You can remove the threshold of the balcony door

Not so long ago, metal-plastic doors were installed only on balconies. With the development of technology, wider and more reliable profiles have appeared, allowing them to be used as entrances to private houses and cottages. They do not have the main disadvantages of wooden doors - they do not swell from moisture, do not require regular renewal of the paintwork, and can look exactly the same or completely different - it’s up to your taste. Of course, they cannot compare with the reliability of metal entrance doors, but in cottages and private houses such a safety margin is not needed. Firstly, you can get in through the windows. They are no smaller now. Secondly, fences, gates and gates protect the territory. So plastic entrance doors are a completely justified choice. Especially when you consider that they have many advantages and not very many disadvantages.

Plastic entrance doors can be part of the entrance group - with windows on the sides

Why do you need a threshold under the balcony door?

It all depends on the type of your house, or more precisely on the type of your balcony.

Note: We must understand that in houses there are balconies and loggias that are different from them.

A loggia, unlike a balcony, is a structure of a house, and the floor of the loggia is an external or built-in part of the ceiling. A balcony is a separate cantilever structure that is connected to the structure of the house and is subject to bending load.

Related article: How to choose a kitchen door so you don’t regret it later

The bending load on the balcony slab is compensated by the vertical load of the upper floor slab, which includes the balcony threshold, or by supporting consoles or beams.

Conclusion 1. The threshold of a balcony door can be part of the design of a bend-compensating balcony slab.

But here, too, not everything is simple. I will show you a drawing of four types of balconies.

Rice. (c) and (d) we see that the balcony slab is external, but is supported from below.
In Fig. (b) we see that the balcony slab is a continuation of the floor slab.
In Fig. (a), we see that the balcony slab is remote and is supported only by the upper outer slab of the house on the next floor.

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Of these structures, it is the balcony structure in Fig. (a) that is most vulnerable when the balcony threshold is demolished.

Conclusion 2. If your balcony is an external slab with a joint somewhere under the threshold, you should not dismantle the threshold, this will weaken the strength of the structure.

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Important points when choosing an entrance door

When choosing a PVC entrance door, you need to pay attention to important qualities:

1. Reliability. When choosing an entrance door design, security is of paramount importance, namely, the door’s anti-burglary properties. Plastic doors meet the highest burglary resistance requirements, providing protection up to class RC 3 (European standards), which corresponds to the Russian burglary resistance class PV 3.

2. Adjustment options (hinges, lock). Wide possibilities for adjusting the fittings are necessary to maintain the door in working condition for many years.

3. Possibility to install a door closer. This is a convenient option that allows the door to close smoothly on its own. Protects against the entry of mosquitoes and any other insects in case the door is forgotten to be closed, and there is no need to slam the door, shaking the whole house. It is worth remembering here that the wider the profile and glass unit, the heavier the door. The weight of a 70 mm wide sash with a double-glazed window is about 80 kg, and a 58 mm wide sash with a single-chamber double-glazed window is about 60 kg. The cotton of such a heavy weight will be felt by the whole house.

4. Mosquito net. Sometimes it is necessary to leave the front door open during the warm season. A mosquito net will be a very useful option in protecting against mosquitoes, midges and other small insects. Also, it will protect against fluff during the poplar flowering season.

5. Privacy . If you need to protect your home from prying eyes, you can choose door glazing in the form of double-glazed windows with mirror glass or an opaque decorative panel.

6. Features of installation in a house made of wooden beams. A house made of wooden beams shrinks over time. Therefore, the door in such a house must be mounted not in the opening, but in the casing (frame) of the correct thickness.

Balcony threshold and warmth in the apartment

In addition to strength, the threshold serves, according to design theory, to block cold air flows from the street into the apartment.

This threshold assignment, by definition, does not bother us. If there is an idea to demolish the threshold, then the balcony will certainly be insulated, and you should not expect freezing from the side of your balcony. If under your balcony there is a “bare” balcony that is not insulated or even glazed, then the demolished threshold from the lower floor may freeze. If you suspect the possibility of freezing, consider insulating the floor structure.

Pros and cons of a plastic entrance door

Advantages:

Flexible manufacturing technology, which allows you to make PVC entrance doors of any configuration, color, design.
Good protection against cold/heat.
Various opening systems.
Can be used in hot and cold climates.
They do not respond to changes in humidity.
Provide good protection from noise and dust.
Alarm compatible.
Possibility of installing locks of any complexity - conventional and with closure in all directions.
Requires minimal maintenance and is easy to clean.

