Almost every apartment owner wants to make the most of the total area of housing available, including auxiliary areas of loggias, balconies and verandas. The most effective way to maximize the expansion of a home is to glaze a loggia or other non-residential area.
Prospects
You can successfully transform a space from a previously only storage, drying, smoking area or refrigerator into a cozy addition to a room, kitchen or bedroom, or a place to relax or work.
Also, a glazed loggia improves the overall improvement of the entire apartment, as heat loss is significantly reduced, protection from dust and city noise is increased.
Efficiency of redevelopment
Is it possible to glaze the loggia? This is one of the types of balconies. Its main difference from the balcony is the location between the three walls. For this reason, it is necessary to glaze only one facade side in the loggia. It is easier and less expensive thanbalcony glazing.
When working on glazing, you need to study the photo of glazed loggias and follow a certain order.
The first thing to do is to choose the material that will make up the supporting structures of the window. The most common windows are:
- wooden;
- metal-plastic;
- aluminum.
Let's consider the properties and features of windows, their advantages and disadvantages.
Wooden windows
The main advantages of glazing a loggia with wooden windows are:
- Sustainability. Wood is a natural building material. It doesn't harm a person. Progressive wood processing methods allow maximum preservation of natural properties, one of which is the absorption of carbon dioxide.
- Thermal insulation. The high-quality construction of the window has a low thermal conductivity, which will allow you to maintain a cozy atmosphere in the apartment every day of any season.
- Soundproofing. Holds the entire audio frequency range while absorbing street noise.
- Aesthetics. A variety of tree species used for the window profile. Provided an abundance of color palette of the finished product, appearance.
The main disadvantages of using wooden windows include the following:
- Expensive. Compared to other products, wooden windows have a high price. This is due to the high cost of natural wood, the expensive procedure for itsprocessing.
- Aging. Over time, wood loses its strength and becomes permeable, subject to geometric changes and susceptible to fungal infections. To prevent such a situation, constant care is required (painting, treatment with protective agents).
- Low maintainability. If the wooden sheet is damaged or the double-glazed window is replaced, it becomes necessary to dismantle the frame from the window opening, which creates additional difficulties and inconvenience.
Metal-plastic windows
The main advantages of glazing a loggia with plastic windows include:
- Insulation. Due to the high density of the window rebate and the tightness of the double-glazed window, excellent protection against cold, draft and street noise is provided.
- Versatility. The loggia, glazed with plastic windows, fits perfectly into the interior of the ultra-modern or classic style of the whole house.
- Easy to operate. Simplicity and accessibility of window fittings control, the ability to regulate winter-summer modes.
- Durability. By glazing the loggia with plastic, you can solve the issue of repairing this room for decades, since the average service life that does not require additional care is about 40 years.
The main disadvantages include:
- Restrictions. There are critical dimensions of plastic windows: on opening structures with a width of 1200 mm and a height of 1800 mm, the fittings become absolutely useless;the minimum diameter of the arched window is only 500 mm; it is impossible to make an angle less than 30 degrees in a triangular window.
- Tightness. Glazing the loggia with plastic, which has a tight window seal, creates a greenhouse effect, to eliminate this drawback, reliable ventilation is necessary.
- Linear stretching. They have a high coefficient of thermal expansion. At high temperatures, the window expands, and at low temperatures, it contracts.
- Repairability. Scratches on the plastic and other defects cannot be repaired.
Aluminum windows
Aluminum profiles are available in two types:
- Warm - a heat insulator is installed in the aluminum profile, which prevents the exchange of air between the external and internal circuits, which ensures excellent thermal insulation.
- Cold - a solid aluminum profile, in which there is no insert. This window does not have heat-insulating properties, but glazing the loggia with an aluminum profile will protect the room from dust and noise. It is also significantly cheaper compared to the warm profile.
The benefits of using aluminum windows include:
- Strength - it is possible to manufacture window openings of almost any size and configuration.
- Sustainable - When exposed to the heat of the sun, aluminum does not emit any odors.
- Designer - the ability to manufacture all-glass windows with almost invisible lintels.
- Variety is greatchoice of RAL colors. It is also possible to paint the inside and outside of the frame separately in different colors.
The main disadvantages include:
- Expensive – a warm aluminum profile window is the most expensive compared to the other above types of products.
- Repairability - it is difficult and time-consuming to carry out restoration work to eliminate mechanical defects on the profile, including scratches.
Ordering window products
Having decided on the material for glazing the loggia, it is necessary to choose a manufacturer of window openings, since it is extremely difficult and economically impractical to make a window at home.
The easiest way to find a company is to follow the advice of people who have already successfully glazed the loggia with windows, otherwise you will have to independently study all the information regarding the numerous companies providing these services.
