A pressing question that often arises during the renovation process is how to insulate a loggia when combined with a room. Today, many homeowners are thinking that it would be nice to get an extra room by remodeling the loggia.
This issue should be considered comprehensively, because there are many nuances and pitfalls in this matter. If you trip over one of them, you’ll be lost! Let’s say that just glazing a balcony costs the owners a pretty penny, but then there’s the matter of combining two rooms.
Expert opinion
Konstantin Alexandrovich
Many people have great doubts when making a decision. Of course, you need to weigh the pros and cons, try to take into account the possible consequences and inconveniences. In such a case, there simply cannot be trifles - every detail is important.
Pros and cons of combining a balcony with a room
Before you embark on a global renovation of your apartment, you need to decide whether you really need it? Of course, at first glance, expanding your living space with a balcony looks extremely tempting. However, there are some dubious nuances in this matter.
Advantages of reconstruction:
- the living space will increase, which is especially valuable for small apartments;
- the cost of housing will increase (provided that you coordinated all redevelopment with the relevant services and carried out it legally and openly);
- thanks to the large windows of the loggia, there will be more light in the apartment;
- designers will have room to realize their ideas.
Minuses:
- it takes about 6 months and a lot of money to complete all the permitting papers;
- It is not always possible to completely remove the elements of the balcony - threshold, window sill and side partitions. As a result, you may not end up with an additional spacious room, but a small room;
- to insulate the walls and glass on the balcony after the merger, you need to either hire a team of professionals (which, again, is fraught with considerable financial costs), or have rich skills and knowledge to do everything yourself. In both cases, repairs will take a lot of time.
Arch design
How harmonious the attached loggia will look largely depends on how the passage is designed. In some cases and styles, a rectangle looks good. Then all you need to do is beat him correctly. And from a lack of planning it turns into a decoration.
To prevent the opening from looking like something alien, play with it, for example by decorating it with shelves
Related article: Frost-resistant plants for balconies
In the bedroom with an attached balcony there is an arcing exit - cover everything with translucent tulle from wall to wall. Hard lines are softened, harmony is restored.
Tulle hides imperfections
Sometimes a simple rectangle just doesn't cut it. Then the corners need to be rounded, adding smoothness.
To justify such a portal, two niches were made on the sides
Another option to add meaning to the remaining part of the window sill wall is to add shelves above it.
Shelves - useful and beautiful
If the arch is made round only on one side, it will fit better into modern design; with appropriate design, it will be suitable for minimalism and hi-tech.
Approval in BTI
If you are determined to completely demolish the partition separating the room from the balcony, be prepared to have to run through all sorts of authorities to obtain permits. In particular, you will need permission from the housing inspection and a detailed work plan agreed upon with the design organization.
First, you need to go to the BTI and get an apartment registration certificate, then order redevelopment of the apartment from the appropriate company. Performers must have a certificate to carry out this type of work.
Removing balcony ceilings is associated with a number of difficulties. For example, a loggia must be glazed and have sliding doors. In addition, radiator batteries from the dismantled wall cannot be taken onto the balcony.
If the housing inspection and other authorities have given you the go-ahead for redevelopment, you can begin the process itself. When the dismantling of the walls is completed, you will need to call a commission that will analyze the work carried out and draw up a certificate of completion. Take this document and go to the BTI, where you will need to re-issue a registration certificate for a home with a new layout.
Ceiling finishing
Attaching a loggia to a room also implies refining the ceiling surface. You can use water-resistant cardboard, which is additionally impregnated with a water-polymer emulsion. This approach will save money, but you can’t count on operating it for more than ten years. Extruded polystyrene foam can be used for insulation; the space between the sheets is filled with construction foam. From time to time, the canopy is made with a ventilated attic, but without applying primer and painting, the metal structure will undergo corrosion processes. From time to time, glass-magnesite plates are also used; this option is impeccable in all respects, but is quite expensive. Plywood should not be used for a preliminary ceiling, because it has quite high water absorption.
Where to begin?
If you have obtained permission to transform the balcony and room into a single room, you need to start work from the loggia. If it is necessary to remove an exterior wall, ensure that the entire wall must be removed. Sometimes the partition can be left untouched, but only the windows and doorway removed. In this case, the wall is included in the interior composition and becomes an element that visually divides the room into different zones.
Legal aspect of the issue
Can a balcony be attached to a room?
As was correctly noted at the beginning of the article, the climate in our country is far from mild.
As a result, the idea of combining a balcony with a room in an apartment does not seem strange. Moreover, such a measure will help expand the housing by the treasured meters and even ennoble it.
