Selecting the right way to fix a balcony in the structure of a house

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leander leander

People may feel like adding a balcony to their existing house. It could be due to renovation. A person may also feel like setting up a balcony for taking rest after a tiring days work amidst privacy and serenity. The retired persons can also look at the outside world and observe life in the winter mornings from a balcony.

There are various types of balconies like Glass Balcony and Hung balconies that people like. The choice depends on the economic capacity and setup of the house to a great extent. A lot of people opt for the Cantilevered balconies. These balconies have a protruding appearance but they do not have any support beneath the structure except the fixing to the buildings exterior. It looks aesthetic for sure but requires more work and planning on the part of the designer of the house. It also imposes bigger point loads on the building. It can not be added to an existing house and pre designing is the only option. There are a number of ways to cantilever a balcony. However, the planners need to consider using a thermal break when using a steel balcony. To override the problems of the traditional Cantilevered balconies a lot of companies offer the Thermal break balcony joints. A break can also be made by using two pieces of steel balcony connection plates and a high-density polyethylene inserted. The timber joists are a worthy alternative to this approach. As they have very low thermal conductivity they can be cantilevered without much problem. Concrete is among the widely used structures but it also suffers from thermal conductivity issues. The homeowners need to keep in mind that Cantilevered balconies will have some amount of bounce and movement. This can cause discomfort to the balcony users at times. The Hung balconies are also sought after these days. This makes use of stainless steel cables that fix the balcony to the wall. The position of the balcony is perpendicular to the building. A steel cable is kept fixed at the balconys edge. It is linked to the building through a large plate. As a matter of fact, the wall fixing makes optimum use of bolt strength since it uses fifty percent pull out and equal amount of shear forces. It seems like an aesthetic solution but is not a common one. The balcony glazing is also used by some people who want to screen sunlight. The most popular type of balcony is the balconies on pillars or stacked balconies. It is preferred for advantages like reduced load implications on the structure of the building and simplicity of implementation. It is supported by vertical pillars and posts. The weight is transferred to the ground. The weight and size of the balcony determines the dimension of the pillars. While this balcony compromises on the aesthetic part it remains the safest choice. It is also less costly to develop.

William Parker is author of this article on Cam Balkon. Find more information about Glass Balcony here.

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Selecting the right way to fix a balcony in the structure of a house