Glazing And Insulation Of Balconies And Loggias According To The Rules

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

How is a balcony different from a loggia?
What is required for glazing a balcony?
How is the glazing work carried out?
What materials can be used?
How is the insulation work carried out?

Glazing and insulation of balconies and loggias will help to significantly increase the comfort in the apartment. This is not a very expensive, but time-consuming procedure, thanks to which the free space outside the living space can be made more useful, used as part of a room or a separate area where you can place a recreation room, winter garden, store rarely used items in comfortable conditions.

How is a balcony different from a loggia?

First of all, you need to know about the differences between a balcony and a loggia. These elements have a structural difference: the loggia has side walls and does not go beyond the facade, and the balcony is a hinged structure that looks like a basket, it has no side walls, and the slab is fixed to the facade, and not to the underlying structure.

Glazing and insulation of balconies and loggias follows approximately the same scheme. The only difference is that it is a little easier to work with the loggia and you don't have to think about how to organize the side walls and fix the ceiling if you are on the top floor. The rest of the work is almost identical.

What is required for glazing a balcony?

Glazing and insulation of balconies cannot always be done without special permission. The fact is that this procedure leads to a significant change in the external appearance of the facade of the building, if you live in an apartment building, you will have to receive such paper. Glazing is heavy, so you will have to get acquainted with the technical regulations of the house, find out how much weight the balcony slab can withstand. In some cases, the slab is reinforced, but this is not always technically possible, plus it requires additional costs.

It is impossible for the weight of the glazing to exceed the maximum permissible, since this will lead to the collapse of the structure, the owner of the premises is responsible for the consequences that it entails.

How is the glazing work carried out?

It is quite possible to glaze and insulate the balcony with your own hands. This will make the process cheaper, but some types of work may require special equipment, then it will not be possible to do without the help of professionals.

Before starting work, it is required to assess the technical condition of the structure. If the balcony slab is dilapidated, it needs to be reinforced. After that, you will need to replace the parapet. If it is concrete, you are lucky and do not need to do anything, as often happens with loggias: if the parapet is made of metal rods, it is cut off and replaced with a foam block. If the fence is decent and does not interfere, then it is better to leave it. It is important that the structure is as light as possible.

After the parapet is ready, glazing is installed on it, the roof is mounted. If it is required, they carry out internal work on wall insulation.

What materials can be used?

Glazing and insulation of balconies and loggias can be carried out using various materials. To do this, you can use wooden, aluminum, plastic windows, various insulation materials, the most popular are PVC windows and such insulation materials as mineral wool and foam.

After the balcony is insulated, interior decoration will be required. It is needed to insulate insulation and give the structure a decorative look. Finishing can also be done with different materials, these can be the following types:

Drywall is moisture resistant.
PVC sheets.
Siding.
Lining.
Brick.

Each material has different technical and external characteristics. The types of glazing can also be different, for example, warm glazing and insulation of the loggia are most conveniently carried out using plastic double-glazed windows. They have a fairly large mass, but their thickness is optimal in order to retain heat efficiently inside the room. With good insulation, a balcony or loggia can become a full-fledged part of a living space. It will be possible to carry out heating there and use the structure as a small room.

Cold glazing will not have this effect. Insulating the balcony when using an aluminum profile will not make any sense, since the metal very quickly gives off heat to the atmosphere. However, this glazing option is cheaper than warm and can be used if the balcony is not used as a residential one. If you just plan to protect the structure from rain and wind, making it comfortable for use in the summer, storage, smoking or drying clothes, then this option will suit you well.

Glazing and insulation of the loggia with wooden euro windows will be of no less quality than when using plastic structures, however, such frames may be even heavier, depending on the type of wood, and the structure itself will cost more. You can use a simple wooden frame, this option is not bad for a country house or non-residential balcony. A homemade wood frame will not be able to keep heat well, so you should not expect such a structure to be warm.

How is the insulation work carried out?

Glazing and insulation of balconies are two procedures that do not make sense separately from each other. If everything is extremely clear with glazing, then how to proceed with insulation? First you need to choose the materials with which you will work.

Tip: you will need to insulate not only the walls, but also the ceiling and floor of the structure, otherwise the heat will go through them.

First you need to fill all the cracks in the structure with construction foam, waterproof it: mastic is suitable for this. After that, you can proceed with the remaining stages of work.

The most accessible material for insulation is mineral wool or glass wool, however, you need to work with this insulation in protective gloves. You will need to create a crate, you can make it from a 4x4 wooden beam or a metal profile, the resulting cells are filled with cotton wool, then covered with a vapor barrier film, sewn up with an external finish, for example, with sheets of drywall.

Using foam (foam) instead of mineral wool will also require the creation of a crate, but it is much more convenient to work with it: the foam holds its shape, it is easier to attach, you can use a special glue. The material does not allow water to pass through, therefore it does not require waterproofing the room, in addition, it does not crumble and does not irritate the skin and respiratory tract.

Conclusion: glazing insulation of loggias and balconies is an interesting procedure. You can do it yourself or hire specialists. A wide selection of materials will help not only insulate the structure with high quality, but also give it the necessary decorative look.