How to add a balcony on the first floor of a multi-storey building in 2022?

In many old apartment buildings, residents living on the first floors do not have balconies.

But this is a useful place where you can dry things, store food, plant plants, and just relax in the fresh air.

That is why many residents of the first floors are interested in how to add a balcony on the first floor of a multi-storey building and whether this can be done legally in 2022?

Types of balconies and methods for their extension

Before figuring out how to build a balcony on the first floor, you should choose the type of balcony:

hinged - built on supports and brackets. A stone, concrete, monolithic or brick support is placed under the base. The floor is being installed, the walls are being removed. Often with this method of extension, the entrance to the apartment is made through the balcony on the first floor;
attached - done on the foundation. It is recommended to make such a balcony if the distance to the ground is small. If the height to the first floor is decent, then you should think about adding a hanging balcony. In an attached balcony, the entrance is usually made from inside the apartment.

The procedure for legally adding a balcony to an apartment

The most difficult thing in installing a balcony on the ground floor is to obtain permission from the local administration and the consent of all the owners living in the residential building that they are not against the neighbor using part of the common property to build an additional extension to the balcony.

To register a legal extension to an apartment, you must go through a number of steps:

Stage 1. Obtaining consent from all owners of an apartment building for redevelopment

To ensure that the owner does not have problems with the constructed balcony on the first floor in the future, he needs to initiate a meeting at which to raise the issue of the planned construction of the building.

It is important to collect all the signatures of the neighbors, indicating that they are not against the neighbor building a balcony on their common territory.

Stage 2. Preparation of project documentation

Before contacting the city/settlement administration, you must order a project for the future balcony from an architectural bureau . The finished project should be agreed upon with the supervisory authorities: water utility, gas service.

If necessary, you will have to pay for the transfer of communications (for example, if a gas pipe runs along the wall).

Stage 3. Contacting the local administration

How to get permission to add a balcony in 2022? To do this, the owner of the apartment must contact the construction department of the district administration with a certain package of documents. It is advisable to inquire in advance about what documents need to be collected from the relevant department (department) of the local administration.

The required package of documents must include the following papers:

application for redevelopment;
project of the future balcony;
a document confirming ownership of the apartment;
certificate from the BTI;
documents confirming the approval of future construction with public utilities;
photos of the house;
written consent of neighbors.

An application for redevelopment can be considered by local authorities within 45 days. If the municipality has approved the application of a resident of an apartment building, then he can begin building a balcony according to the provided project.

Stage 4. Construction of the balcony

When the balcony project is approved and agreed upon, and the municipality gives the applicant the go-ahead to build an extension, then he can start building the balcony himself or using the services of builders. After construction, it is necessary to issue a certificate of commissioning of the facility.

Stage 5. Registration of property rights

When the balcony is erected, the owner must again appear at the municipality with papers . Specialists can go to the site and inspect how the balcony was built, whether it was built according to the project or not.

If everything was done correctly, then the applicant can go to Rosreestr with documents to make changes to the technical documentation for the apartment.

How to legally build a balcony on the first floor?

The most difficult stage of adding a balcony to an apartment on the first floor is, oddly enough, preparation for construction. It includes obtaining the necessary permits and developing the project.

An approximate procedure for preparing for the extension of a balcony:

Obtaining neighbors' consent. Often it is at this stage that a problem arises for which it is difficult to come to a compromise. The main thing here is to convince the other residents of the house that the presence of a balcony near your apartment will not in any way affect the appearance of the building itself, the surrounding area, or the strength of the house.
Prepare a design for the balcony itself. It must take into account all technological and architectural solutions, as well as SNiP standards.
Take photographs of the part of the territory where the balcony is supposed to be built.
To obtain official consent, it is necessary to submit all of the above documents to the technical inventory bureau, as well as pay a certain state fee.
In addition, you will need permits from Rospotrebnadzor, state fire supervision, the city department of culture and public utilities.
The next step after project approval is to apply to local authorities to obtain a building permit.

The easiest way in this case is not to try to deal with all the paperwork yourself, but to contact a law firm that provides services for coordinating construction and redevelopment. This solution will significantly save you money and nerves.

There are cases when residents are refused permission for such construction. This may be due to the fact that:

According to the project, the balcony will be located on the front side of the building, and not from the yard;
If there are various communications in the immediate vicinity;
If the building is in disrepair and the extension may cause serious damage.

But such nuances are quite rare, and most often it is possible to obtain the necessary package of documents, although not always quickly.

Price issue

Apartment owners who want to make an extension to the balcony are concerned with the question: “How much does it cost to add a balcony on the first floor?” There is no specifically established figure, since much depends on the choice of certain materials, on the number of windows, and on the complexity of the design.