Of all the advantages, the decisive one is often that you can order plastic entrance doors according to your own design. Without any restrictions. Another plus is the possibility of implementing a swing or sliding system. The sliding system fits perfectly with French windows. The glazing area and they practically do not differ from windows, as a result we get a very harmonious solution. This way they provide access to the terrace, garden, or backyard. Other materials do not provide this opportunity - they are not compatible with the sliding system.

Sliding plastic entrance doors are a great way to create access to the terrace, garden or backyard

Despite all the advantages, plastic entrance doors have disadvantages:

High price.
Difficult to install.
Not very high resistance to burglary.

Most questions arise during installation. To increase reliability, a metal reinforcing plate is installed around the perimeter of the doorway. This also increases the complexity of installation. In addition, it is necessary to comply with technology that provides a high degree of heat and sound insulation. All this makes installation more difficult.

Is it possible to remove the threshold of a balcony door, conclusions

Balcony without a threshold
The correct way to answer this question, is it possible to remove the threshold of a balcony door, is simple.

1. Removing a threshold is a change in the structure of the house, possibly the supporting structure, which means you need permission, or at least approval for such a redevelopment. The approval authorities will look at the structure of the house and say whether the threshold can be demolished or not. 2.Option two. If you see that the threshold is clearly decorative (made of wood or brick), feel free to demolish it and make a single-level floor in the room and balcony. 3.Option three. If the threshold is not high, raise the floor level in the room and on the balcony to the level of the threshold. To facilitate the construction of the floor, use dry (such as Knauf superfloor) rather than wet cement screed.

If it is not possible to remove the threshold of the balcony door or it is very high, there are many options to beat it using various finishing materials.

PS I put this article in the “Kitchen Doors” section, because in the next article I will still tell you how to remove the threshold to the balcony and combine the kitchen and balcony.

©Remont-kuxni.ru

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Types of balcony doors and their possible configurations

In general, the choice of balcony doors is not that great.

Single door

This is the most common type of door - single-leaf, connected to a window in one balcony block.

Types of single-leaf balcony doors:

By type of opening:

Swivel - opens only wide open. The cost of such a door measuring 750x2100 mm from a 5-chamber profile with a 2-chamber double-glazed window and I-glass is 9,900 rubles. The downside is that it is inconvenient to ventilate a room with a hinged door.
Tilt and turn – swing opening and tilting for ventilation. Even if you do not plan to ventilate the room using a balcony door, choose a swing-out opening. On such structures, metal fittings are placed on at least three sides, which means that the door will work without sagging. The cost of a door with a similar configuration is 10,700 rubles - the difference is 800 rubles, and the convenience is much greater.

In opening direction:

Inside the apartment is a standard option that is used almost by default. When opened, the door “eats” the usable area of the room, which can be inconvenient in small rooms.
Outside onto the balcony - this opening allows you to use the space of the room more efficiently; you can place furniture close to the opening, but you need space on the balcony to open the door. You need to specify where the door will open at the ordering stage; simply turning a regular door over won’t work, because the handle will end up on the balcony. This is a non-standard door, so production times may increase.

For a door opening outward onto the balcony, you need to consider:

Such a door is easy to break into because the glazing bead (the profile holding the glass unit) can be easily removed, and it will be located on the side of the balcony. If there is a possibility that strangers can get onto the balcony, then such a door is actually an open apartment.
The external opening handle on the sash will have a different shape from other window handles and the choice of colors is small, most often only white and brown.
A mosquito net cannot be placed on the door opening onto the balcony.

The presence of a lintel (impost) in the balcony door:

A sash with one or more horizontal lintels (imposts)

Many manufacturers strongly recommend making a balcony door with a lintel, and from a height of 2100 mm they do not even give guarantees for the door if there is no lintel or offer to make a blind opening on top. This is a disguised saving by the manufacturer on reinforcement - the thinner the reinforcement, the lower the guaranteed height of the sash at the door and the more rigidly the manufacturer requires the installation of the lintel. If you are limited when ordering, you should consider another company.

Photo: balcony door with 2 horizontal lintels and 1-leaf window. Lintels reduce the attractiveness of an all-glass door, © stroi.mos.ru

Photo: a completely glass door looks stylish, airy and visually expands the room, but the lintel interferes with the view. Order doors without lintels, © oknamedia.ru

Balcony door without lintels with double glazed windows

Doors without lintels look more stylish and visually increase the space. The room becomes lighter and airier. For such a door, it is better to choose a more reliable tilt-and-turn opening to prevent sagging. Thicker reinforcement of 1.5 mm is also required so that the sash does not lose its shape or bend. Such a door will be 1500-2000 rubles more expensive. When ordering, make sure that the manufacturer provides a warranty on the door.

