Apartment without a balcony - pros and cons, is it worth buying

Many people buying apartments are interested in the question of which apartment to buy, with or without a balcony? And this problem mainly arises when purchasing new buildings. If previously dormitories or the first floors of high-rise buildings were built without balconies and loggias, now new buildings do not provide such housing elements. Just a few years ago, no one could even think about how it would be to build multi-storey buildings without a balcony? Let's answer the questions that interest many buyers:

• How is housing built without balconies?
• Pros and cons of such apartments
• How to live without a balcony
• Do you need a balcony at all?

A balcony or loggia has always been considered an integral part of the apartment. It can be used:

1. As an outdoor seating area, equipped with modern tables and chairs
2. There is a storage room on the balcony
3. Warehouse for preservation
4. Room for drying clothes
5. Winter greenhouse
6. Smoking area

In general, there would be a balcony, but we’ll figure out how to adapt it. The residents' imagination is limitless; you can often see a study, a playroom, and even sleeping places located here. It all depends on the size of the balcony. It is very convenient to use and some simply do not understand how to buy an apartment without a loggia.

New construction trends

In Soviet times, GOST construction and architecture provided for balconies in all houses. At first, they were built mainly for the fire safety of the owners; they were inconvenient and small. They relied on everyone except the first floors. At a later time in the last century, balconies were replaced by wide loggias along the entire length of the apartment. In modern construction, the mandatory concept of a balcony is not included in the design. Following European trends, Russian developers compensate for the lack of balconies with dressing rooms and huge bay windows with panoramic windows. When choosing an apartment in a new building and observing the huge floor-to-ceiling windows on the house, the buyer should know that his future apartment does not have a balcony.

Is it possible to make a balcony if there is none?

It should be noted that for the manufacture of a balcony you will need permission from the relevant authorities. If you do not get it, then quite serious problems may arise, the least of which is the demolition of the entire structure. Unauthorized extensions to these structures in multi-story buildings are prohibited.

Before adding a balcony to your apartment, you must obtain permission from the relevant organizations

In order to make a balcony, you will need the following documents and permits:

• Ownership of the apartment;
• Plan of the apartment and adjacent area (BTI);
• Permit document from housing and communal services;
• Written consent of residents who live next door;
• Redevelopment project;
• Permission from the utility service, department of architecture.

If possible, it is better to contact a notary who will be able to collect all the documentation in a short period of time. An independent procedure will take a lot of time.

Apartments without balconies. Advantages and disadvantages.

We choose an apartment and think, how come I used to have a balcony, but now I won’t? First of all, you need to decide whether you need it at all? It is very important to weigh all the pros and cons of such apartments. The disadvantages will undoubtedly be:

1. Lack of storage space for trash, household utensils and seasonal items
2. No place to hang washed laundry
3. There is no possibility of expanding the premises
4. No smoking area
5. Lack of space to “get some fresh air”
6. The cost of an apartment without a balcony will be lower when sold

There are many disadvantages to the balcony issue, but there are also advantages:

1. Daylight penetrates the room better
2. The room visually becomes larger
3. Better arrange the furniture

The main advantage is that when buying an apartment without a balcony, you will not overpay for extra meters.

The creators of modern construction projects believe that the lack of balcony meters does not in any way affect the coziness and comfort of residents. Designer apartments include an internal bay window, which are essentially the same loggias. Also of great interest is housing with a single heated space, in which the bay window is heated along with the entire room. By the way, the law prohibits placing central heating systems on ordinary balconies.

Positive sides

Advantages of apartments without a balcony:

• An apartment that does not have a balcony or loggia is much warmer and more light penetrates there, this makes it possible to save on heating in the winter. This is especially true in residential buildings with autonomous and individual heating, where it is possible to independently regulate the temperature of the radiators. During daylight hours you can do without additional lighting, but if you have a glazed loggia, sometimes there is not enough natural light. But people are used to saving on everything. Modern life requires this. Lack of funds is the main reason for such actions.
• Savings in utility costs due to a decrease in usable space .
• The absence of unnecessary things and rubbish , which has been accumulating for years within the apartment, but at the same time it has been taken outside its boundaries. (Due to the fact that there is no additional space, this encourages a person to promptly get rid of, for example, old electrical appliances, unnecessary literature and even broken furniture, which sometimes is simply a pity to throw away.) This helps to cleanse the space and the desire for a new life.
• Sometimes new buildings without balconies have a beautiful facade . There are additional storage rooms inside the apartment.
• Housing in houses without a balcony has a lower cost . When calculating the total cost for these unheated areas, coefficients from 0.5 to 1 are applied.