The cost of adding a balcony, in addition to the construction itself, includes the following expenses:

services for developing a balcony project - different design organizations have their own prices, the amount of which can be found out from the designer;
services of intermediary companies - if the customer resorts to the services of third parties;
costs associated with uprooting trees (if it is necessary to remove plantings that interfere with the installation of a balcony). For cutting each tree you will have to pay from 150 to 350 dollars (depending on height, diameter, tree species).

On average, you will have to pay 100 thousand rubles to add a balcony in Russia in 2022.

Choosing a constructive solution

Extension of a balcony on the first and second floors can be done using various technologies.

The attached structure is placed on its own or pile foundation. It is convenient because it does not create excessive load on the base vertical partition. When planning such a structure, it is necessary to correctly estimate the distance from the proposed floor to the ground surface - it should be small.
A hanging balcony on the ground floor as a support requires a high-quality mounted floor slab, fixed on brackets directly against the wall of the base building. In this case, before starting construction work, you will need to carefully check the vertical partition for strength and ability to safely bear the weight of the new structure.

Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. To make the right choice, you will need to competently evaluate each of them in the context of a specific future location.

Instructions for constructing an attached balcony

The main difficulty in the case of designing an attached balcony is the preparation of a reliable foundation.

“Lightweight” column and pile options are reliable and durable. Their advantage is the presence of free space that remains under the load-bearing slab. The neighbors may well like this option, since the unoccupied space can be decorated with a blooming flowerbed or a neat green lawn.

Arranging a columnar foundation allows you to leave the area under the balcony free Source xp6.ru

A solid strip foundation looks massive in appearance, but together with the balcony it allows you to prepare a spacious cellar for your own use. It is inexpensive and ensures safe distribution of the mass of the structure over the soil thickness.

The initial step in adding an attached balcony is the installation of the foundation of the selected type. The laying depth is calculated taking into account the nature of freezing of the base mass and the expected load depending on the weight of the new object. Its length must coincide with that for the foundation of the house.

The points that will become the corners of the new building are marked with stakes (beacons). Between them, threads or cables are pulled out level. The volume of excavation work carried out further is directly determined by the selected type of foundation:

pits are needed to organize a columnar foundation;
To fill the strip base, a continuous recess in the form of a trench is required.

Building a balcony on a foundation implies the need to perform a large amount of excavation work. Source stroyday.ru
Once all the preliminary work is completed, the craftsman will only have to build the foundation frame and fill it with concrete. After the material has dried thoroughly, it is possible to move on to the next stage of construction - creating the balcony itself.

Monolithic slabs and wooden logs are used as the basis for the future structure. The final “chord” is the assembly of the walls, the finishing of the new room, and its glazing.

Legal extension

In order not to take risks and not think about how to legitimize an already erected balcony, you should not start construction before obtaining permission from local authorities.

If the construction has already been carried out without permits, then in order to legalize it, you will need to contact the municipality again with a corresponding application.

If the construction was carried out in accordance with all norms and rules, then the extension will be legalized. But it often happens the other way around - the owner built the balcony himself, having no idea about the construction rules or standards.

How to decorate a balcony in this case? Maybe he won’t be able to get anything done - if he erected a balcony without following building rules and regulations. In this case, he may be required to demolish the building (according to Article 29 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation) and return the house to its previous appearance.

If the owner erected a balcony without permission, without contacting the competent authorities with this issue, then he may subsequently have problems with the sale or exchange of real estate.

Useful tips

You can attach a balcony not only on the first floor, but also on the second floor. An excellent option is when the neighbors below have already built an extension, and it will later serve as a support for the construction of a balcony on the second floor.
Before constructing a balcony, you must obtain permission from the management company, the local administration, as well as from all neighbors - owners of the apartment building.
Making a balcony project on your own is difficult. It’s better not to waste time, but to turn to specialists - designers who know how to properly build an extension.

Answers to questions on the topic

Do I need to obtain permission to create a cellar on the 1st floor balcony?

Agree that it is simple and convenient when there is a place in the apartment where you can store food in the winter. There is no need to go to the garage or go to the village to get pickles or potatoes. Therefore, many apartment owners strive to make a cellar under the first floor balcony.

Before digging a cellar under a balcony, you need to understand that the creation of this kind of premises requires mandatory approval from the local administration. After receiving approval, you can begin digging a hole and building a cellar.

Upon completion of construction, an acceptance certificate for the work performed should be issued. Then the finished work must be shown to a specialist from the local administration (he must check whether the cellar was built correctly, taking into account all the recommendations or not).

In the end, the apartment owner must contact Rosreestr and make changes to the total size of the living space, as well as to the apartment layout.

