Having expanded the balcony, you can, although not by much, but still increase the usable area of the city apartment. Of course, in most cases, the execution of such work is entrusted to specialists. However, sometimes the removal of the balcony with subsequent glazing and warming is done with their own hands. The procedure is quite complicated, but with the right approach to business is quite doable.
Removal methods
There are only two main technologies for expanding balconies of city apartments:
Moreover, most often the owners of urban real estate use the first expansion methodology. Removing a balcony on a windowsill is an operation that is not particularly laborious and expensive. The usable floor area of the loggia in this case does not change. To expand the balcony using this technique, they begin only from the upper edge of the parapet. However, visually the area of the loggia when applying this method increases significantly.
Sometimes balconies in city apartments are expanded and on the stove. In this case, the floor area also increases. Such removal is more expensive. But at the same time, there is much more free space on the loggia.
In some cases, the balconies expand and with the removal of both the floor and the windowsill. This method, of course, allows you to increase the area of the loggia to the maximum.
Do I need to draw up an extension
It is worthwhile to undertake the removal of the balcony without visiting the BTI only when it is supposed to be done no more than 30 cm. Otherwise, you will have to obtain permission to carry out such work.
An extension of more than 30 cm is already considered a redevelopment. Therefore, in this case, a large fine is provided for unauthorized expansion.
At 30 cm, apartment owners take out balconies, of course, only when they intend to glaze them in a cold way. If you wish, you also need to additionally insulate the loggia, expand it, most likely, you will have to significantly. Indeed, in this case, a certain part of the free space on the balcony will be occupied by insulator plates and decorative cladding.
What you need to know
If you want to insulate the take-out balcony, thus, most likely, you will have to get permission. Unfortunately, an extended loggia can only be heated using electric equipment. Installing water heating radiators on balconies and connecting them to a centralized network is prohibited by regulations.
What is a window sill removal procedure?
In this way, balconies, as already mentioned, are expanded most often. Technologically, such an operation is not particularly complicated. However, before embarking on such a procedure, it is, of course, necessary to draw up a project of a balcony with removal along the windowsill, draw diagrams and drawings, as well as make all the necessary calculations.
With this removal, additional window sills are usually arranged inside the balcony. Hence the name of the extension method. The methodology for performing such a removal primarily depends on the material from which the parapet is assembled.
If the balcony railing is made of foam blocks or made of concrete, expansion is usually carried out using anchors and brackets of a special design. If the parapet is a metal grate, a frame of the corresponding configuration from the corner is set up for removal.
Metal parapet expansion: milestones
Perform the procedure for the removal of the balcony on the windowsill in this case as follows:
draw a diagram of the supporting frame indicating the dimensions of all elements;
check the parapet structures for strength (they certainly should not stagger) and strengthen them if necessary;
extend the side rail of the parapet by the extension length;
in steps of about 40-50 cm, horizontal metal bridges are welded to the front handrail;
weld the frame of the front remote frontal wall of the parapet of the balcony;
install vertical jumpers in it also with a step of 40-50 cm;
weld the fabricated structure at an angle, combining the vertical jumpers with the horizontal ones on the parapet handrail.
At the final stage, when using this method, the frame for glazing is welded with uprights and upper trim. Below on the page is a drawing of a balcony with a take-off precisely on a metal parapet, which you can navigate when performing work.
How to make an extension on a concrete parapet
In this case, the procedure should be slightly different. The removal on a concrete or brick parapet is done as follows:
support gussets-triangles are welded from a metal corner;
elements made in this way are mounted on the anchor to the wall of the parapet from the outside and along its upper end with a step of 25-30 cm;
side parapet handrails are welded along the length of the stem;
connect the handrails, as well as the extreme points of the fixed kerchiefs with a corner parallel to the parapet.
Further, as in the first case, the frame racks are installed for glazing and the upper trim.
Removal along the base plate: technology of work performance
This method can significantly increase the area of the balcony. However, when applying this methodology, among other things, work must be carried out aimed at transferring the severity of the new loggia structure from the base plate to the wall of the house.
