Varieties of loggias and balconies

Balconies in Soviet times were used only for storage or to check the weather outside. In the modern world, everything is changing. Both the balcony and the loggia enter our life as a complete room on which certain functions can be assigned. In addition, balconies give the whole house a finished look. With the help of a certain way built balconies you can give the structure an unusual look, which is often used by architects.

First you need to determine what the differences in these areas. People are often confused, considering that if you glaze a balcony, it turns into a loggia. This is not true. What is a balcony and how to distinguish it from the loggia?

Balcony - this is a remote design. The name comes from the word beam, and originally it was a ledge by the window. Later received fencing and an increase in volume. Now is a concrete slab protruding beyond the facade of the house.It has a perimeter fence - parapet. According to GOST, a balcony cannot be wider than 1.5 meters. It is often called a bay window.

The loggia, by its definition, has side walls as the walls of the house, and only one side goes out into the street. It is much safer than a balcony due to the thoroughness of its design. She is not afraid of snow or rain.

In the view of many, a balcony is a rectangular box, but this concept is much broader. It holds many species. Consider them in order.

The bay windows have a different design.

• On the cantilever reinforced concrete slab. This arrangement is very popular in old buildings. The slab is inserted into the wall of the building at a distance of about half a meter and fixed. Typically, this design is used in brick houses. But for the foam block walls such a mount is not suitable, since the design is very heavy.
• On the console beams. Here the base plate rests on beams made of concrete or metal.In the Middle Ages, balconies of locks were fastened with the help of consoles.
• On external supports. It uses columns or brackets, as well as both. The base plate rests on them. Fastening on supports is only suitable for balconies located not above the second floor. Be sure to equip the foundation. There is a minus in the use of columns as supports, since during operation they can sink unevenly, thereby causing a distortion of the structure.

Loggias also have a number of varieties.

1. Embedded. In fact, this is a continuation of the room, fenced off by a balcony block.
2. Portable. These are two walls, attached perpendicular to the facade of the house. Base plates are supported on cantilever beams embedded in the wall of a building.
3. Loggia-balcony. This is a transitional structure, where half of the building is located inside the house, and a part is moved beyond its limits. Such a loggia has a plus. It lies in the fact that there is not much darkening of the room. Light easily penetrates the apartment.

Initially, they are designed as unheated cold rooms, often in low-cost housing under the project, even without glazing.But the situation is easy to fix. To do this, they are glazed with plastic windows, insulated with polyethylene foam or mineral wool, heated, or heated floors are laid, and interior trim is produced. At the exit you will get an additional heated room.

There are types of glazing.

Wooden frames. Eco-friendly, allow the room to "breathe." Modern wooden windows are practical, tight, but require special care.

Plastic windows. Most popular today. They do an excellent job with the function of thermal insulation and noise isolation, practical, durable. But they do not provide fresh air at all if they are completely closed. For old balconies too heavy.

Aluminum constructionslightweight durable. Great for glazing balconies and loggias, but poorly kept warm, and a warm room with them will not work.

Frameless glazing - modern technology that does not have frames. Bay window closes with a solid glass surface. Such glazing perfectly transmits a large amount of light without blocking it. But a significant drawback - the inability to install mosquito nets.

A special place is occupied by the French balcony. It is not a room and has a purely decorative function. In essence, this is a narrow area. Its standard dimensions are about 40 cm wide. With the help of it you can admire the view, but walking on it or storing things, much less placing furniture, will fail. Usually such balconies have wrought-iron fencing or panoramic windows.

Many residents of the first floor dream of having a balcony. But what to do if the project of the house does not imply this structure? It can be built by hand.

For its construction, the first thing you need - to get permission for redevelopment, so that all modifications were legal. It’s not so easy to do, but still possible, of course, if your home is not an architectural monument.

To obtain a building permit, in addition to the project you will need:

• documents of title;
• certificate from the BTI;
• coordination of the architectural department;
• certificates from Vodokanal, Gas Service, Power Grid;
• permission of the management company;
• photos of the facade of the house.

After obtaining permission for the construction of the bay window, you can proceed to work on the construction. It can, in fact, be divided into two parts: the construction of a balcony and its arrangement.

Attach a bay window on the first floor in two ways.

• With the construction of the foundation.
• With the organization of supports for the base.

Usually the construction of balconies produced using strip foundation. This allows you to make a balcony even angular shape. When organizing it, you need to firmly tie the foundation of the balcony to the base of the house so that you get a unified construction. Moreover, their height should be the same. To determine the depth, it is necessary to determine how deep the soil freezes through and the level of groundwater flow.

Next, we scald the frame, fasten it to the wall with anchor bolts.

It is necessary to wait 28 days in order for the concrete of the foundation to dry well, after which you can proceed to further construction.

First, reinforced concrete slabs or wooden logs are installed. Then put the wooden floor.

After laid out the wall of the bay window.So that the masonry of foam blocks was held more reliably, which is especially important when installing plastic double-glazed windows, you can initially weld the frame of the balcony completely. Foam blocks must be tightly laid to the wall so that the construction will better communicate with the facade of the house.

