Among various options for the balcony in the apartment and a private house, the French balcony takes up a separate place. This design will make it possible to fill the room with light, and the facade of the building will look more refined and easy.
Consider the French balcony from all sides, what kind of types and constructive types are, what is different from ordinary balconies, what advantages and minuses are inherent, whether the construction permission is needed (glazing), and what is the price of it.
French Balcony - Adhesive Balcony in French Style
The history of the appearance of the French balcony
You can distinguish two interesting facts of origin of the name.The first version is beautiful and romantic
Related to Romeo and Juliet, uttered in the Shakespeare tragedy of the phrase "Juliet Balconies", implies a balcony "to which you can not go out." In modern interpretation, this stable dictionary of English denotes the "French balcony".
Second version - dirty and obscene
In the XII-XIII centuries. There were no toilets in the Louvre, so the nobles managed the need for where it would have to, in particular, in balconies or directly to the open window, to which the backs sat back. Because Climbing the window sill was not very convenient, someone came up with to increase the height of the window, making it in the floor, for a more comfortable "landing". So that a person does not fall into such a "portal", a fence was added. By the way, the fence curved to the bottom is made for comfortable landing squatting, back to the world. Such is the story of the appearance of a wrought basket under the window, which was called the French balcony.What is a French balcony?
Classic french balcony - This is a balcony without a balcony, having a fencing installed directly in the opening outside the window or door. In some structures there is a small platform, 30-40 cm wide.
Simple words, this is a French window-door with a fence, as a rule, in the form of art forging. Material for the site www.moydomik.net
A french-style balcony is distinguished by large windows (on the height of all opening), in front of which there is a small fence. It is a forged fence that is a decisive sign of the French balcony - a business card. Fence In addition to the decorative function, the role of a safe barrier to minimize any risks associated with the design of the balcony or double-glazed windows.
Currently, the designation of the modern French balcony was transformed and such a balcony with panoramic glazing.
French loggia - This is a loggia that has no parapet, and all the opening has glazing to the floor (French or panoramic glazing).
The French glazing of the balcony is a translucent design, glazed in the perimeter of double-glazed floors from the floor to the ceiling. It can be said that this is the modern interpretation of the French balcony, may have an adhesive fence or be without it.
French balcony - photo inside and outside
French balcony in a brick house
Article on the topic: How much hissing wallpaper glue on various wallpaper
French balconies in the apartment
French balcony in the bedroom, view from the inside
French balcony in a country house, photo inside the living room
Forged fence for french balcony
French-style balcony in the house
French style balcony
Glass fencing of the French balcony
Types of french balconies
There are two varieties of French-style balconies by type of construction:Forged french balcony
As it was determined above, it is a classic Balcony in French, which has no own platform. In fact, it is only a fencing in the window / door balcony opening.
Sometimes the balcony has a small platform on which it can fit, except for, a feet of an adult. Decorative forged fence performs a protective function, and a large area of glass allows you to skip a lot of daylight to the room.
Forged french balcony
Forged fencing of a french-style balcony in a private house
Modern French balcony with playground
It is the usual balcony or loggia, which are glazed from the floor itself to the ceiling. Those. This is a balcony with French glazing.
French glazing balcony in the house
French glazing balcony in the apartment
What is the difference between a French balcony from the usual?
The difference with traditional lies in the design and parameters:
- The specific configuration of the window block, which consists in the absence of an impost (vertical jumper, to which the sash is adjacent in the closed state), which allows you to get a panoramic overview and a spacious access to the balcony. With a wide opening, sliding window systems are used;
- No need for interior balcony. Of course, any type of cold glazing does not need finish. But from aesthetic point of view, the balcony will look unfinished, so the minimum works are still being performed. In the case of the French balcony, the owner simply will not remain the walls that need to be finished, they will be closed with double-glazed windows;
- Lack of parapet. The French glazing of the balcony provides for filling around the entire opening (for loggia) or walls in height (for the balcony) frames with double-glazed windows. In the usual balcony of a smaller height frame;
The difference of the French balcony from the usual scheme
- The peculiarity of the French balconies in our region is the replacement of whole glass windows into segmented, which allows you to organize ventilating on the balcony, as well as the use of tinted glasses or sandwich panels at the bottom of the glazing of the balcony;
- Size (dimensions). The size of the French balcony is somewhat more than the usual, due to the fact that there is no massive parapet, which is installed with a metal frame. In addition, parapets are mainly insulated, and it also takes 10-15 cm. From the balcony width;
- Doorway from the room to the balcony. It makes no sense to install a French balcony and not be able to enjoy its advantages. Therefore, the owners of apartments and houses often dismantle a balcony unit with a partial change in the geometry of the opening (for which permission is required) and the French windows are installed instead of the balcony block.
French Balcony - Pros and Cons
Installation of the French balcony is more a lot of fashion, but it distinguishes a number of advantages and disadvantages inherent in this type of glazing. Consider everything for and against.Advantages of the French balcony
- Design, appearance. Since such glazing is still new on the domestic construction market - then the balcony looks unusual, attracting the views of passersby and causing the pride of the owner;
- High level of light source. At the expense of a large glass of glazing to the room penetrates more daylight. It is more useful for health and helps save on electricity;
- Illusion of open space. Due to the absence of a parapet at the balcony with French glazing, it seems that the slab overlap is hanging in the air. It erases the boundaries between the room and the surrounding landscape. This is especially manifested in low private houses or Khrushchev, which are surrounded by plantations;
- The balcony with French glazing is well heated in the offseason, which allows it to exploit it as a residential premises, with a slight increase in heating costs;
- increases the useful space of the balcony or loggia;
- Good sound insulation. Achieved when using warm glazing systems from PVC profile or insulated aluminum profile with thermomost (thermal survey);
- No need for interior balcony or loggia;
- No need to strengthen parapet to install French glazing.
