An unglazed balcony often becomes a problem for many residents of city apartments, especially if they are located on floors above the fifth. Most often this is due to the fact that all precipitation accumulates on the balcony, which means it is simply impossible to fully use it during the rainy season or winter. But additional usable space in the conditions of small Khrushchev apartments is of great value. So how to properly glaze a balcony so that it can serve not only as a smoking room or storage room, but also as a relaxation area, flower garden or work space?
Design Features
The Khrushchev balcony is a simple design. It is a platform fixed to beams with railings. The reinforced concrete slab is built into the wall. To glaze a balcony in a Khrushchev-era building, you must first determine the degree of wear and tear. If there are many cracks on the slab, then it is impossible to do without strengthening. After all, with glazing the load on the slab will increase even more. Strengthening is usually done using reinforcing mesh or cement screed. Also worth considering:
- Condition of the railings. They are usually extremely unreliable and are not suitable as a basis for glazing. Therefore, it is better to simply remove them.
- Small dimensions. The balcony in such houses is usually very small, so there is no need to further reduce the area with massive glazing.
If the fences cannot be removed and replaced with new ones, they must be further strengthened.
Warm and cold glazing
There are two main types of glazing for Khrushchev-era balconies - warm and cold.
- Cold glazing. The main advantage of this type is the ease of construction, since for this purpose either frameless glazing or with a lightweight aluminum profile is usually used. But there is also a significant drawback - in the cold season, the temperature on the balcony will only slightly exceed the street temperature.
- Warm glazing. As the name suggests, this type of glazing provides a comfortable temperature on the balcony all year round. However, insulating walls and using multi-chamber double-glazed windows makes the structure much heavier, which can become a significant problem.
Last but not least, the interior design.
What look to give to the balcony inside depends on the taste and financial capabilities of the owners. But it is worth noting that there are many design options that will suit Khrushchev. As for the floor, you should not make the structure heavier with ceramic tiles; it is better to resort to using lighter linoleum.
Moreover, modern stores offer a wide selection of goods. Decorate the walls by choosing the desired color of wallpaper, lining, cork panels, or buy several cans of paint and create your own design pattern on the walls. Regarding the ceiling, it can be decorated with clapboard or painted in a tone that is harmonious with the color of the walls.
Selection of material and features of working with it
When glazing a balcony, you need to choose the frame material. The most popular in this regard are: wood, aluminum, plastic. Each of them has its own advantages, as well as disadvantages.
Plastic
Metal-plastic is often used for warm glazing of Khrushchev-era balconies. It has excellent thermal insulation and sound insulation properties, but at the same time it weighs quite a lot.
If the slab is in good condition, then you can, after consulting with a specialist about this, glazing with plastic panels. The optimal solution for this purpose would be to install double-glazed windows with a minimum of opening elements, because a blind window weighs less.
Tree
Wood is an eco-friendly, breathable, natural material. In addition, it looks very aesthetically pleasing. As for the disadvantages, wood constantly requires maintenance, expands and contracts with changing weather conditions, and can absorb moisture excessively. In short, if you glass a balcony with wood, the process can cause a lot of trouble.
Aluminum
Very light, durable and reliable material. However, aluminum profile glazing does not provide sufficient thermal insulation. But if you decide to make cold glazing, then the aluminum profile will be the best option.
How to glaze a balcony in a Khrushchev building yourself
If you are going to install the frames yourself, we recommend choosing wooden profiles for this, as they are easier to handle. The construction of the frame to which the box with frames will be attached is a very important moment. The quality of the rest of the work may depend on how correctly it is done, so all guides are set exactly to the level. The fastening of all profiles and bars must be rigid and reliable.
The side walls of the balcony do not have to be equipped with casement windows; most often they are made blank, and to ventilate the balcony or hang laundry to dry, the front part of the glazing is sufficient. The side walls can be made opaque, for example, from plastic or wood, and if the condition of the balcony allows, they can be made of lightweight wall materials. In this case, the balcony can be used as a small independent room for relaxation or other purposes.
Balcony glazing with metal-plastic
Frame and frameless glazing
In addition to glazing with plastic, wood or aluminum profiles, there is also a frameless option. In this case, the load on the slab will be as minimal as possible. The glass is mounted on special guide profiles. So all windows open sliding type (which saves space significantly). It would seem like an ideal option. However, there is one “but”: to attach the guide profiles you need a perfectly horizontal surface. And the installation process will be much more difficult.
In this sense, glazing a balcony with frames is much simpler: there is no need to so carefully align the horizontal and vertical lines, and installation will take much less time.
Bedside table or wardrobe for the Khrushchev balcony
Type of furniture | Price |
Chipboard bedside table | 5000 rub |
Chipboard cabinet | from 7500 rub |
Aluminum profile cabinet | 6500 rub. |
Aluminum profile cabinet | from 11,000 rub. |
Calculation and measurements
Before you begin glazing a Khrushchev-era balcony, you must carefully take all measurements. Of course, theoretically, you can use standard measurements from the technical passport of the apartment. But in practice, significant errors may occur (up to 10-15 cm), so it is better to take all measurements manually. Measure the height and width of the balcony at several points. Minimum values must be specified. It is also worth considering the following nuances:
- The height is measured from the edge of the parapet to the roof.
