In many old houses, the construction of balconies did not imply roofs. Such a balcony looks aesthetically pleasing from the street, but its functionality is severely limited due to the direct impact of weather factors. Snow, ice, rain, hail will not allow the owner to use the balcony all the time, but the problem is that such structures require annual repairs after the winter. The way out of this situation is the glazing of balconies with a roof.
Balconies of the last floors can also be considered problematic, the roofs of which also need to be additionally equipped with roofing materials according to additional device for flat roofs. The roofs of such balconies often leak moisture at the place of mounting to the main wall, and natural destruction makes itself felt.
Glazing a balcony with a roof is a rather complicated process.It is better to entrust the performance of work on the glazing of a balcony and the construction or repair of its roof to professionals who have extensive experience in such areas.
The layman just needs to understand what material the glazing is made of, and what is the difference between this or that profile. This is the question we will analyze in more detail.
Glazing options
There are basically two options for glazing:
- Cold glazing. It is carried out for the sole purpose of protecting the balcony from the effects of atmospheric phenomena, which are rain, wind, snow, hail, and the scorching sun. Such glazing is called cold because the temperature difference on the closed balcony and outside it is approximately 10 degrees. If the frost is -20 degrees outside, then on the balcony we have -10. It is made from inexpensive aluminum profiles.
The advantage of this design is its low cost, the minus is that it is not comfortable on the balcony in the heat or frost.
- Warm glazing. Such glazing implies thermal insulation of the balcony space from the external environment. It is made of PVC profile or special aluminum profile. Such balconies often serve as a continuation of the room, heaters are taken out on them, and a “warm floor” is also mounted.
There are a lot of profile options on the market, we will not recommend this or that brand, because. there is enough information on the web to help you make the right choice.
Basically, this is an alternative price / quality, so look on the forums for reviews of certain profiles and decide.
balcony roof
A separate topic is the arrangement of a balcony roof. Installation of balcony roofs can be performed in two versions:
- as an independent unit. It is quite rare, mainly in office buildings and where the balcony is not used as a utility room.
Such a roof simply protects from rain and sun, but does not protect against rainfall on the floor of the balcony.
- As part of a glazed balcony. This option is performed on the balconies of residential buildings of high-rise buildings.
There is also a difference in the bearing supports for the roof. In the first case, the roof rests mainly on the wall on which it is mounted, in the second - on the base of the balcony.
In the first case, the task is greatly simplified. You only need to calculate the possible maximum load on the roof from snow, and windage from gusts of wind, and do not forget to beauty roof lining siding.
Tip: the pressure on one square meter of the balcony roof can be 250 kg, so take the safety margin of the structure seriously.
In the second case, you need insulate the roof on the balcony with your own hands. These can be foam sheets laid between the roof sheathing, or a layer of foam foam - rolled insulation. The choice is yours and the design features of the balcony.
The joints between the insulation plates are sealed with mounting foam, the edge of the rolled insulation is fixed with adhesive tape.
Tip: if you intend to use the balcony as part of the room, then take a sheet 50 mm thick. If not, you can get by with 30 mm sheets.
With the help of a special foam foil material, you can not only insulate the balcony roof, but also soundproof it.
For the frame of the roof structure, a metal corner is used, for the crate - a wooden bar.You can schematically depict the roof as shown in the figure below.
The transparent roof also looks very nice. It is made of special materials that provide strength and thermal insulation of the structure.
As you can see, the installation of roofs and balcony glazing is understandable and not complicated work, which still requires skill and certain calculations. Plus, the work is carried out at a dangerous height, which implies an increased risk.
Therefore, our recommendations: entrust the work to professionals, choosing the right materials.
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