Many apartment buildings have loggias and balconies. But few people know how to turn this advantageous room into a warm and cozy place. To create from the balcony warm room, as well as fill it with comfort, it is necessary to make excellent thermal insulation inside. This article will tell you how to choose the right insulation for a balcony, as well as carry out the entire process of insulation.
Advantages of internal insulation
Internal insulation carries certain positive aspects. These include the following points:
- It will be much warmer on the balcony. This is provided that the insulation technology is performed correctly.
- Warming allows you to make a balcony or loggia a continuation of the "living" space of the apartment.
- It will allow more rational use of the usable space available on the balcony or loggia, and not load it with unnecessary things in the house.
- You will get the opportunity to expand the space of the adjoining room.
- With the help of insulation carried out inside this room you will get one more room. It, for example, can be equipped with an office.
It is worth noting that the insulation inside the room, unlike the external one, allows you to do all the necessary manipulations on the balcony with your own hands.
Some believe that a quality result can be obtained only by hiring a team of specialists. But our expectations do not always turn into reality. Therefore, purchasing necessary material, you can get to work and do it yourself not only internal insulation balcony, but also to choose the final type of decoration for it, completely changing the purpose of the room.
Of course, internal insulation can be supplemented exterior finish. But this situation is relevant only when you live low. That's the only way you'll be able to do it all necessary actions with your own hands. If you live high up, then you can't do without a crane and a specialist in high-altitude work.
How to choose a heater
One of the most important aspects of do-it-yourself balcony insulation is the moment of choosing a heater. What type of material is better to purchase for insulation inside a balcony room, each person decides for himself.
Previously, the choice of heat insulators was not as diverse as it is now. During the Soviet Union, the answer to the question "which insulation to choose" consisted of only two positions:
- Mineral wool. This material in those days quickly crumpled due to high humidity premises, and also required wooden crate to create a framework.
- Expanded clay.
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Today, the question “what is the best way to insulate a balcony” can be given a rather extensive answer. To date, make a choice which insulation for the balcony fit better everything is possible from a fairly extensive market offer.
It should be noted that all modern heaters that are used for loggias, balconies and other premises are characterized by excellent quality, and also allow you to create low thermal conductivity in the room. As a result, inside the balcony room it will be warm and comfortable even in severe frosts.
When choosing a heater, you must rely on the following points:
- First you need to determine the thickness of the insulation, as well as the dimensions of the additional fasteners (frame), which will be built by hand. Please note that calculations must be carried out without errors in order to achieve minimum losses from the inside of the balcony.
- Before buying, you should understand all the nuances (advantages and disadvantages) of the material.
- Make purchases of the selected insulation should be with a small margin. Usually the margin is 10-20% of required amount materials.
Today, the following materials can be used to insulate a loggia or balcony:
- Mineral wool. This is the cheapest and easiest insulation that is sold in any hardware store. The disadvantages of using mineral wool include the risk of shedding after installation. Also, when working, you will need a rather impressive list of professional tools (for example, a drill). The fixation of such material is carried out with the help of glue, which must be properly diluted.
- Styrofoam. This is a universal material that can sheathe the entire balcony. The advantages of polystyrene include low weight, simplicity and ease of processing, affordable price, as well as an excellent level of thermal resistance. In addition, this insulation has a high resistance to moisture and excellent noise reduction. But among the minuses here it is worth highlighting the low vapor permeability, which can lead to dampness wooden floors loggias. As a result, heat loss will occur. It is worth noting that in a situation where a piece of foam has fallen off, it can be attached in place using mounting foam.
- Penoplex. This material is characterized by greater reliability and strength than polystyrene. At the same time, it is much easier to install it to insulate a balcony than mineral wool.
- Styrofoam. Today, extruded polystyrene foam is very popular among professional builders. modern style. This material is able to create a "thermos effect". The advantages of this insulation include low thermal conductivity, hydrophobicity, high density, as well as environmental friendliness and durability. It should be noted that for extruded polystyrene foam, direct sunlight will be a detrimental factor.
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The "thermos effect" can be created with your own hands using polyethylene foam, which is equipped with a foil surface. They need to cover the entire insulated surface. fastened given material on polyurethane glue and metal tape. With the help of such adhesive tape, the joints of the material should be processed.
The type of insulation chosen depends on the set of tools that will be used to insulate the balcony with your own hands.
Separately, it is worth noting that when choosing materials for insulation, you need to look at the manufacturer. Today, quality products that have stood the test of time are produced by companies such as KNAUF, Rockwool, Penoplex, TechnoNIKOL, Linerock, FAKRO, Metal Profile, Weber, etc.
