The modest dimensions of most apartments force their owners to use each square as rationally as possible. The most attractive option for increasing the useful space of a home is glazing a balcony. In the process of its modernization, you can get a comfortable place for a summer vacation or a full-fledged living space, available all year round for comfortable use. Do-it-yourself glazing of a balcony is quite realistic if you have at least elementary building skills.
Glazing types
At the initial stage, it is worth deciding on the nature and scale of the work being carried out. Depending on the time range in which it is planned to use the balcony, you can choose a cold or warm option for glazing the loggia.
- With a cold version, the balcony can be glazed using frames with a single glass. In this case, you can create a comfortable room for use in the warm season at minimal cost.
- With warm glazing, window frames include at least two panes of glass. This option also involves warming everything balconies or loggias for year round use. In some cases, the balcony becomes part of the adjoining room, not even separated by a door. There is no need to clarify that glazing a balcony with such an expansion of space should be of the highest quality.
By profile type
Balcony windows may vary profile type, which serves as the frame of the entire structure. They can be:
- Wooden. This type of glazing is the most familiar, affordable both in price and in complexity for doing it on your own. The main disadvantages of this type are that the frames must be periodically painted to protect them from decay. With warm glazing, it is problematic to wipe double frames twisted together.
- Made of aluminum profile. Lightweight, durable, reliable, unaffected by the external environment. Cons - only a rectangular room can be glazed. With warm glazing, special thermal inserts will be required, since the aluminum profile conducts cold and heat well.
- Plastic. The most popular type of balcony glazing at present. With high-quality insulation of the entire loggia, it allows you to create comfortable conditions there at any time of the year. Metal-plastic windows are easy to operate and maintain, have good indicators of durability, tightness and sound insulation. Among the shortcomings, in addition to the high cost, can be called a solid weight, which will require serious calculations in the design and, if necessary, strengthening the design of the parapet and the entire balcony as a whole.
Frameless glazing
Aluminum profiles, which play the role of a frame in this design, are practically invisible. These frames are very easy to use. But there are also enough shortcomings: very high cost, do-it-yourself installation is almost impossible due to the complexity of the work, poor thermal insulation. In addition, over time, the glass in the structure begins to rattle due to a decrease in the rigidity of the frame.
Remote glazing of a balcony can be classified as a separate type, in which the usable area increases due to the removal of window blocks beyond the plane of the parapet. Naturally, such glazing requires major changes in the design of the entire balcony.
When choosing an option, you should take into account the design of the parapet: if it is made of brick or concrete, then all glazing methods are available. A simple metal balcony railing will have to be strengthened if it is planned to install plastic double-glazed windows. If the glass is from floor to ceiling, then the parapet is removed.
Do I need to get permission?
Before you start glazing the balcony with your own hands, you need to take care of obtaining permission for these works. Installing windows on a balcony is not considered redevelopment, but is equated to it. Therefore, complications after changes made to the design of the loggia are inevitable. At a minimum, in the absence of the necessary approvals and permits, it will not be possible to sell the apartment. For unauthorized glazing, a fine threatens, after which it will be necessary to legitimize the changes made or to dismantle them.
In addition, an increase in the total weight of the loggia can provoke its complete or partial collapse, which will lead to much more unfortunate consequences. So take care of permission and approval, as well as instructions for upgrading your balcony, better in advance. This is quite long and tedious, but necessary.
Stages of balcony glazing
To begin with, let's highlight the general points that will be relevant for glazing a balcony of any configuration with any type of frame:
- The balcony is freed from all unnecessary items. All coatings are removed, up to concrete, dust and dirt are removed.
- Necessary changes are being made in the design of the loggia. This may be strengthening the base with a metal frame, followed by leveling with a screed. If necessary, the metal parapet is additionally reinforced with corners or wooden beams. And when glazing with metal-plastic windows - even with aerated concrete blocks or bricks. If a remote structure is planned, then it is supported by a frame made of metal triangles welded to the parapet. In any case, one should take into account the loads that the loggia will experience after the changes made, including wind effects.
- Window frames are carefully measured. If the frames are made to order with installation of plastic windows with double-glazed windows or frameless glazing, then all the necessary calculations are made by the manufacturer's measurers. You can only make wooden frames for cold glazing yourself, or limit yourself to buying ready-made ones.
All work on leveling the surface must be carried out before mounting the frames. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient to produce them, there is a chance to damage the windows during operation.
It is better to postpone insulation and final finishing until the moment when the balcony is glazed. Delivery and installation of frames may take a certain period of time. Moisture that has entered the balcony at this time will spoil the interior finish and worsen the thermal insulation characteristics of the insulation.
Step-by-step instructions for installing wooden windows
Since wooden windows are most often installed with your own hands from beginning to end, we offer you instructions for glazing a balcony using a wooden frame.
Frame installation:
- The mounting surface of the base beams is treated with a sealant.
- Using mounting dowels, the frame is attached around the perimeter of the balcony.
Window installation:
- Frames are installed without glasses to avoid breaking them.
- First of all, windows are placed on the front, then on the sides.
- Seams are sealed with sealant and polyurethane foam.
- After the compositions of the frames have hardened, they are glazed. Glass should be tightly pressed to the frame with glazing beads.
When glazing a balcony, you should soberly assess your capabilities and skills. Such work is often performed at high altitude and requires high-quality insurance, there is a risk of falling down glazing elements. Therefore, in order not to risk yourself and the health of others and get a quality result, it is better to turn to the services of professionals.You should choose trusted companies engaged in glazing balconies and loggias, which have long been working in the provision of such services in your locality.
