French balcony

Style from france

The style of France can always be recognized by its sophistication and sophistication. This country has invested a lot in the world heritage, one of the clearest examples is its architecture. Starting from old and modern castles and ending with living quarters and private houses - today we will recognize each of them in a unique style, thoughtful details, décor and sensual shades.

What it is?

One of the most common moments in the architectural style of France are large windows and, as a result, the bright rooms hiding behind them. Since the seventeenth century, from the outside of a large window, forged fences were installed, which were made in a certain style, for example, vegetable, and subsequently decorated with flowers or other decorative objects.

Such facilities are called "French balcony". They were made for aesthetics, decoration of the exterior of the building and inside view.It was a detail in the general architectural plan. Today, any owner of an apartment or a private house can arrange a French-style balcony.

Classic option

Classic French balcony exists in several variations:

  • The first is the design of a large window wrought fence. This decoration is suitable for private houses with high windows, or for non-standard living spaces.
  • The second is a forged fence that has a base capacity of not more than half a meter. The doors in this case open inward, and the concrete base is replaced with a metal one. This option looks easy and elegant. It is ideal for a person who likes to go out into the fresh air with a cup of coffee or tea.
  • And the third option is a wrought fence based on standard sizes.
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Modern option

The modern version implies a glass construction with or without fencing. The fence can be a standard height or be at the base of the balcony. The glass construction expands the space and makes the room lighter.

This is a great option for a person who likes to relax on the balcony.

Artistic forging

Forged products in architecture lend grace to buildings. Artistic forging differs from the usual one in that it has artistic value and is itself a work of art. Most often forged fences have a floral or geometric style, and in addition are decorated with flowers and plants. Fences can be made in a U-shaped version, radial (semicircle), or have an unusual shape.

U-shaped fences look strictly and stylishly. Radial shapes make the balcony airy and visually enlarge the room.

Inside view

The glass French balcony and the classic wrought iron fence offer a wonderful view from inside the room. Especially this effect is enhanced if before the eyes reveals a beautiful view of nature or the city. Special attention should be paid to the doors. An excellent option for a modern French balcony will be wide double doors, which are completely, or for the most part consist of glass. If you open these doors, it will open a full-size view.

Another great option that complements the graceful and light design of the French style, can be sliding doors. Another option for a classic balcony is a door with a metal frame and handles in the color of the fence, or, on the contrary, the opposite, or more neutral color, in which the fence will be the brightest detail. In addition to the wrought iron fence, you can install wrought iron bars on the windows.

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Technical features

Before and after installing the French balcony, you need to take into account a number of nuances and features:

  • Weight of glass construction and forged products. Glass and forged products weigh a lot, and they need to be installed on a repaired concrete base that has been tested and if necessary. Before you install such a balcony in the "Khrushchev", you need to coordinate the installation in local authorities.
  • Temperature. In summer, the glass surface can get very hot, especially on the sunny side, so you need to think over the ventilation system, or initially install the balcony in buildings with good ventilation. In winter, on the contrary, it can be very cold, since the glass balcony does not imply additional thermal insulation.Therefore, you need to select the glass with a special coating that does not allow the cold.
  • Care. Glasses require special care and time consuming.
  • Security. A glass balcony without fencing, depending on the quality of the material and installation, may be unreliable. In particular - this is important on high floors. Therefore, along with beauty and comfort, you need to once again think about security. It can be safety glass, installation of additional removable protection. In the latter case, a long balcony will look like a loggia glazed outside.

Scenery

Decorations for the classic style can be pots with flowers, plants, all sorts of light bulbs, lanterns and candlesticks. The decor of the modern version can be considered the very interior of the balcony. It can be translucent tulle, blinds, seats or chairs, tables made in different styles, for example wood, straw, forged products, etc.

Inside and outside such a balcony will also look very impressive flowers. To grow flowers inside the French balcony you need to consider compliance with the natural conditions of the plants.

Do it yourself

Independent design and installation of a balcony is a very important matter. Non-observance of the norms can be dangerous not only for one’s own life, but also for the life of other people. Therefore, each stage must be carefully thought out and properly implemented.

Stages:

  • First you need to coordinate the installation in local authorities.
  • After this, it is extremely accurate to measure the concrete base of the balcony and its future height. If you are planning a classic version with a small capacity - to outline the future width and length of the base. If, when installing the fence, the dimensions do not coincide, then later, over time, this may lead to a distortion of the structure.
  • If the concrete will not be replaced by a metal base, you need to check its quality and integrity, and if necessary repair it.
  • After that, a glass structure is installed, if it is, if not, a fence.

The glass construction consists of glass and metal-plastic, aluminum or wood. It is assembled from common, in the whole wall zones, or in vertical sections, one after the other. Also, a balcony can consist entirely of glass, including the floor.The option with the maximum glazing is created by modern technology, it is unlikely to be able to do it yourself.

For reliability and comfort, you can use energy-saving and two-chamber glass. You can hold the tinted bottom of the balcony, or install glass with one-sided visibility, if you do not want to disclose the details of your life to passersby. For balconies with a small capacity, sliding windows will be the most convenient to use.

The fence on the balcony serves two purposes: protective and decorative. The top edge of the fence should not be below the level of the middle of the abdomen. In accordance with the average height of an adult, the standard size of the fence - 1 - 1.5 m. Empty places in the fence should not exceed 10 cm.

Forging quality should be high, the material is smooth, durable, withstand a weight of 100 kg per linear meter. Products must not corrode or crack. The wrought-iron fence is attached to the base and walls of the house.

In a private house

Country cottage and wooden private house becomes the object of embodiment of creativity when it comes to creating and installing a French balcony.In addition to forged products, for private houses fencing made of wood will be an excellent option.

Products made of natural wood are in harmony with the surrounding nature of country cottages, and of course serve as an ideal continuation for wooden houses. Wooden fences, as well as wrought iron, are made in different styles. For durability and reliability, wood must be treated with special materials that do not allow it to be exposed to atmospheric conditions.

Private houses, especially at the stages of its construction, allow you to create balconies of various sizes and shapes, and subsequently decorate them in a variety of ways. It can be small balconies and large, with a width of several rooms.

Glazing can have a different shape, wavy lines, shapes, connected by metal structures, or wood. If the balcony is located on the lower floors of the building, then it can in many respects bear a decorative role. Variants of such decorations can be many, it all depends on the mind and imagination of its owner.

When building a house with French balconies a big role in the overall design will play the creation of high windows, which, in turn, can also be assigned a French balcony.

Air conditioning and heating

As mentioned above, the French style of the balcony does not include standard insulation, so it can be very cold in the winter, and hot in the summer, due to the heating of the glass. There are a number of technical issues that allow you to circumvent this drawback, for example, the choice of special glass that retains heat.

On the way to aesthetics and grace, of course, I want them to end up united with comfort and maximum comfort. The ability to "control the weather" and create for yourself the maximum comfort in the room gives air conditioning.

The air conditioning system consists of an internal and external unit. The outdoor unit is placed on the wall of the house in an open space, as it constantly needs fresh air and the internal one on the balcony. By means of the conditioner it is possible to regulate temperature, humidity and speed of the movement of air.

In winter, provided that the base of the balcony remains concrete, it is possible to conduct all sorts of heating systems, for example, electric, infrared and cable floors. Thus, in addition to the aesthetic pleasure, you can get full comfort of the French balcony at any time of the year.

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