Photo: if you add to a completely glass balcony door a blind window without lintels, which “eats up” the minimum light opening, the balcony block will be visually lighter, and there will be more natural light in the room, © depositphotos.com The price will be a couple of thousand cheaper, since there is no sash in a blind window. But in this case, the balcony door must be made with a ventilation function so as not to suffocate from the heat.

To fill the opening:

You can install a double-glazed window, a sandwich panel, or a combination of both in your balcony door.

Sandwich panel is a completely opaque filling. Suitable when the previous option is not possible. It should be noted that a sandwich panel is much lighter than a double-glazed window and there will be less impact on the fittings of such a door, and even a swing door will work without problems.

Photo: double-glazed window + sandwich combination: transparent double-glazed window on top, opaque sandwich below. The option is the most familiar, but the appearance, of course, is not for everybody, if you need to hide the contents of the balcony, © oknamedia.ru The only reason for refusing the glass option is privacy.

Photo: when the door stands separate from the window and is not covered with curtains, and the windows of the neighboring house are too close, you have to make it opaque, © oknamedia.ru

Double door

Wide balcony doors with two leaves are not often found. But if you are the lucky owner of a wide balcony exit, then you have additional opportunities to make the doors modern and fashionable.

Double-leaf door

A hinged door allows you to fully open the opening without unnecessary jumpers in the middle. Thanks to a movable frame profile, which is screwed to one of the sashes and opens with it.

Photo: when choosing a hinged door, you need to understand that one part of the door can be tilted for ventilation, and the second will only be rotary, © depositphotos.com The opening and glazing capabilities are the same as for a single-leaf door.

Advantages of hinged doors:

Completely free opening with open sashes, without vertical lintel
This is the most economical option for a double-leaf panoramic door, only 10% more expensive than a regular one.

Disadvantages of hinged doors:

Their installation is possible only in an opening wider than 1200 mm;
The sashes require free space within the opening radius;
The working sash clings to the passive one, therefore, to open the opening, first one part of it opens and only after that the second;
Not all window companies know how to install them correctly, which is why air leaks sometimes appear.

Sliding door

The doors in sliding doors move parallel to the frame on special runners.

Pros of sliding doors:

Space saving (ergonomics) - for apartments where every centimeter counts - this is a very convenient method of opening that saves space;
Beautiful panoramic appearance, which immediately makes the interior fashionable;
Sliding doors are recommended to be installed if it has been possible to agree on the removal of the window sill block under the window;

Photo: doors of standard height (2100-2200 mm) do not require horizontal lintels, even with a leaf width of up to 1.5 meters, © oknamedia.ru Disadvantages of sliding doors:

Higher cost compared to a sliding door - depending on the model, a sliding door costs 1.5-2.5 times more.
The width of the opening must be at least 1.5 meters,
Only half of the opening opens; the sash slides into the other half.

Types of valves

Plastic doors can open towards the street or towards themselves, depending on the type of leaf. The door shutter beads are located on the inside. It is recommended to install interior doors with Z-shaped doors, and entrance doors with T-type doors.

T-fold - away from you

Z-leaf - inward

Overview of sliding systems

Some sliding systems are described below, indicating their application, advantages and most important characteristics.

Sliding doors Provedal

Provedal aluminum windows have proven themselves well in “cold” glazing of unheated rooms. Sliding doors and partitions of this system are used indoors, since the aluminum profile is classified as “cold”, and use as a balcony door is only possible if the balcony is insulated and heated.

Advantages:

lightness and rigidity;
almost silent movement along the guides;
long service life;
the ability to manufacture structures of any complexity;
painting in any color from the RAL palette.

Threshold to the balcony in monolithic houses

Currently, monolithic construction is predominant in Moscow, for example. Perhaps the situation with construction is similar in many other Russian cities.

If you live in a monolithic house, then, in principle, you are lucky with a balcony threshold. Because this threshold there is mainly endowed with only a decorative function. That is, from a constructive point of view, it does not play a big role. As a result, obtaining permission for the appropriate redevelopment of work, as a rule, will not be possible.

Threshold made of metal profile

In some cases, when it comes to arranging a door threshold of a complex (not rectilinear) shape, it is necessary to use a metal profile used for installing plasterboard and waterproof plasterboard with a thickness of at least 10 mm. No preparation of the base is required, except for cleaning it from excess construction debris and dust.

