French balcony: description and installation requirements

Features of a French balcony

Owners of French balconies have mixed feelings about this design. Some see a lot of advantages in it, others see only disadvantages. The main advantage is that there is no need to spend money on its glazing and cladding. In addition, he:

visually expands the space;
does not interfere with the penetration of sunlight into the apartment;
makes it possible to implement a lot of decorating ideas. In other words, a French balcony is needed solely as an aesthetic and even romantic element.

People who are far from romantic think that they are unlucky with a balcony. Among its shortcomings they note:

lack of space to store household belongings;
inability to use it for drying clothes;
a panoramic window in summer is more of a disadvantage than an advantage, since the sun's rays provide even more heat, requiring the installation of an air conditioner or fan;
the lattice sometimes requires additional strengthening so that you can safely go out onto the balcony and lean on it.

French balconies differ from each other in the height of the grille, depth, width, the presence or absence of a mosquito net, the material from which the grille is made, and other characteristics. The fencing of a French balcony can be cast iron, aluminum, plastic, etc.

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The choice of material depends on whether or not it is necessary to lighten the structure. Aluminum and metal-plastic are used for this purpose. The latter is cheaper, but superior to aluminum in soundproofing properties.

The width of the balcony depends on the width of the panoramic window. Doors to the balcony can have different designs, from regular hinged ones to upward or sliding ones.

Advantages

There are many advantages of this type of room glazing, the main ones are:

large savings in room space with the maximum possible glazing area (removing the slab takes up little space, which can be seen in all the photos);
saving the cost of materials and increasing the speed of work (dismantling existing structures, preparing the territory and installing finished structures);

excellent sound insulation and heat protection qualities, which is associated with the properties of double-glazed windows;
excellent external qualities, the exquisite exterior of the building, which provides such an unusual view of the balcony.

Peculiarities

One of the features of this type of apartment glazing and room design is an increase in lighting. Moreover, this does not depend on its area.

If, when renovating an apartment, the question arises, what is a French balcony, then the answer can only be a list of the advantages of this type of glazing.

If you look at the photos of all buildings with glazing of this type, you can note their magnificent exterior, which means that this type of design can be used in any private cottage. In addition, a feature of this type of balcony arrangement is the ability to use it to update and revive old “Khrushchev” buildings, allowing them to “expand”.

When planning to make repairs in any apartment or private house, cottage, you need to carefully calculate all the advantages of installing French-type balconies compared to standard balconies and windows. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. All this completely depends on the specific atmospheric conditions, operating mode and climatic zones.

What are French balconies?

The classic design of a French balcony is enclosing it with a convex lattice of elegant forging. There is also a decorative cornice along the bottom to strengthen the structure. the modern version is much simpler in design and is a box made of double-glazed windows with a small protrusion outward.

The decoration of a balcony located on a brick facade is a relief arch made of the same brick, framing the upper part of the window, and sometimes turning into a frame around the entire window.

Modern design is close to high-tech style: a metal rectangular grille made of straight elements without any smooth bends and in the complete absence of decorative elements. The window in a strict frame of a metallic shade also corresponds to it. It is the modern design that allows full glazing, unlike a wrought-iron balcony, on which the glazing looks ridiculous.

Although today French balcony glazing is increasingly used, when the structure has a minimum of frames and looks quite light due to the large amount of glass.

It is used not only for narrow, but also for ordinary balconies and loggias. However, you need to understand that you can no longer arrange a warehouse of things on it, since it will be on public display. French glazing should be accompanied by a stylish design.

Today, glass with one-sided transparency is at the peak of popularity. From inside the apartment, it provides a good view of the street. But when you look from the outside, you don’t even suspect that the owner of the apartment might be looking at you, since the glass seems opaque.

Design Features

French balconies have a number of design features. Firstly, the door or window should clear the entire opening from the floor, which makes it possible to increase the room by the amount of the ledge. That is why sliding structures, as well as “books” or “accordions” are most often used for doors. The last two options do not provide thermal insulation, which is simply a crime in the Russian climate, so I use them quite rarely. Well, swing doors do not fit into the idea of a French balcony at all, so they are used only where there is a mixture of styles.

Secondly, in some cases it is necessary to take care of additional heating, for example, install a wall heating system.

Well, the last thing worth mentioning is that French balconies are designed to let in as much light as possible into the room, and sometimes there is too much of it. On a hot summer day, the room behind the panoramic glazing can heat up to incredible temperatures, so you need to think about a system of protection from the bright sun.

Making a French balcony with your own hands

Romantics who are ready to exchange a warehouse on a balcony for an elegant structure really do exist. Today, the phenomenon of turning an ordinary balcony into a French one is quite common.