- The tape measure must be installed strictly vertically.
- Measurements must be taken every meter - at least.
The length is measured from one edge of the parapet to the opposite. The tape measure must be positioned strictly horizontally. From the smallest result, 6 cm is subtracted for MPO and 4 cm during installation.
Improving the strength of slabs before glazing
The concrete slab is one of the weak points of balconies in Khrushchev-era buildings, therefore, before starting glazing, it is better to strengthen it using one of the methods below.
Installation of reinforcement mesh
This method is used if the slab is severely damaged. The essence of the method is as follows: steel wire with a diameter of 5 mm is taken and a mesh is assembled from it. After this, the slab is thoroughly cleaned, the mesh is installed on the slab and poured with concrete.
If the slab is so damaged that it literally collapses under your feet, it is better to give up trying to strengthen it yourself and use the services of specialists.
Screed with cement
This method will help get rid of small cracks and other minor damage. The screed is performed like this:
- The slab is cleaned and leveled with cement.
- The next layer of cement is laid with a slope of 1-2 degrees.
- Next, iron plating is performed using dry cement.
- Then the surface is leveled with a trowel.
In a few days everything will dry and be ready for further repair work.
Interior finishing and seam sealing
Interior decoration mainly serves a thermal insulation and aesthetic function. The process is performed in several steps:
- Sealing seams. When glazing there are always cracks, gaps and seams - this is absolutely normal. But they need to be sealed with sealant (most often, ordinary polyurethane foam is used for this purpose).
- Waterproofing of internal surfaces. The simplest option here would be sheets of roofing felt, but other materials can be used. For example, stekloizol, isol, polypropylene, etc.
- Internal thermal insulation. At this stage you will need insulation. They need to cover all surfaces - floor, walls, ceiling. The ideal solution would be polystyrene foam - it provides good thermal insulation, is inexpensive, lightweight and easy to install.
Features of glazing a balcony on the top floor
If you need to glaze a balcony on the top floor, then roofing will also be added to the glazing work (since in Khrushchev-era buildings on the balconies of the upper floor there is often no roof, and there is no upper balcony slab). The design can be dependent or independent. The first option is easier to implement, but such a roof must be covered with galvanized corrugated material. An independent roof can be made of any roofing material, but its installation will be more difficult.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the correct angle of the roof and obtaining all necessary permits for roof reconstruction work. Often these permits are given without problems, since Khrushchev buildings do not represent historical or architectural value.
Balcony glazing with extension
To make a small Khrushchev-era balcony at least a little more spacious, so-called “glazing with extension” is often performed. For this purpose, special frames are installed that do not run strictly vertically in relation to the base plate, but rather diagonally. Everything is done as follows:
- The “original” metal fence is cut to zero.
- A new metal frame is installed with a projection of up to 50 cm.
- A window frame is mounted on the edge of the structure. The ledge will serve as the basis for the window sill.
- Further glazing is carried out according to the standard scheme: waterproofing, insulation, vapor barrier, internal and external decorative finishing, etc.
Please note that glazing a balcony in a Khrushchev-era building with an extension can only be done if the base slab is in good condition, since the total weight of the structure will be quite large.
You can learn more about the intricacies of glazing and other repair work on the balcony in the video below.
Removal of glazing
Windows are one of the key structural elements, so we will begin the dismantling process with them. Here everything depends a lot on the material:
- Wooden windows. Most often you have to deal with just these, because most often dismantling of old balconies made of wood is carried out. In this case, the first step is to remove the window sill, then the window sashes. Following this, the frame racks are cut out, the window frame is knocked out, and the overall frame is removed. The difficulty of dismantling wooden frames largely depends on the condition and thickness of the wood: flimsy slats are much easier to knock out than good, thick timber. But if you put in a little more effort, everything will definitely work out.
Please note: Cold glazing of a balcony: pros and cons, ideas and options
- Plastic windows. PVC structures today can be found on every second balcony. They are light, safe and durable, but they also need to be repaired and replaced from time to time. Here the principle is slightly different: it all starts with the doors. You won't be able to cope here alone - you will need an assistant. First, the pins are removed, and then the sash. You have to be very careful with the window opening: the plastic can crack from too intense loads. Therefore, you need to act very slowly and carefully. If you plan to reuse these sashes, it is better to entrust the dismantling process to a specialist who will not only carefully remove the frame, but also leave all the glass intact. If you decide to throw away the frames, you can afford to be a little less careful. But it’s also not worth breaking everything into pieces.
- Aluminum construction. The simplest option. First of all, the fastening is removed, and then the entire window. This is done using one crowbar - no other tools are required. The aluminum profile is pryed up, lifted, and then pushed inside the apartment. In addition, the weight of an aluminum structure is much less than that made from other materials. This means that it will be much easier to deal with it.