Warming technique
The balcony insulation technique depends on what type of insulation material was chosen. But, despite this, in this situation there are certain stages of work that are identical for all types of heaters.
General scheme of balcony insulation
Balcony thermal insulation includes the following manipulations:
- glazing;
- floor finishing;
- wall insulation;
- ceiling finish.
Before starting work, it is necessary to check the strength of the "insulation threshold" or create it again. This "threshold" should prevent heat leakage. To create it, you need to do the following:
- First, we check the strength of the parapet, as well as window systems. You can create a parapet from bricks or foam blocks, or weld its metal base and simply sheathe it.
- After work with the parapet, the glazing of the balcony is carried out. In this case, all the gaps between the glass and walls, as well as the parapet should be blown out mounting foam.
After that, you can carry out the insulation of the room with your own hands. The main thing to follow in this matter is step by step. Usually, the insulation of the loggia begins with the floor. Only after that you can go to the walls. The final stage of finishing is the insulation of the ceiling. Let's consider each stage in more detail.
Floor insulation
Concrete will always act as the floor of the balcony room. He is not able to deal with heat leakage on his own. This is due to the fact that there are small cracks in the thickness of the concrete, in which water can stay for a long time. Therefore, such a floor should be treated with a special moisture-proof material.
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The balcony is a small room, but it is very troublesome to repair it. And it's not the complexity of the work - there are many legal regulations that must be observed during the repair. How to bypass obstacles and not get into a mess? When it comes time to overhaul a balcony or loggia, the owner often has a question: “Maybe this is common property, and all residents of the house should pay for repairs?” What is common in high-rise buildings Let us turn to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 13, 2006 N 491. According to it, “... balcony slabs, ... and enclosing load-bearing structures” really belong to common property. It turns out that the repair of the balcony slab and fencing is the lot of all the residents of the house. However, not everything is so smooth. Lawyers believe that the Decree is only advisory in nature. In the main document - the Housing Code of the Russian Federation - nothing is written about the fact that balconies or loggias in apartments belong to the whole house. Therefore, no one will pay for repairs to you. If your balcony has a fire escape, you can get neighbors to partially pay for repairs. Because then your balcony serves not only you. It is a common property (Article 31, Chapter 6 of the LC RF). There are two terms in the Housing Code that denote strong transformations in an apartment, including on a balcony. This reorganization - the installation of an additional radiator, the transfer of a gas stove - in general, everything related to engineering networks and equipment. And redevelopment, which is a change in the outlines of the living quarters. For example, when you combine two rooms, glaze the balcony and so on. Any of the above is forbidden to do on the balcony. Some work is possible if you get a special piece of paper for this, that is, permission. Let's see what belongs to the first group, and what belongs to the second. If you have a small kitchen, you can combine the loggia with the kitchen. Read about design options, insulation and other nuances in. Sheathed the balcony with clapboard - it’s not visible, but okay! Such a balcony brings disharmony to the appearance of the building Radiator on the balcony connected to the central network While the neighbors will go down - all the flowers will knock All cases are listed in Decree of the Government of Moscow No. 883-PP dated November 15, 2005. You need to get permission from officials when: Glazing + balcony cladding + non-normative color The loggia was attached to the room, and even the heating was taken out. Outside devices for drying clothes were taken out. Fortunately, this is not Russia That is, almost all types of repairs need to obtain permission. But you can paint the floor without any approvals. (if the screed is not very heavy) and - too. Permission for unapproved reorganization or redevelopment - only by court order According to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation Art. 7.21, unauthorized redevelopment, reorganization of residential buildings or premises (including balconies and loggias) will cost 1 - 1.5 thousand rubles. Residents of apartment buildings pay a thousand more. However, this fine is a drop in the ocean! Further, the violator will be sued and, possibly, obligated to bring the balcony to its previous state. If this is not done, the apartment will be sold at auction. And the proceeds (minus the costs of the execution of the court decision) will be transferred to its owner. The bad thing is that bailiffs tend to sell faster, which means it will be cheaper. The Internet is full of groans shared by the poor fellows who fell under the distribution for the wrong repair of the balcony. We have selected for you the most typical cases of a successful way out of the situation. Evgenia, Moscow:
My husband and I wanted to remove the partition on the balcony and make panoramic windows. In the company that installs eurowindows, we were told that it was impossible, because the balcony faces the red line. More precisely, they can do something, but it is undesirable. They suggested siding. We thought we were just being sold a more expensive option. Therefore, they also looked around the firms - they repeated the same thing - it was not desirable. In the end, we agreed on siding. And it turned out to be no more expensive than panoramic windows. Nikolay Ivanovich, Novosibirsk:
I decided to demolish the wall between the room and the loggia. I was in Archimatika, and they told me that it was impossible to demolish it legally. Firstly, it is considered external, and secondly, it will disrupt the appearance of the building. They even refused to simply increase the doorway! As if this would also spoil the appearance of the facade. No other reasons were given - the partition is not load-bearing, made of aerated concrete blocks. However, this idea had to be abandoned. Inessa Retusheva, Moscow region:
Our balcony is in disrepair. At a general meeting of residents, it was decided that repairs would be paid from our wallet. It's okay. The company contacted by UC had cut the slab and was about to install a new one. I went to conclude an agreement with this office, suddenly they mess up, who should I ask? So they refused! They said that we are working with the management company, and we will conclude an agreement with them. In the cold season, the tenants of the apartment face the question: how to insulate their glazed balcony in order to use it, just like in summer, despite the terrible cold outside the windows. The solution to this problem will be step-by-step warming of all surfaces of the balcony. For a comfortable stay on it in the winter season, it is necessary to correctly consider the choice of materials for thermal insulation. The quality and order of work are no less important in the process of insulation. The facades of new houses for the most part form a single architectural composition. Violation of its integrity by piling up additional materials for insulation is unacceptable or is associated with multiple bureaucratic delays in coordination. The best way to insulate balconies with cold glazing is to finish with insulating materials from the inside of the room. A balcony or loggia often has a brick parapet. The installation of aluminum windows with this design occurs directly on the top row of bricks. The insulation of such a room will be effective due to the fact that an insulating material with low thermal conductivity can be laid against the wall of the parapet. Most of the heat will escape through the glass In the case when plastic double-glazed windows are installed, the window does not require additional insulation. To isolate the leaky joint between the glass and the frame, a special polyurethane sealant is applied to the joints to prevent air from penetrating. The greatest heat loss will occur through the glazing. An important component in obtaining a warm room is floor insulation. For better thermal insulation, you can use the following materials: Foil penofol is laid on the surface of the concrete floor. This material has excellent insulating properties. It will not allow condensation to accumulate in the thickness of the floor, providing oxygen access to prevent the appearance of moisture and fungus. The next step is to install an electric underfloor heating. The thickness of the lag sets the size of the insulation layer. The larger its layer, the better the thermal insulation. When installing, it is necessary to take into account the height from the future floor to the parapet. In the standard version, it ranges from 95 to 105 cm. The safety of a person on the balcony is always in the foreground, so you need to choose the thickness of the lag, taking into account the height of the floor construction pie. Parallel to each other, wooden blocks are installed in one plane in increments of 30-40 cm. Mineral wool or polystyrene is laid between them. All gaps formed during the laying process can be sealed with mounting foam. In the winter season, a special mounting foam is used, which has the properties of hardening at low air temperatures. A floorboard is laid on the laid logs for painting and varnishing. You can use draft wood with the subsequent laying of any finishing material on it. For wall insulation, you can use the following components: To strengthen the balcony, see the video: Walls requiring insulation are sheathed with penofol. The crate is usually made of a 50x50 mm bar. For convenience, the step between the bars can be made consistent with the width of the filler. The foam is placed between the bars and attached to the wall with plastic "fungi". The cracks formed during installation are also sealed with mounting foam. As a sheathing, you can use eurolining or imitation timber. Plastic panels are also suitable for wall cladding. Panoramic balconies have an excellent appearance, they have a number of advantages over balconies with partial glazing in terms of aesthetics. But the insulation of such a balcony with cold glazing will result in large financial costs. Insulation of the floor, ceiling and walls, except for the facade, can be done in the same way as in the case of parapet balconies, but the glazed wall will require a different method of insulation. How to insulate panoramic balconies, see this video: The frame of the cold glazing window system consists of an aluminum profile, which has excellent thermal conductivity. The supply of heat to such a room at a negative air temperature outside will lead to the formation of ice on the glass, and the heating will be insignificant due to serious heat losses. As mentioned above, unauthorized changes to the facade of a residential apartment building can cause a conflict with local governments and other residents of the building. Installation of the second row of double-glazed windows will not damage the general appearance of the building. The resulting air chamber will ensure heat retention on the balcony or loggia. The disadvantage of this method of insulation will be the inconvenience of washing the glass inside the chamber. The usable space of the room will decrease by the indent and the thickness of the inner wall, which can be a significant disadvantage in a limited area. There is a special film that is glued directly to the glass. It significantly hinders good thermal conductivity. With the help of energy-saving film, you can achieve heat savings of 20-30%. Appearance of windows at gluing will not change at