According to the pattern, or markings on the floor, a metal profile is mounted to the base, screwed to the concrete base with self-tapping screws into a dowel or anchors, then vertical posts of the required height are installed, fastened to the profile by means of fastening units and metal screws, and then the upper horizontal one, symmetrical to the lower one, circuit. It should be taken into account that the threshold will be under constant load, therefore the number of fasteners and the frequency of their location when arranging the threshold should be increased by at least 3 times, compared with the recommended frequency of their use when facing plasterboard walls or ceilings.

For additional thermal insulation, the space between the concrete base and the upper plasterboard panel of the threshold is filled with mineral wool or filled with expanded clay gravel. If the threshold being installed has curved lines, the facing of the end surfaces should be made of ordinary (non-moisture-resistant) plasterboard 5 mm thick, previously soaked in water, to give it flexibility. After installation, the end part of the threshold should be puttied with oil-adhesive putty to impart water-repellent properties.

Preparatory work

If there is a decision to install a new balcony door, then this event begins with drawing up a plan - what the wall with the balcony door should look like after the changes, what needs to be done for this. You can update the design within the existing opening or change the opening to suit a fresh idea. Purchase a door block for the balcony of the appropriate type.

If you are planning to install metal-plastic windows, then we recommend you our article about installing PVC windows yourself. It presents all stages of work.

We told you how to beautifully decorate a loggia door with curtains here. Design tips and examples with photos.

What needs to be done when the redevelopment is completed

After completing the repairs, the apartment owner must contact the MFC again. To submit an application for registration of an act for completed reconstruction.

Having received this application, housing inspectorate employees contact the applicant, usually by telephone, to determine the date of the inspection. Moreover, the verification itself consists of comparing the completed redevelopment with what was previously defined in the design documentation.

If the entire complex of work performed corresponds to the project, then the housing inspectorate employees draw up an act on the completion of the redevelopment and on the redevelopment carried out in this way.

After this, the BTI representative takes measurements of the apartment in order to then make all changes to the relevant technical documentation.

Rehau Blitz Design solution available to everyone

A classic three-chamber profile system that reliably retains heat in the room and serves as protection from street noise; two sealing circuits prevent drafts, moisture and dust from entering the room. The profile is suitable for the manufacture of balcony door blocks.

60 mm System depth

32 mm Maximum glass thickness

25 dB Noise Insulation Level

2.8 mm wall thickness

0.70 Heat transfer resistance, m 2 x ° C/W

We will calculate the cost of your doors in 5 minutes

Do-it-yourself installation of plastic doors

Plastic doors are popular due to their practicality, affordable cost, aesthetic qualities and high tightness. They are durable, do not require complex maintenance, and can be used in any technical and climatic conditions. Do-it-yourself installation of a plastic door is available to most buyers, which can significantly save money.

Where to start?

Installation of plastic doors, like any other type of work of a similar profile, should begin with the preparation of the doorway. In addition, the plastic structure itself will need to be prepared for installation.

Most often, there is no need to expand or narrow the doorway, since plastic structures are made according to the dimensions provided by the customer and fit perfectly to the selected opening. If you made a mistake with the dimensions, the opening can be adjusted so as not to order a new door. If it is occupied by an old structure, it will need to be dismantled in any case; it is also necessary to prepare the walls. To do this, remove excess plaster, dust, dirt, and prime the surface.

Options for installing a plastic box in an opening

Installation of plastic doors has a certain algorithm of work. You will not be able to position the door correctly when assembled, since it is heavy and is likely to warp. Most often, the manufacturer supplies the doors either assembled or does not insert a double-glazed window for ease of transportation. Before installation, you will need to remove the door leaf from the frame, after which you can begin installing the fasteners; you will need to screw the hinges to the frame.

If the doorway is prepared, you can begin installing the frame; without a door it will be light in weight and easy to adjust and tilt. Installing PVC doors and securing them can be done in several ways:

On special brackets located on the reverse side of the structure. For them, the box may have special grooves. If there are no grooves, you can use anchors; to do this, you will need to drill through the box. This method has certain disadvantages, since it weakens the reinforced part of the structure, and if installed improperly, the frame can move.

Advice: such installation of plastic doors and windows can damage the structure and render it unusable, so it is better to trust it to professionals.

Another disadvantage of this installation is that the fasteners will be noticeable, so the appearance of the structure will suffer significantly. At least three mounting brackets will be required on each side of the door frame.

The second, more convenient method, available not only to professionals, but also to amateurs, which will not harm the door structure, is to secure the frame to polyurethane foam. When using this method, you will have to wait until the foam dries and hardens. The frame itself should be placed on special stands, thanks to which it can be leveled before the foam dries, even during operation. However, polyurethane foam requires additional protection from the external environment; at a minimum, it must be plastered.