractive price. To avoid such an unsuccessful purchase, try to contact trusted manufacturers.
Aluminum
Another popular option is glazing the balcony with an aluminum profile. It is much lighter than plastic and much thinner. Outwardly, these two options are very similar, since most often the aluminum profile is produced in a universal white color. But for an additional payment, you can order any other color.
You can find aluminum profiles with cold or warm glazing. In the first case, the aluminum base is complemented by single glass, and in the second, it is complemented by the so-called thermal bridge. This is a special heat-insulating insert that allows you to keep maximum heat in the room. The design with a metal profile is much lighter than a plastic one.
The only drawback is that high-quality aluminum glazing will cost you twice the price of plastic.
Wooden
The most budgetary project is a glazed balcony, complemented by wooden frames. Naturally, cold glazing is obtained with wood. And such a structure will not be able to fully protect your balcony from cold and noise. But for a family with a small budget, this option is fine.
You can also consider such an option as partial glazing with wood. The combination of metal and wood frames allows you to save money without sacrificing quality. And visually, this combination looks very good.
Views
If you decide to glaze the balcony, please note that this can be done in several ways. In addition to insulation, glass on the balcony can also perform a decorative function, making the room lighter, or diluting its design, the main thing is to install it correctly.
Panoramic
The lightest will be a balcony with huge windows covering the entire wall. Panoramic glazing of the balcony implies just the use of glass exclusively. In this case, no frames are installed, and the entire space from floor to ceiling consists entirely of transparent glass.
This design looks interesting due to the fact that it seems as if there is no glass at all, and the illusion of a completely open space is created. By expanding the space in this way, you get a great place to relax or create a small winter garden.
For panoramic glazing of the balcony, specially processed glass is used. It is coated with a special metal oxide. The glass itself should be thick enough or even double. In this case, it will not only not be subject to all kinds of mechanical damage, but it will also well retain cold and noise.
This type of glazing is often used in rooms with non-standard designs. The balcony, processed in this way, looks very beautiful. In this way, you can glaze both classic balconies and round or semicircular ones. This design option is more often used in new buildings located in the city center or in the North-East Administrative District, and not in stalinkas or Khrushchev buildings.
You can find materials for glazing a balcony in this way using materials from Rehau or VEKA. Both brands produce not only eurowindows, but also high-quality double-glazed windows on the entire wall, which will serve you for a long time. Here you can find both glass doors and full-fledged double-glazed windows used for glazing the front of the balcony.
Frameless
Another interesting system is the combination of high-quality double-glazed windows with frames made of transparent aluminum profiles. Such frameless glazing is very similar to the previous version, but cheaper and more practical.
The sliding glass in the floor, complemented by thin aluminum frames, looks good and modern. You can find materials for this glazing option from many Finnish or German brands. In addition, companies such as Avangard or Provedal produce good aluminum sliding profiles of a seamless type.
Remote
External glazing can further increase the balcony space. Removable glass can be used both in new buildings and in standard houses of the KOPE series. For small-sized premises, better known as "boat" windows from the SLIDORS company are optimal. If you want to support a domestic manufacturer, then pay attention to the Kaleva company.
Speaking about the appearance of the balconies, one cannot fail to mention the various types of decoration for glass surfaces. Glass can be decorated with tinting. "Bus" glass of this type can be ordered, for example, from the "Comfort Plus" company. Glass tinting will cost extra money, but the effect of such a coating is pleasantly pleasing: your balcony will be hidden from prying eyes, and the glass will acquire an unusual shade.
Another interesting option is stained glass, consisting of small colored parts. Stained glass can be a separate insert on the balcony glass, or even the entire window space. It all depends on your preferences and what your budget is. The balcony can be glazed in this way by professionals from many companies, for example, Stroy.
Do it yourself
But the help of specialists is not always needed for glazing a balcony. You can also glaze the balcony with your own hands. If you do not know how best and most correctly to do this, then we offer you a simple instruction.
Calculation and measurements
Whichever type of glazing you choose, the very first stage on which the final result depends is taking measurements. To make the measurements accurate, first dismantle all the old parts of the glazing. This preparation will allow the installation of the new structure from scratch. After that, you can proceed to making the necessary calculations.
First, using a tape measure, measure the height from the parapet to the ceiling. In the case of panoramic glazing - from the floor. Then measure the distance between the walls. Typically, this space is between three and 6 meters wide.
The levelness of the parapet also needs to be checked. This is done using a level. The location of the bisector should be perfectly flat. If the parapet is even a little uneven, then the frame you bought may simply not fit. When you have this information on hand, you can, using a calculator and the requirements of modern GOST, calculate how many materials you need.
However, professional firms still send their specialists to the place. So, regardless of whether you calculated everything yourself, they will still do it for you. Such rechecking is necessary to make sure that the material you have chosen is suitable for the weight and mounting features for installation in your apartment. Indeed, very often we focus not on existing realities, but on some pictures that inspire us to repair. And the result of the repair in these cases is very disappointing.
In some cases, for glazing a balcony, you may need to redevelop the premises, replace individual structural parts, or, for example, dismantle the parapet.
Preparatory work
The first step in glazing a balcony is preparation. The technology for different balconies is different. When glazing balconies in a private house and in a five-story building, the process will be different. So in the panel "Khrushchev" balconies are usually not very strong. Therefore, they should be strengthened by sealing a gap in the parapet with a fixed galvanized sheet.
In "Stalinist" houses, it is usually also worth working on preparing the base of the balcony for installing glass. It is better to replace the existing parapet with a new one so that the structure is more durable. Laying out a new parapet after dismantling the old one is not so difficult, the main thing is that all the bricks lie flat, creating a horizontal line - this will ultimately save you from problems with the installation of the window frame.
Installation of windows
When the frame is ready, it is the turn to install the window unit. To do this, you will need to remove the double-glazed windows from the frames. You need to do this additional work, first of all, in order to make it easier for you to mount the frame. Together with glass, it weighs much more.
Manufacturers take this moment into account, and do not fix the glazing beads to the end. They stretch very easily. You need to pull the glazing bead until it completely pops out. Glasses removed from the frame must be placed on a clean floor.
Next, you need to remove the sash from the frame, and attach the support profile to the underside of the frame. After indenting fifteen centimeters from each edge of the frame, secure the fixing plate. It is fastened with self-tapping screws and a drill.
When all the mounts are in place, it's time to move on to the frame mount. It is almost impossible to do this yourself, so it is better to ask someone you know for help. The frame must be installed in the opening, leveled and fixed with self-tapping screws, choosing small samples for this purpose. Self-tapping screws do not need to be driven into the area that you want to fix, but rather screwed in.
A full-fledged frame is best assembled by fixing its parts separately. The frame is attached to the parapet, walls and ceiling using anchors, which are buried in a concrete or brick surface by a centimeter. When the structure is assembled, it is necessary to fill up all the cracks. This will provide additional insulation of the balcony and strengthen the structure itself.
Next, you need to insert the double-glazed windows back into the frame. Install the first and second circuit at once, if any. When the insulating glass units are installed, the swing-out doors must be hinged. When all the details of the structure are fixed, it is necessary to check its performance.
As you can see, glazing the balcony with your own hands is not so difficult. It doesn't matter if you live on the top floor in a panel house, or in a private house with a small loggia and a neat roof - just follow the instructions.