Before starting work, representatives of a company engaged in arranging balconies come to the site, take the necessary measurements, carefully study the degree of wear of the slab, discuss ways to strengthen it, and also discuss the design of the future balcony with the owners.

At the next stage, the old fence and frame are dismantled. The old slab is also removed and replaced with a new, shallower one. The slab is the main part of the structure. Safety for those who will relax on this balcony depends on its strength. Then a new grille is installed, and decorating the balcony is the work of the owner.

For glazing a French balcony, metal-plastic or aluminum is used. Often the structure in the lower part is opaque, and a double-glazed window is installed in the upper part. It is important that the balcony railing is securely fastened, especially if there are small children in the house.

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How to save on French glazing of a balcony

choose a domestically produced profile. Its functional and quality characteristics are not much inferior to imported analogues, but the price is lower due to the absence of transport costs. In addition, global brands often locate production in neighboring countries and control the quality of adherence to technology;

buy out of season. Glazing can be considered a seasonal service, and demand for it increases with the onset of cold weather (autumn). If you place an order in summer or late spring, you can get a big discount on your purchase;

change several windows at once. In this case, you can count on discounts for bulk orders. For example, in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities there is a lot of competition, so companies offer profitable promotions;

selection of energy-saving double-glazed windows. Their cost is only 3-5% higher than the cost of a standard double-glazed window, but the efficiency is much higher, which will allow you to save on heating the balcony in the future. This factor is especially important for those who plan to use the balcony as a living space;

choosing the “zero loan” program. Purchasing a French balcony on credit can hardly be considered as a way to save money; rather, it is an opportunity to divide the cost into several payments. And if the manufacturer is willing to provide credit to the buyer, the overall purchasing burden can be reduced.

Thus, we figured out what a French balcony is, what advantages and disadvantages this type of glazing has, and also how much such an extraordinary renovation of the interior and exterior design of a private house or apartment in a Khrushchev-era building (or in a new building) will cost.

On which balcony can it be used?

The French glazing system is suitable for almost any loggia, if practical. When decorating a limited balcony space, a floor-to-ceiling window visually enlarges the room. Although it is quite expensive to equip large terraces, they fill the room with light and create a cozy atmosphere in it.

It is not advisable to plan to install large transparent windows on balconies facing south or south-west, due to the strong heating of the glass in the sun. It will be hot not only on the loggia, but also in our apartment. Installing French windows on the upper floors of high-rise buildings in regions with frequent winds requires careful calculation and structural design.

On the first floors, plastic sandwich panels are often used to cover the lower part of the windows. In old buildings, lightweight models of French windows are chosen, and before installing them, the floor slabs must be strengthened. In a loggia combined with a room, multi-chamber double-glazed windows must be used.

Types of structures

French balconies with wrought iron elements

The classic option is a window or doorway with a decorative metal parapet. Often the load-bearing slab does not exceed the length of a foot, but sometimes it reaches a maximum of half a meter. This design does not imply prolonged recreation in the fresh air.

Sometimes finished metal products are coated with gold leaf or their surface is patinated (aging effect). The use of these methods turns the fence into an original detail that primarily attracts attention.

The small base area does not allow organizing storage space. A French balcony adorns the facade of the house and the room that is hidden behind it. A lot of light enters a window or doorway.

Forged fencing in a private house. The chocolate shade of the forged metal and metal-plastic profile goes well with the color of the brick wall.

French balcony in Khrushchev

View from inside an apartment in Khrushchev.

Metal-plastic profiles have significant weight. On the eve of installation in the Khrushchev building, you should check the condition of the concrete slab. If defects are found during inspection, the base must be carefully repaired.

Flower pots are mounted on a metal fence.

French doors to the balcony photo

Fencing with plant pattern.

French balconies without railings

In new buildings you can find French glazing without fences.

Other options

Interior decoration of a room with an area of 6 sq. m. For interior decoration we chose natural colors and natural materials.

French balcony window and its features

French windows to the balcony perform the main function, namely, they provide the room with maximum light. Isn't this what every owner dreams of? It is very functional, convenient and very aesthetically pleasing.

In the situation of converting a balcony or loggia to create a winter garden, so that you can observe it from the inside room, this glazing option is optimal. The difference between it and the usual one is that the border between the outside and home worlds is completely made of glass.

Often, the installation of such a structure causes certain difficulties, since its manufacture requires the removal of an element of the load-bearing wall. Due to the fact that the front side of the house is considered common property, it is necessary to prepare a permitting list of documents.

Based on this, make changes to the project and, having asked for help from the technical inventory bureau, reflect the newly created installation in the technical documentation for the housing.