However, what legal features does the procedure for combining a loggia and a room into a single whole have? Let's figure it out.
First of all, let's turn to the Town Planning Code of the Russian Federation, which plainly explains to citizens that any redevelopment requires legalization.
It is simply impossible to call the combination of a balcony and an apartment room not a redevelopment, because during this procedure the technical properties of the housing are significantly modified. Based on this, we can state: it will be necessary to legalize the connection of the balcony to the living space.
For these purposes, a basic procedure for approving redevelopment is carried out, which is possible in any case when:
- load-bearing walls or frame elements of an apartment building are not demolished;
- radiators are not removed from the living area of the apartment;
- the main technical characteristics of the apartment are not violated;
- when insulating a balcony, heavy building materials are not used;
- no other measures are taken that could pose a threat to the life or normal functioning of all residents of the apartment building.
If these factors do not apply specifically to your situation, then agreeing on future redevelopment will not be difficult. In general, the approval procedure is as follows:
- A project containing future changes is drawn up. When drawing up such a document, the participation of specialized organizations cannot be avoided (BTI, Housing Inspectorate, etc.).
- The completed project goes through the procedure of approval and official registration in the relevant government agencies (the same BTI, Housing Inspectorate, etc.).
- The balcony is combined with the room, during which all technical work is carried out.
- An expert from the previously mentioned government agencies checks the coincidence of the declared project with the redevelopment carried out.
- All changes made to the structure of the housing are included in the relevant documents, after which the process of combining the balcony with the living area of the apartment is officially completed.
More details on the procedure for approving redevelopment in the Russian Federation can be found on our website, so if you want to familiarize yourself with its procedure, we strongly recommend that you refer to the relevant sections of the site.
Combining a balcony and a room: planning ideas
So, you have achieved the desired result - the attached balcony has become a full-fledged room. How to use it correctly? In this corner of comfort and coziness you can arrange anything, even a podium room. This often depends on which room you attached the loggia to.
Balcony and bedroom
This type of combination is considered the most common. And it doesn’t matter whether you dismantle the entire wall or leave a piece of it as part of the interior, removing only the door and window - there are just a lot of options! On the loggia you can equip a dressing room or greenhouse, a small children's room, or simply create a lounge area.
Design options for combined space
There are many options for using the combined space obtained after dismantling the partitions. The scope of design and use of the common area is limited only by its size, the imagination of the owners and the load-bearing capacity of the external slab.
Design directions can be the following:
- Rest zone. The former balcony is filled with comfortable armchairs, chairs, and paintings. It is possible to install a music center and a TV.
- Room for work. The vacated area is equipped for a workshop or an individual office. An abundance of natural light will allow you to avoid using electric lamps and save your eyesight.
- Economic zone. Used to furnish a closed pantry, wardrobe, kitchen or dining room.
The color of the decoration and furniture are chosen based on the preferences of the property owners.
Living room
The embodiment of the idea of combining it with a living room or hall allows you to create a large and bright room in which you will enjoy spending time. The optimal design option is a uniform finish and uniform arrangement of furniture. A rectangular opening is converted into an arch, which is given a round or broken shape. For additional decor, lighting, folding partitions, screens and curtains are used.
Bedroom
Combining a bedroom with a balcony is carried out in cases where the room is used as a hall or when there is a picturesque view from the windows. The external area is transformed into a recreation area, where upholstered furniture and panoramic windows are installed.
Children's
Attaching a loggia to a children's room allows you to conditionally delimit the space into areas for relaxation, games and activities. This solution is especially useful for families raising 2 children, each of whom has a separate place for hobbies.
Combination with kitchen
Combining a loggia with a kitchen makes it possible to expand the space for both cooking and eating. In small apartments, the room can be used as a living room by moving household appliances to an external structure. So, a stove, hood, countertop, cabinets and a refrigerator are installed outside. The positive aspect of combining a balcony with a kitchen is that there is no need to remove the window sill block. It can always be used as a table or stand for a shelving unit, the height of which can reach the ceiling.
If the external structure has sufficient area, then it is better to use it as a dining area. There is nothing more pleasant than eating in the fresh air while enjoying the view from the window.
Main stages
Balcony cladding and insulation
In order for the loggia to become a truly warm room, insulation is necessary both outside and inside. Siding is perfect for this as a facing material, preferably with a special wind barrier that will protect against drafts. Before dismantling the balcony passage from the apartment side, install plastic windows and insulate the room. This is a guarantee that you will not be left in an open, drafty apartment during a major renovation.