Life without a balcony

More buyers are still looking for new homes with balconies. They are extremely popular and despite European trends, developers continue to build apartments with loggias.

Still, those who decided to buy an apartment without a loggia or balcony regret what they did. Many even dream of punching a hole and placing the structure on the wall. And all just for the sake of hanging out the laundry and picking it up with the smell of frost, or smoking at the top of your lungs. By the way, laws banning smoking in public places will soon be introduced to limit smoking on balconies.

It's good if your new apartment is perfectly thought out. The balcony will help you replace not only pantries, dressing rooms and cabinets, but also practical modern towel dryers in the bathroom. Having a powerful hood, clothes dry very quickly on them. And additional rooms will become the same winter greenhouse and gym for you. But such ideas are unique to the real estate standard. In economy class, don’t even think about extra meters. Some people manage to fence off a space for one in a property without a balcony, lay out a partition and install a glass package window unit with doors. But this is if the room allows it. The lack of a familiar and lived-in space can become stressful and a big problem for new residents. But saving when buying apartments dictates its own rules

How the pandemic is changing demand for real estate

Real estate market players note a change in the structure of demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. The presence of a balcony or loggia is becoming increasingly important. Also, real estate buyers pay attention to the possibility of zoning the space inside the apartment in order to allocate an office, a place for sports, etc. Apartments with an open plan allow owners to divide the space with partitions, shelving or other interior items. In premium real estate, there is a noticeable interest in smart home technologies (air purification, disinfection systems, remote opening and closing of doors).

Photo: During self-isolation, musicians staged concerts on balconies It is difficult to determine how developers are implementing consumer requests in their projects that arose in connection with the pandemic, but it is obvious that changes are inevitable.

Window-balcony - a new design solution

If you don’t have a balcony, then you don’t have to worry too much, because today there are quite a lot of different construction innovations that have already been introduced. One of them is a balcony window. The design is truly unique, because an ordinary window can easily be transformed into a small balcony with railings. Danish developers made a real splash by creating such a design. Now it is quite widely used in country cottages and serves not only as a balcony, but also as an emergency fire exit.

Window-balcony is a modern construction innovation that is gaining enormous popularity every day.

Using a balcony window, you can make the attic more spacious and fill it with daylight. This design is considered an innovation and a practical solution for those who want to get a beautiful view from the window, access to the air directly from the Masandra.

Do-it-yourself balcony repair step by step photo for beginners

This article provides experience in finishing a loggia-balcony. All work took place in an ordinary two-room panel-type Leningrad house. The apartment has access to the balcony from both rooms. The question of how much it costs to repair a balcony with insulation is individual, but in this project the budget was significantly limited.

Balcony with imitation wood surfaces

Project input data

• budget – up to 200 thousand rubles;
• length of the balcony area – 6 meters;
• the depth of the left balcony part is 2 meters,
• depth of the right balcony part – 1 meter;
• cash costs are approximate;

Our balcony after renovation

Finishing risks

Hidden problems

You will notice some things yourself: check the doors, look for cracks, make sure the sockets work. But without a specialist, you are unlikely to evaluate the curvature of walls and floors, the quality of pipes, ventilation, windows and radiators.

Record doubtful moments

Savings on finishing

The materials can at least be assessed before signing the contract, but many people forget about the doors, and this is a safety issue. The workers might have the keys, better change the locks.

Number of sockets and lighting points

If you use several appliances when cooking and charge more than one device every day, it is better to add outlets in the kitchen and bedroom. Projects usually have one outlet for lighting, in the center of the room. But zoning light sources requires more.