In this case, the balcony is removed using the following technology:
the old brick or metal parapet is dismantled;
on both sides of the base plate, sections of channels or a corner are mounted with a depth of 20 cm into the wall;
longitudinal ribs of the frame of the new base of the balcony are welded;
between the back and front corner of the base in the direction from the wall to the outside, several stiffeners are welded;
the part of the frame protruding beyond the old concrete base is hemmed from below with tin;
racks are installed in the corners of the welded new base;
racks are connected by the upper binding;
at a height of 90 cm from the plate, the parapet strapping is mounted.
How to glaze a balcony with do-it-yourself removal
After the frame expanded on the windowsill or on the floor of the balcony is welded, proceed to sheathing its parapet. Most often, a metal profile is used for this purpose. But of course, you can sheathe the parapet of the remote balcony as well, for example, with siding, lining or blockhouse.
Further, from the same material that was used to decorate the fencing of the loggia, a visor is made. Then proceed to glazing. For a balcony with a take-out, as in any other case, this procedure is usually performed as follows:
to the frame welded during removal, they are fastened with perforated strips and anchor screws of the window frame;
install double-glazed windows;
hammer glazing beads in order to press the double-glazed windows to the frame.
After the glazing procedure of the balcony with the removal is over, proceed to the installation of slopes. Next, install the windowsill.
Thermal insulation of the balcony with the removal
To perform this operation, it is allowed to use both mineral wool and polystyrene foam. Previously, the wiring is stretched to the extended balcony. Next, proceed to the insulation of the floor. Wherein:
- waterproof the base plate of the balcony;
set on the plate logs of timber;
assemble the selected insulation between the lags;
they stuff boards of the new floor over the lags.
Warming of the parapet of the balcony with the removal in Khrushchev or a house of any other type is done as follows:
they fit the balcony fencing with a waterproof insulator;
fixed to the frame of the base of the rack;
connect the supports along the upper edge of the parapet;
set the intermediate bars of the battens;
insulation is inserted between the bars;
tighten the parapet with a vapor barrier.
Without the use of a waterproofing system, a balcony cannot be made warm anyway. Loggia metal parapets are usually covered with roofing material. Concrete fencing is waterproofed by spreading with bituminous mastic.
When covering the balconies with a vapor insulator, the frame is usually tightened if mineral wool is used as a heater. When using expanded polystyrene, this step is omitted.
Mineral wool plates between the bars of the frame are inserted into the spacer without the use of additional fasteners. Expanded polystyrene is fixed to the concrete fence using plastic dowels and special glue.
After the parapet is insulated, proceed to the installation of insulator plates on the ceiling. In this case, the same technology is used as for parapet sheathing.
Balcony decoration
At the final stage of insulation and glazing, the balcony is sheathed with finishing material. Most often, plastic panels are used for this purpose. This finish is inexpensive and looks pretty pretty. Also, balconies from the inside are often lined with materials such as a blockhouse, drywall, wall paneling or decorative plywood.
The method of mounting the casing is selected in accordance with the applicable technology for the material used in this particular case. So, for example, the lining is fixed with “flush” nails or on special kleimers. Drywall is fixed to the crate with screws. The same fasteners are used when installing plastic panels.
After the finish on the balcony with the removal of the parapet and ceiling is completed, proceed to sheathing the floor, for example, linoleum.
The final stage
After the balcony is fully finished:
In order to further spend time on a warm balcony with a take-out in the winter was even more comfortable, it is equipped, among other things, with a heater. Install radiators most often while next to the parapet. If the heater is located near the wall of the house, the windows of the balcony will subsequently begin to fog up.
Instead of a conclusion
With their own hands, the removal, glazing and warming of balconies, of course, is performed quite rarely. In most cases, all these procedures are entrusted to specialists. But if the owners of the apartment decided to upgrade their balcony on their own, they, of course, need to adhere to exactly when assembling the frame and glazing all the necessary technologies.
In any case, the design of the remote balcony should still be entrusted to specialists. Errors in the selection of materials and in the calculations in this case can lead to serious troubles. Spending time on an improperly designed out-of-doors balcony is simply unsafe. Moreover, such a design will also become a threat to people passing below.