Dismantling and design of the doorway
If you decide to make do with little construction work and simply remove the balcony door and window, there will be no problems. It is necessary to properly design the passage, install lightweight sliding doors if necessary, and turn a piece of wall under the balcony window sill into an interior element. If the redevelopment requires the demolition of walls, the work ahead will be long and dirty, and you need to be as careful as possible so as not to damage the structure of the house. In brick houses it is necessary to dismantle the masonry, in panel houses - to remove the concrete with a grinder saw or hammer drill.
It is important to design the opening beautifully and competently
Leveling the floor
When enlarging a room by adding a loggia, most people want to make the floor level the same throughout the entire room. To do this, you need to raise the balcony floor to the apartment level - lay an additional layer of insulation, for example. But if leveling the floor is impossible for technical reasons (it could damage the house), there is always a chance to beautifully beat this transition. A ramp or decorative step will look interesting.
Additional insulation
A loggia connected to the room increases the living space, which means you need to take care of heating the room. If you do not touch the wall from the balcony window, then the radiator usually also remains in place. In case of a complete redevelopment, it is better to move the battery under a street window or install an electric convector and heated floor. If the floor on the balcony is wooden, it is usually insulated with mineral wool or polystyrene foam. For concrete coverings, it is recommended to make a screed with expanded clay, with expensive heat-insulating linoleum or a good laminate on top. You can also install an electric floor if it is possible to connect it to the network.
Lighting
If the layout of a new large apartment involves a business office or any place where you will read and work, you need to take care of lighting. To do this, you can supply electricity to the loggia or install lamps and connect them through an extension cord.
Choosing insulation
There are a lot of thermal insulation materials on the modern construction market, but the following are more suitable for balconies:
- Styrofoam
- Extruded polystyrene foam
- Penofol or isolon
- Mineral wool
- Expanded clay
The easiest way is to use materials that are not afraid of moisture, that is, with low vapor permeability. The fact is that the air inside the room is always more humid, and it will tend to go outside, gradually saturating the materials. Insulators such as mineral wool lose their properties when wet, and therefore require additional layers of vapor and waterproofing. In addition, mineral wool is heavy for a balcony, and we don’t need to weigh it down.
Extruded polystyrene foam, which has excellent performance characteristics, is often used today as heat-insulating materials. In particular, insulation materials such as Technoplex and Penoplex are in demand.
If you want to save a little, then the most suitable option is polystyrene foam 4-5 cm thick, which is cheaper than expanded polystyrene or mineral wool.
Design of combined rooms
By removing the balcony partition, you can increase the area of the main room.
What the hall will look like after you add a loggia to it will depend on the technical capabilities. The work can be done using different methods:
- In a panel house, you can leave a small part of the wall along the edge of the balcony in order to maintain the technical characteristics of the panel.
- In a brick house, if the wall is not load-bearing, completely remove the partition.
- Combining a loggia with a room will help increase the space if you do not use additional architectural details in the interior.
- When combining a balcony with a room, make sure that the design is harmonious. To do this, it is necessary to use the same materials used for finishing (paint, wallpaper).
- If the threshold was not removed, then a second tier of flooring should be installed in the balcony area.
- When transforming a room into a workplace, you can create a small partition that will contain shelves and at the same time serve as a border between rooms.
- When combining a loggia with a room to organize a place to relax, you should install a bar counter or just an original tabletop on the border.
Legal aspects of the problem
The desire to expand the boundaries of living space at any cost runs into almost insurmountable legal barriers, which are contained in the norms of housing and house-building legislation, as well as in sanitary and fire regulations that prevent such reconstruction.
This is due to a number of reasons why the BTI and other authorities, with whom it will be necessary to coordinate the expansion of the room by adding a balcony or loggia, do not give permission to carry out such work.
In old-plan houses, the outer walls of the building are load-bearing structures. Therefore, their dismantling is prohibited.
It’s another matter if you live in a modern, newly built house, in which the load-bearing structure is a poured reinforced concrete frame, and the external walls and internal partitions are made of lightweight building materials that can be dismantled without damaging the technical condition and strength of the building.
The best option is an apartment with access to a balcony or loggia in the form of a full-wall panoramic window.
In this case, obtaining permission to expand the room by adding a balcony is much easier.
In any case, if you do not plan to sell the apartment in the foreseeable future, do not start turning the balcony into part of the room without obtaining the proper permission. Unauthorized connection entails substantial fines and the obligation to restore the structure to its original form.