Soundproofing

In residential complexes with unfinished apartments, renovations do not end with neighbors. The developer is rarely concerned about audibility. If you install sound insulation after a complete renovation, you will have to change the baseboards, remove the tiles and wallpaper. There is a chance that the room will lose volume.

• When choosing an apartment, look for forums for residents of the developer’s already completed houses. Good relationships with future neighbors in a residential complex are a big help. Often, what is difficult to solve alone is much easier to solve collectively.
• If you don't know much about construction work, hire a company that specializes in acceptance. Cooperate with your neighbors and ask for a discount! Specialists will arm themselves with tools - an indicator screwdriver, an ammonia detector, a thermal imager - and compile a list of comments for the developer to correct. If deadlines are pressing, it makes sense to demand to redo only what is difficult and expensive to fix yourself.
• And carefully study what is included in the finishing contract and discuss it before signing.

Do-it-yourself insulation of the floor and ceiling of a balcony step by step

In general, polystyrene foam is ideal for ceilings as insulation. You will need to buy both regular and foam plastic, equipped with a foil layer. This layer increases the strength of the material and helps retain heat. First, we attach ordinary foam plastic to the ceiling using glue and dowels, and then a second one, with a heat-reflecting surface. After this, we seal the seams with foam and seal them with metallized tape.

Next, we proceed to insulating the floor. First, we clean it of any remaining building materials and debris. After this, we cover the floor with penofol. We install a wooden sheathing over it. We put insulation inside it. For example, the same penoplex or polystyrene. We seal the cracks with construction foam. We install the floor from plywood or OSB boards and lay linoleum or laminate on top.

After the balcony is insulated on all sides, the last stage follows - decorative finishing. Many different materials are suitable for this purpose: plastic panels, plaster, wallpaper, tiles or wooden lining. Now we know exactly the answer to the question why they build houses without balconies...

Design of a studio apartment with two windows in a modern style

If you have two windows at your disposal, then more possibilities open up. They can divide functional zones. You can put up a partition to highlight the place, or do without it and just designate it with furniture.

Everything for relaxation should be placed at one window, and the dining table and kitchen at the other. You can use the space differently if the space between the openings fits a TV. You can model a recreation area, and find other uses for the remaining meters.

On a note!

With proper planning and proper design, you can not only visually increase the area of ​​your home, but also create an additional work space in which there will be enough space for everyone and no one will feel cramped.

There are a number of fashion trends when decorating a room:

• Loft. This is a modern trend. For several years now it has been a leader among designers. The unfinished style fits well into small spaces. But when choosing this interior, you should take into account an important condition - add more light. Small areas do not like dark colors. This visually conceals the space. And the loft is full of them, so it’s worth improvising. Make sure every centimeter is used. It is worth noting that the style is very difficult to recreate. It makes sense to turn to professionals.

• Scandinavian style. Very popular when decorating small rooms. A similar design of a studio apartment in light colors stands out for a number of features. Only practical furniture without frills and cozy natural elements create comfort and lightness of the room.

• Minimalism. Simplicity and conciseness are the motto of this direction. No objects that do not carry a semantic load. Correct shapes and maximum performance of each element. Works great in small areas.

• Provence. For fans of grace and elegance. This style has decorative elements, but everything is quite laconic and simple. The main thing is not to oversaturate the apartment with trinkets. Many people who choose this style have the habit of filling an already small room with decorations. Balance is important.

• High tech. Fashionable and modern. Very similar to minimalism, but distinguished by artificial materials. This is the coldness of the interior details and the simplicity of the lines without unnecessary forms.

When choosing furniture, it is recommended to highlight zones responsible for specific functionality.

For your information!

In standard apartments this is due to the walls. Here you have to do it yourself.

First, it’s worth looking at the main areas:

• Kitchen. Designed for cooking, often combined with a dining room. It is recommended to designate it separately from the sleeping area and seating area. An excellent solution would be a glass partition, which will do a great job at low costs. Or you can mark it with curtains, if you can fit them into the interior. It is also worth highlighting the kitchen with a color from the rest of the room so that it feels like a separate room. The most important thing in the kitchen area is convenience. Everything should be at hand and not interfere with the preparation and serving of dishes. Built-in furniture is perfect for this. This way you can get excellent practicality for each room involved.

