Is the balcony included in the total area of ​​the apartment?

05/09/201608/10/2016 Olga Bilovitskaya

How to make a room out of a balcony and thereby provide yourself with additional meters? When remodeling a balcony, you need to take care of insulation and glazing; the room will be functional in winter and summer. Today there is a large selection of metal-plastic windows; when choosing them, it is worth considering that they must withstand severe frosts.

Windows for balconies and loggias are made of a wide profile, thanks to which the heat will be retained in the room even in temperatures as low as -30 degrees.

Windows are different

Mostly, developers install inexpensive windows in apartments in order to save money; such windows quickly deteriorate and fall apart after a few years. The quality of the fittings also plays an important role; the windows on the balcony often open and close; the frame must be of high quality. It is necessary to install double-glazed windows on bricks or blocks, and their height must be at least 95 centimeters; it is recommended to make the height 105 cm.

It’s better not to install windows yourself; invite specialists, they will do it efficiently and provide a guarantee for the windows.

Balcony insulation

You can insulate a balcony with your own hands, without the help of craftsmen. When the windows on the balcony are installed, it is necessary to treat the seams with sealant. The old insulation must be dismantled, and if there is none, the walls must be cleaned and prepared for work. If there are cracks and cracks on the surface of the walls, they must be foamed with foam. Do not spare money on polyurethane foam; low-quality material will not be able to withstand changes in temperature and moisture. Bad foam will crumble and the whole job will be ruined.

To insulate a balcony, you need to use polystyrene foam or mineral wool; there are many other materials, but in terms of price/quality ratio, these two are the most popular and durable.

How to attach the insulation:

• a layer of insulation is glued to the fence;
• make a lathing from wooden blocks, use metal corners to attach it to the ceiling and floor;
• the second layer of insulation is attached between the sheathing;
• decorate the balcony with plastic panels or clapboard.

Related article: Decorating a balcony using wallpaper: stylish finishing options and tips on choosing material

Next you need to insulate the floor, this is done in the same way as with the walls, or you can create a warm floor, but for this you need to call specialists. When all the insulation work has been done, you can begin decorating the balcony in the living room. From a balcony you can make an office or a playroom, a bedroom or a nursery, a library or a cinema room, there are many options, it all depends on your desire and its size.

It is prohibited by law to completely remove the partition between the balcony and the room and level the level with the floor, and it is also dangerous since there is a large load on the walls and big problems can arise.

You can increase the usable area by combining the space of the room with an adjacent balcony. This is done simply: just remove the window and door, then all that remains of the partition is a piece of the wall with the radiator, and the balcony will become part of the room. This wall can be converted into a bar counter or an original table.

Brick or panel house - what's the difference?

If the house is built of brick, then any construction engineer who owns the building plan will be able to accurately predict whether changes following the redevelopment will cause damage to the entire structure. In the panel rooms, everything is much sadder. When combining a room and a balcony, this same balcony can easily collapse if even the most minimal nuances are not taken into account.

That is why consultation with a specialist is necessary at the first stage of document preparation. How much it costs to combine a balcony and a room depends only on the size of the package of documents required for approval of the project. Everything else is a matter of technique.

Let's assume that all documents are collected, signed, certified and entered into the registers. Now you can get to work. Most likely, while running around the authorities, you have already been able to imagine the design of the future new desired premises. If not, then photographs of completed projects will give you the right idea.

But we will still outline the main provisions. First of all, in order for the temperature in the room to remain the same, it is necessary to completely insulate the balcony partitions. During the work on insulating the former balcony, the floor is also insulated, and a steam and waterproofing system is installed. Next, if the project allows it, they either remove some segment of the wall, or simply remove the window and door to the balcony.

Children's room from the balcony

For those who are interested in how to make a nursery out of a balcony, first of all you need to think about insulation and safety. You already know how to insulate a balcony, but to make it safe for curious children, you need to make a sheathing on the outside. To make it comfortable for a child to play on the balcony, it is necessary to install a warm floor. To do this, it is worth calling specialists, since due to an incorrectly installed system, problems may arise to eliminate which you will need to dismantle partially or even completely the floor covering.

Balcony combined with a room

There are several ways to combine a loggia with a room:

• dismantling windows and glazing the loggia, as well as insulating it, which ultimately gives an excellent and comfortable connected space for living and working;
• demolition of walls, which can significantly increase the space of the room. Also, such a merger will require the relocation of heating devices and other structures. It is better to entrust it to specialists who are able to calculate all the loads.

Naturally, combining a room and a balcony, especially if it is planned to dismantle the wall, is a complex redevelopment of the apartment, which requires obtaining permission from the relevant authorities. To do this, you will need to visit a number of offices and collect a lot of documents.

However, if you start combining work without first obtaining permission, you can get into trouble with the law if the combining process does not go as expected.

Options for combined balconies with a room

Color selection

When choosing how to make a nursery out of a balcony, it is important to pay attention to the color scheme. Balconies and loggias cannot boast of large sizes, so for visual expansion it is worth choosing bright and light shades. Bright colors are suitable for calm children; they promote activity and lift their spirits. And for active children, calm tones of beige and lilac are more suitable.