Never choose the first sales office that comes across, you need to familiarize yourself with at least three companies and compare their offers for similar products. This information will help to find out approximately the amount required to complete the order.
What to look out for
You will need to pay attention to the available information about the company. A serious organization invests in advertising about its assortment and services, and also indicates the exact address of the office, providing a landline phone and mobile, asadditional.
You need to read reviews and opinions about the company.
Determine the reliability of the company will help information received by phone from their operator:
- about the place of production of windows;
- opportunities for personal visits to production facilities;
- Is there a product warranty and for how long.
Managers of a reliable company will provide clear qualified information on these issues. Young decent firms that have just begun to develop, in most cases, offer more profitable options with the highest level of service. These companies need to increase their customer base, from which the consumer only benefits financially. Friends who have previously used its services will help you choose this organization.
Window installation
You can glaze a balcony or loggia yourself with your own hands, which is a realistic task that does not require much time.
It is necessary to follow the following sequence of installation of a plastic window:
- Carrying out preparatory work is to clean the window opening from dust and dirt. It is necessary to re-measure the window and the window opening, making sure that there is no error in the manufacture of the structure. Important: the height of the window opening is measured at least in three places. The smallest is chosen.
- Install the visor, fasten it to the ceiling plate with dowels.
- If two or more window blocks are used, it is necessary to apply sealant to the joints and connect them withreiki.
- We attach anchor plates to the window block using self-tapping screws. At least we install three fastening points on the side surfaces and two plates on the top. It is recommended to fix the lower part of the frame with anchors.
- We expose the window frame of the loggia using a level, after raising it to the height of the window sill and placing it on the lining. Fasten with dowels.
- After we install the window sill, mounting it in the groove we left at the bottom of the frame. We fix the window sill with self-tapping screws.
- Blow out the remaining gaps with mounting foam.
- The end of the installation consists in attaching the drain to the lower outer part of the window with mandatory foam blowing.
- Only after that you can start to put on the window sashes and glaze the loggia with double-glazed windows in the blind openings of the window.
Important Notes
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that when performing work on the installation of metal-plastic or aluminum windows in the cool season, it is necessary to take into account their ability to stretch / compress. To prevent subsequent deformations of the window opening or violation of the tightness of the butt joints, it is recommended to refuse installation at a temperature of less than 5 degrees.
Insulation of the loggia
To obtain the most positive result, it is not enough just to glaze the loggia, it is necessary to insulate the floor, ceiling and adjacent walls, as well as the front fence - railing. The work is carried out according to a special technology using various materials (foam blocks, polystyrene,mineral wool).
Choosing materials
The main condition in choosing a heat-insulating material is its lightness in order to prevent the loggia from becoming heavier than the standard norm and to avoid its collapse. Other characteristics of the insulation are also important:
- Thermal conductivity - the lower it is, the thinner the insulation layer can be laid.
- Moisture permeability - reduces the harmful effects of water on the insulation.
- Fire safety - the material must be fire resistant and not emit a toxic substance - carbon monoxide in case of fire.
- Durability - have the properties of increased strength, allowing the material to resist the entire complex of negative effects on it.
- Ease of installation is an important property for an inexperienced craftsman who decides to insulate the loggia with his own hands without the help of professionals.
Loggia ventilation
On the open loggia there was previously natural air ventilation, which cannot be said about the glazed loggias. Lack of ventilation leads to an increase in humidity, which is ideal for the development of bacteria and fungi. The windows are constantly in a foggy state, a microclimate that is unhe althy develops.
Let's consider several ways to solve this problem:
- The easiest way to ventilate the loggia is to open a window for ventilation. The disadvantage of this ventilation method is heat loss and reduced protection from dust and street noise.
- A natural ventilation option is to install a flow-exhaust valve,allowing you to receive portions of new air into the loggia in proportion to the volume of the removed one. This valve provides ventilation and protects against dust and noise. It has one drawback - the efficiency of work depends on the difference in pressure in the room and the external environment, in the summer during the hot season, the opposite effect of ventilation may occur, while in winter it will work as efficiently as possible.
- Forced ventilation - consists in installing a fan on the outer wall of the loggia, operating in two directions of air flow: inward and outward. For large areas, it is recommended to install two fans, one - in the lower position, for supply, the other - at the top, for exhaust. The disadvantages of this method include some energy costs.
Summarize
Glazed loggia is the best way to expand the usable area of your apartment. Turning it into a cozy room for rest or work, you can provide additional thermal insulation, reduce the cost of heating the apartment. You can do all the glazing work yourself, saving a significant part of the family budget.