• Bedroom. Even in a small apartment it is better to choose a full bed than a sofa. If your budget allows, you can get a folding one that transforms into a cabinet or table. Now designers are offering other solutions in the form of lifting structures, thereby marking this zone. You can use curtains or partitions.

• Living room. Includes a sofa or chairs for guests. Often combined with a place of rest. You can get a TV.

What not to do when decorating a studio apartment:

• Use dark colors. The dark color of the room will visually absorb the space. This is especially noticeable if you look at examples in real photos. Of course, in reality the meters will not go anywhere, but the feeling of fullness and crampedness will be felt. If you want dark shades of the interior, then it is better to get by with a small number of point elements.

• It is recommended to avoid textured details and elements with bulges or roughness when decorating a room. It is better to use smooth and even surfaces. This will give more volume to the living space.

• You can't overdo it with textiles. Various little frills, napkins and coasters will oversaturate an already small space. This rudiment from the Soviet Union is no longer relevant in modern times.

• There is another extreme - this is limited to only white. Snow-white ceiling, floor and walls, like in a hospital room. It is recommended to consider shades of white: from light gray to ivory.

• Lack of functional areas. To make your stay comfortable, it is recommended to strengthen the perception of where the kitchen is and where the bedroom is.

Now that we have an understanding of the basic styles and the problems shown, we can look at several examples of their implementation.

Do-it-yourself insulation of balcony walls step by step

Why are houses built without balconies - in order to achieve maximum cheapness of the house at the design stage. After the cracks are closed and waterproofing is carried out, you need to treat the walls, floor and ceiling with a penetrating primer, which will remove dust from the concrete monoliths. Priming can be done either with a brush or with a spray. You can continue work only after the priming liquid has completely dried. This will take approximately 6 hours.

After this, we proceed directly to installation. Let's use penoplex as insulation. In order to secure it, you need to apply polyurethane foam around the perimeter of the slab, wait a few seconds and press it against the wall. Nothing else is needed, the penoplex will be securely fastened. It is important to remember that the slab must be immediately adjusted to size; once it is glued, it will no longer be possible to trim it accurately. All other work will follow a similar pattern. It is better to install penoplex in 2 layers with offset joints to avoid the occurrence of cold bridges between the plates. Additionally, you can strengthen the insulation with dowels with wide heads so that it holds more firmly.

Why are houses built without balconies? Nowadays, even in the most economical apartments, balconies are certainly included. Their presence makes a huge impact on consumer demand and housing costs. After the installation stage is completed, you will need to install a vapor barrier layer. It is necessary to avoid moisture condensation inside the heat insulator. It is best to use vapor-permeable polymer membranes for this purpose, or, as an option, a heat insulator with a foil layer.

Modern design of a studio apartment with one window: photo

A single-window room is considered small. When decorating it, a minimum of furniture is required. All styles will suit.

Basic Rules:

• the main functional areas are designated near the load-bearing wall;
• according to the standard, a relaxation room or a place for guests is located near the window;
• the bedroom is located in the far corner of the apartment and separate from the kitchen;
• There is a bathroom at the entrance.

On a note!

Focus on the color scheme of the style. Light colors visually increase the space. Areas far from the window are additionally illuminated. It is better to use compact floor lamps rather than bulky lamps.

Design is an important point

No construction is complete without a design procedure. If there is no balcony, and the owner wants to build one, the first step is to draw up a sketch of the future balcony. At the same time, we must not forget that the design must be harmoniously combined with the overall facade of the building. For design, a drawing is created, from which in the future it will be possible to easily calculate the amount of consumables.

Any construction begins with drawing up a project

Nowadays there are a lot of computer programs that allow you to create a project and see the future design in 3D images.

The ideal option is to use the services of a competent and professional architect or builder, because the main thing is not only beauty, but also the strength and durability of the structure.