When choosing the interior for a children's room on the balcony, it is necessary to take into account the desires of the child and the characteristics of his character; it would also be a good idea to ask for the advice of psychologists.

Children really like rooms decorated thematically, even if it is their favorite book or cartoon, or maybe a hero. But for a teenager, it is important to take into account his hobbies and create a personal space with the child. Making a balcony an extension of a children's room is not difficult; most often this area is used as a play area or a place for study and activities. When choosing furniture, you need to try to ensure that it is as functional as possible and does not take up much space.

If you arrange the furniture and functional areas correctly, then an ordinary loggia can also serve as a bedroom. The proposals of designers will help you decide which room to make from a balcony, and there are quite a lot of them on the Internet.

Coordinated options for combining a balcony with a room or kitchen.

Combining a balcony with a room in p-44t.

This redevelopment was carried out and approved in the panel building p-44 t. The window sill areas of the window and door opening in two rooms were dismantled, thereby combining them with balconies. At the same time, in accordance with the reasons described in paragraph one of this article, the installation of doors is indicated between the balcony and the rooms in the project, the presence of which is indicated by a dash on the BTI plans.

Combining a balcony and a kitchen in a panel house.

In this example, a balcony was combined with a kitchen in a panel house (indicating the mandatory installation of sliding doors). In another part of the apartment, another connection was made between the balcony and the room. Despite the fact that the house was built in 2008, it was possible to coordinate the dismantling of the window sill block, since the author of the house project was not the MNIITEP design institute.

Combining the balcony with the hall.

Here is another coordinated implementation of the idea of ​​combining a balcony with a room. Since the balcony rests on separate retaining walls, and is not pinched in the outer wall, it was possible to dismantle the window sill block without any reinforcements.

How to turn a balcony into a room

Many people like to make a bedroom out of a balcony; depending on its size, a bed and a computer desk can fit, or you can make a dressing room out of a balcony. If you plan to place a closet on the balcony, it must be closed so that things do not fade in the sun. When placing your desk, you also need to consider exposure to sunlight.

If placed incorrectly, the computer monitor will overexpose, and this is not comfortable. If the balcony is located on the sunny side, thick curtains will help solve the problem, the same applies to the sleeping place on the balcony.

On the small balcony you can place a full-size double bed, although there is no space left for a closet. But this problem is easily solved, because drawers for storing clothes can be made under the bed. To visually expand the space, you can make mirrored cabinet doors and provide additional lighting. The color of furniture and walls should be chosen bright or soft light; this will also create the illusion of a large space.

Related article: Prospects for a small balcony: interior solutions

Why do you need a room on the balcony?

A balcony (loggia) is often used as a utility room for storing old things that go through the standard path: balcony → dacha → trash can.

Photo: such a balcony has not been stepped on for a long time. The area of ​​the loggia, depending on the type of house, can vary significantly: from 1.5 to 10 m2, which is sometimes comparable to the area of ​​the room.

Photo: balcony (loggia) can have different areas. The height of the loggia also affects the overall space of the room, sometimes reaching more than 3.5 m.

Photo: study on the balcony On the balcony-room you can place a creative workshop, study, winter garden, gym and use them all year round.

There are 2 ways to convert a balcony into a room:

1. Separate warm room;
2. Part of the living room (the topic will be discussed in another article).

Balcony as an extension of the room

The design of a room connected to a balcony has two options:

• these are two completely autonomous rooms, the room adjacent to the balcony becomes a passage, and these two spaces have completely different interiors;
• the room and the loggia are made as a single space, while they complement each other.

In the first case, the room and the balcony are separated visually by decor, this could be a curtain or a panel. This arrangement is well suited for apartments with a large area. If the room is small, then it is better to enlarge it with the help of a balcony. The addition of a room can have different functional purposes, often it is a recreation area or an office, a library or a full-fledged dressing room. With this type of renovation, the main thing is that the design of the room and the balcony are the same and complement each other.

What is recommended to do when merging:

• common floor, if the difference between the room and the balcony remains, then a neat step is made;
• the walls are decorated in the same style, made the same color;
• furniture is selected that is similar, preferably from the same collection;
• you can disguise the opening using a beautiful plasterboard structure.

If the room serves as a bedroom, then you should use pastel shades; a large spacious bed and a TV on the opposite side look good. You can make an exclusive renovation using photo wallpaper near the bed. Bedside tables and a wardrobe will not be superfluous. The office must have a table and a chair that matches the style. So that things can be stored on the walls, it is better to use shelves and cabinets with plenty of shelves.

Video gallery

Photo gallery

The advantages of combining a room with a balcony or loggia

• The first and most important thing is that in this way you expand the usable living area of ​​the living room or balcony. Visually, the room will touch even more than the sum of the areas of the room and the loggia.
• The second important reason is the ability to equip an area for a recreation area or workplace.
• Also, your room will be brighter due to the large glazed balcony, which is especially important for apartments whose windows face north or west.