Disadvantages of the French balcony
This type of glazing and cons that can be an obstacle to its installation in a specific apartment (home):- The high price due to the objective factor of a larger consumption of the material due to the larger area of glazing;
- Additional costs of acquiring functional options: sprats, heat transfer (heat-saving) film, energy-saving glass, laminated profile, metal fencing (forging), locks for sash, etc.;
- Significant cost of installation work. Installation of the French balcony requires a preliminary dismantling of the parapet, which cannot be made independently due to its significant weight and dimensions. In addition, the old parapet needs to be disposed of;
- The complexity of the care of windows associated with an increase in the glazing area. This is the paradox of the French window. Traditionally, the French windows were installed on the first or second floor of the house to combine the window and pass. Therefore, these windows also call the window or "portal" window.
The modern balcony in French is glazed with panoramic windows, so the door unit is naturally absent, and the area of the glass, on the contrary, increases. And access to them, especially to the lower sections, it makes it difficult. Therefore, to care for the French balcony, with a large number of deaf flaps is complicated, sometimes involving industrial climbers;
- heat loss through the glassy above, rather than through a warmed wall;
- In summer, the effect of steam room is possible due to the strong heating of glass surfaces;
- Problems in people subject to acrofobia (height fear) or agoraphobia (fear of open space). The absence effect of borders for which the French balconies actually love, can cause discomfort in some people;
- Openness of indoor rooms. A large area of glazing allows you to see what is happening inside the house if a French window is installed between the balcony and the room, and if the apartment is located on the lower floors. This effect is more manifested in the dark (the effect of aquarium). Therefore, if there is no readiness to share a personal life with others, the French balcony should decorate with curtains, blinds or decorative shirms. Or order to order tinted or mirror glass in double-glazed windows for a balcony.
Security of the French balcony
Open from the ceiling to the floor space fascinates, however, it carries and risks. For safety, the French balcony has an outside of the fence, in the form of a small forged balcony, or a railing from the inside.
Subject to competent design, accurate calculations and proper installation - the use of a French balcony is absolutely safe.
Construction permit / Glazing of the French balcony
Due to the design of the French balcony, its installation is associated with a change in the geometry of the opening (if the balcony block changes), which in some cases (multi-storey house carrying walls) requires coordination in the relevant instances, i.e. Documentary needs.Also, approval to the change in the element of the facade of the building, if the building is an architectural or historical value, or is located in the historic district of the city. Moreover, documents should be obtained before installing the French balcony, and not after.
Illegal installation is fraught with large fines, if not immediately, then in consequence. Those. People live for years with such redevelopment, and when there is a need to sell or buy an apartment, then without legalizing it is not necessary, otherwise, it will not work reorganize real estate.
Cost of french balcony
The price of the French balcony is made up of several components:
- View of the window profile: aluminum, wooden, plastic, metalplastic or glass ample;
- Thermal insulation characteristics of the profile (number of cameras, the presence of thermal separation, etc.). For a wooden frame - a tree breed;
- Glass type: Kalenoe, usual, energy saving, triplex;
- the number of double-glazed windows;
- quality of fittings;
- additional options;
- dimensions;
- Order volume (partially, wholesale, turnkey).
The price of assembly work is influenced:
- High rise;
- The cost of dismantling and disposal of construction waste;
- Balcony configuration.
The estimated cost of the French balcony, the loggia (Rehau profile, Germany) is given in the table:
| Purpose | Design height, mm. | Dimensions, mm. | Price product, rub. | The cost of "turnkey", rub. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loggia | 2400. | Width 3500. | 33,000 | 59 500. |
| 2500. | width 3100. | 20 300. | 54 500. | |
| Balcony | 2400. | 800x2200x800. | 36 500. | 65 500. |
| 2500. | 800x2100x800. | 38,000 | 65,000 |
Material prepared for site www.moydomik.net
How to save on french glazing balcony
- Select a domestic production profile. Its functional and qualitative characteristics are not strongly inferior to imported analogues, but the price is lower due to the lack of transport costs. In addition, global brands often have production in the territory of neighboring countries and control the quality of technology compliance;
- Buy not in season. Glazing can be attributed to the seasonal service, and the demand for it increases with the onset of cold weather (in the fall). If you make an order in summer or late spring, you can get a big discount on the purchase;
- change several windows at once. In this case, you can count on discounts for the wholesale order. For example, in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other major cities, great competition, so companies offer profitable shares;
- Selection of energy-saving double-glazed windows. Their cost is only 3-5% higher than the value of the standard glass package, but the effectiveness is much higher, which will allow to save further on the balcony heating. This factor is especially important for those who plan to use the balcony as a residential space;
- Select the program "Zero Credit". The acquisition of the French balcony on credit is unlikely to be considered as a way of saving, it is more likely to share the cost of several payments. And if the manufacturer is ready to lend a buyer, you can reduce the burden of common procurement.
Thus, we figured out that it is a French balcony, which advantages and disadvantages possesses this type of glazing, as well as how much does an extraordinary update of the interior design and an exterior of a private house or an apartment in Khrushchev (or new).
Article on the topic: Sandwich panel for windows: advantages and disadvantages of finishing. Montaja technology