Further the window block is dismantled and the block with a door is installed. Remember that the doors should open into the room.

As the roof, you can use the balcony of the second floor or, if your design goes beyond it, you will have to build it entirely.

At the end of the first part of the installed window unit, visor, ebb.

Initially, it is necessary to conduct an electrician and bring the heating; if you plan the light and heating in a new room, install an outlet. Wiring also needs to be carried out in the cellar for convenience.

We turn to weatherization. For this it is best to use penoplex. It perfectly retains heat, preventing cold air from entering, it is not afraid of condensation.Penoplex thickness for balcony warming is 40-60 mm. Laying is made on the entire area of ​​the street walls. Then it is closed with moisture resistant plasterboard or PVC panels.

If on the place where the balcony is now located, the external air conditioner unit used to be hung, it must be moved outside the new room.

After you have completed the construction and let down all the communications, it is necessary to equip it. Here you can give free rein to your imagination, assign various functions to the bay window and arrange the balcony inside, according to its intended purpose.

The most common feature. For this it is necessary, first of all, to organize a wide window sill for flowers.

Wallpaper in such a room is better not to glue because of the constant humidity. A suitable option is to paint the walls, or to finish them with plastic lining.

Also, if your windows will not go to the north, you will need protection from the sun. For this perfect vertical blinds. With their help it is easy to regulate the power of lighting in your garden. On the northern side, it is worthwhile to provide an additional lamp, since in the winter period the flowers will miss it.

If you have attached a balcony to a private house and are planning to place a winter garden there, then a great option for the summer to provide for the installation of the awning. It will pass air, it is easy to control, you can slightly open and close the roof as needed. It is possible to equip it with automatic control and heated air.

If a fire escape passes through your new premises, you can decorate it with flowers too.For such accomplishment, you will need to either weld metal circles onto it, on which you can later hang pots, or gently place them on the steps without blocking the passage.

Roses in pots - also great for gardening. They will delight with their flowers all winter, and their smell will remind of the soon summer.

In the spring in the winter garden, you can select a place and grow seedlings. Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers grow well in such conditions, you can grow strawberries. It is also possible to grow vegetables all year round. For this purpose, special varieties of cucumbers and tomatoes have been developed, aimed at growing in a balcony. They do not require pollination, do not have high growth, and give a large crop in a small area.

A great option to move to the newly appeared area is the dining table. Most often he is satisfied by combining a balcony with a kitchen.In order not to demolish the bearing wall, which is not allowed to you in the BTI, a bar counter is usually installed in place of the projection, which replaces the dining table. The protrusion on the ceiling is made in the form of an arch. At the same time, a refrigerator fits perfectly into a niche on the balcony near the rack. This is very important, especially for small apartments with a kitchen of 6 square meters. meters and a balcony of 3 meters long. In the area of ​​the dining room is better to put on the floor laminate or tile.

You can arrange the similarity of the bar. If you have a good view from the window, the bar counter can be placed on its window sill. At the same time organize the painting of a brick wall with a slightly grayish paint and create an interior in a loft style.

If your balcony is more than 5 square meters. m., it is easy to arrange a bedroom. An excellent option for organizing a bed will be a “bed in the closet”. It will be completely cleaned, not take up much space in the folded state. You can also place a folding table and a cabinet that will not interfere with the folding bed.

On the wide balcony you can organize the whole mini-living room. To do this, it is possible to even arrange a false fireplace made of plasterboard, set a soft corner and enjoy the atmosphere of peace. The device of such a fireplace does not require the use of firewood. It is possible to simply build in the electric fire or TV and enjoy the illusion of smoldering coals.

You can also make an additional utility room, where storage space for cans, floor bucket, ironing board and many other equipment will be provided. Also, letting water and sewage to the lined balcony, you can take out a washing machine, which is usually difficult to determine in a small apartment.

If the balcony is 6 meters long and more, then it can easily be divided by a partition and combine several functions on it. To divide the space, moisture-resistant drywall or plastic door is best suited. Like the house as a whole, on the balcony, it is necessary to repair the cracks and seams, periodically paint if the facade is painted.

Many will say that it is not necessary to litter. But there are people in the house who do not do this, and they will not be very pleased to look at a pile of rubbish and cigarette butts on your roof. Therefore, if you have already built a large bay window, take the trouble to arrange its washing at least 2 times a year.

Here are some interesting ideas for arranging a balcony or loggia at home.

• In new buildings, they usually design wide loggias, where you can perfectly enter a children's playroom with a minimum set of everything you need, especially the furniture is now very functional.

• In a small apartment, where the balcony is accessed from the bedroom, an excellent option would be to arrange a dressing room on the balcony, with all the functionality that is assigned to this room.

• In the attached balcony on the first floor you can organize a bath. No need to travel far when her steam room and washing facilities can be arranged right in the apartment. Although some of her suit and higher floors.

• For a private house such an extension will serve as an excellent winter garden.

• It is also possible to organize a carpentry workshop or an artist’s workplace in a given area of ​​an apartment building. Excellent lighting, and a place where no one will disturb you. The opportunity to do what he likes for business or for the soul.