Extension of a balcony on the 1st floor in a panel house - is this possible?

Many residents of apartment buildings are interested in: “Is it legal to add a balcony on the first floor of a panel building?”

It is no coincidence that this question is asked, because a panel house differs from other types of houses (from a brick house) in that its construction has many load-bearing walls.

If the integrity of at least one wall is violated, this can lead to a decrease in the rigidity of the entire structure, and this will be contrary to building codes and regulations.

It is possible to attach a balcony to the 1st floor in a panel house, but provided that:

load-bearing walls will not be affected;
the owner of the apartment must coordinate the redevelopment process with the local administration;
When developing a balcony project, specialists must adhere to the design of the entire house.

What to do if a balcony extension is refused?

Who should I contact if, for unknown reasons, the local administration refused to add a balcony to the owner of an apartment on the 1st floor? In this case, the interested person can go to court and further try to prove his right to erect an additional building to the apartment.

Is it possible to legalize an already attached balcony?

What to do if the balcony has already been built without any approvals? What and how to do to legalize the construction so that the owner does not have problems with the property in the future?

In any case, the procedure does not change - the owner of the apartment must contact the local administration and inform them that he needs to arrange an attached balcony.

Competent employees of the department of architecture and urban planning must go to the site and inspect whether the extension was erected correctly, what specialists the apartment owner used, and whether these specialists had a license to carry out this type of activity.

The addition of a balcony on the ground floor falls into the category of apartment redevelopments . This means that without approval from the local administration, such a structure will be considered illegal.

To make a balcony on the ground floor, the owner needs to obtain the consent of the municipality, the management company, as well as all neighbors. It is impossible to carry out an extension on your own without knowledge of building rules and regulations.

To prevent the owner of the apartment from having problems with his housing in the future (he will not be able to sell it, exchange it, donate it, etc.), he needs to involve designers in the idea, obtain consent from the local administration for the construction of a balcony, and also enter the changed information about the apartment in Rosreestr.

Options for adding a balcony on the ground floor

Three main types of balconies can be attached to the first floor:

Suspension;
Attached (on a foundation or piles).

Suspended balcony on brackets
In the first case, the balcony floor slab is “suspended” on brackets that are attached directly to the wall of the building. At the same time, the larger the planned area of the balcony, the more supports will be needed. Such an extension requires a thorough check of the building wall for danger and the ability to take on the weight of the structure.

Attached balconies are built as if separately, on their own foundation. This option is possible if the distance from the ground to the required height of the balcony floors is small. There is no particular load on the wall of the house, but additional difficulties arise associated with the proper construction of the foundation. But at the same time as the balcony, you can build a cellar under it.

Extension balcony on stilts

A balcony that rests on piles or a columnar foundation also does not place much additional load on the wall of the building. Such a structure will be quite reliable and durable, while there will be free space under the balcony that can be used for growing a flower garden or laying a lawn - this fact can be an excellent argument when obtaining consent for construction from neighbors.

Let's take a closer look at each of the presented methods.

How to attach a suspended balcony on the first floor

Procedure for constructing a suspended balcony:

Supports for the base slab are attached to the wall of the building. They are metal corners with anchors.
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Then the frame base for the walls, floor and roof of the balcony is welded and attached.
Roofing work is being carried out.
The ceiling is made of either wood or a concrete slab. In the first case, the floor is carefully waterproofed and insulated in order to further use the attached balcony as a living space. For simpler purposes, a concrete floor is also suitable.
The entrance to the balcony is “cut” taking into account the location of the floor.
Next, the walls of the balcony are erected (from blocks or bricks) and finished on the outside, and double-glazed windows are installed.
The last stage is insulation and interior finishing of the balcony.

This option is the easiest to implement, since there is no need to carry out excavation work.

How to attach an attached balcony (on a foundation)

The beginning of construction in this case is laying the foundation. Most often, a strip foundation is used for attached balconies, since it is cheaper and at the same time allows for optimal load on the ground. But there is also an option with a columnar foundation or a balcony on stilts. The principle of constructing such balconies is generally the same.

The procedure for attaching a balcony to the foundation:

The depth of laying the foundation is determined, taking into account the characteristics of soil freezing, and the load on it is calculated based on the weight of the structure, and the type of foundation is determined.
Beacon pegs are driven into the corners of the future balcony, and a level rope is pulled between them.
The necessary earthworks are being carried out. If you plan to lay a strip foundation, a trench is dug around the perimeter; in the case of a columnar foundation, holes are dug.
The foundation frame is constructed and concrete is poured.
After some time, after the concrete has completely dried, a balcony frame is built, a floor slab or wooden logs are laid.
Walls are being erected, glazing and finishing of the balcony are being carried out.