all. It also protects against harmful solar radiation. Watch this video on how to properly stick an energy-saving film: To insulate the structure frame, you can replace the existing aluminum profile with the same analogue, but with a special polyamide insert. This method is quite expensive, since you will have to completely replace the entire frame of the glazing wall. Thermal insulation of the balcony, which was originally thought out by the designer as a cold room, is a rather costly and time-consuming task. It is advisable to get competent advice from specialists in the field of construction before making a decision on insulation. It's good to have a warm coat in the cold in winter! Better to toe. Well, at least a warm down jacket. It also won't freeze. Some buildings or individual rooms also need a good “fur coat” to create a pleasant climate in them in winter. What material for warming the loggia to prefer? Recently, such a building material as extruded polystyrene, or, another name for penoplex, is gaining more and more popularity. This is a wonderful new generation heater. Its properties are much higher by an order of magnitude than its predecessor - foam. Interestingly, in the US, the production and use of foam is already prohibited. Although these two materials are chemically related, their performance characteristics are incomparable due to the difference in their production technology. But now, for the correct work with this material, we do not need knowledge about its composition, production process, and so on. It is important for us to learn how to work with him. We will try? Well then, let's go. Now we will discuss such a method of creating internal thermal insulation from polystyrene, which builders call the “thermos effect”. For example, we will discuss how to insulate a loggia using this method. To begin with, we calculate how thick we need a heater. To do this, we use the table for calculating the thickness of such a layer. Similar tables, which give an idea of this issue, taking into account the material of the walls and the region, are given on the websites of manufacturers and suppliers. We calculate the area to be insulated and calculate the number of foam boards, taking into account their size of 600 * 1200 millimeters. If the table gave us a decent thickness, then it can be made up of two layers, for example, two layers of 50 millimeters each or one 50, the other 30. This is how it will turn out. But we must understand that we are rounding up. For example, the calculation according to the table of the insulation layer gave 60 millimeters. You should not be limited to one layer of foam boards of 50 millimeters. Let's just use the "two layers, 50 and 30" scheme. When we found out what we were interested in, we can purchase materials for warming the loggia. We will also purchase fasteners for these plates. It is good to use fasteners like "mushroom". The required length is 7-10 centimeters more than the thickness of the insulation that we determined. We sheathe the entire loggia around the entire loggia with sheets of insulation, nailing them with fasteners to the walls, ceiling and floor. By the way, we will pay special attention to that part of the loggia, which is under the glazing. Usually it is a wall, half a brick thick, that is, 12 centimeters. And if it is a reinforced concrete slab, then it is even thinner. Care must be taken when we punch holes in this wall for fasteners. If we have a perforator drill longer than necessary, then it will simply pass through this wall right through. And if we continue in the same spirit and further, then part of the facade of the building will simply be devoid of aesthetic appearance. Visibility from the outside will be as if this fragment of the house was shot from a machine gun. Well, this is by the way. And now back to warming. When all the walls and the floor are evenly sheathed with our wonderful insulation in the desired layer thickness, then you can proceed to the next step. For this effect, we need foil isolone. Also a heater in the form of a foil glued to a foam base. The fact is that our next task is to wrap all the already insulated surfaces of the loggia with this material. We roll it out of a roll, cut it into the desired dimensions and attach it to the foam so that the foam base is hidden from the eyes, and the foil remains visible. For fastening, you can use ordinary self-tapping screws or short nails with a wide head. We just pierce through the foil isolon and stick this fastener directly into the foam. Will keep. And the joints between the cuts of foil insulation along the plane and in the corners are sealed with metallized aluminum adhesive tape. When this process is completed, our thermos is basically ready. How does he work? Move your cheek to the wall at a distance of 5-10 millimeters. Do you feel warm? Now touch the foil in this place with your hand. She is cool! The warmth you felt as you approached the wall with your face - the heat of your own body reflected from it! And this means that the penoplex does not allow the cold to penetrate inside, and the foil isolon reflects the heat available in the apartment and does not allow it to leave it. By the way, foil isolon on the floor is relevant at this stage if you will make a heated floor or use tiles to cover the floor. It's time to lay the heating cable on this surface, then pour the screed over it. If such a floor or tile was not planned, then the process goes the other way around - first a screed, then a “thermos”. In this case, foil insulation will immediately serve as a substrate for laminated parquet or parquet boards. Well, our "thermos" is ready. Now you can proceed to sheathe the walls and ceiling with the previously selected material. GVL sheets or plastic panels- whatever you decide. Extruded polystyrene is a wonderful material for warming not only loggias. It is very widely used for insulation in all areas of construction. External thermal insulation for buildings, insulation of floors, roofs, foundations, engineering communications and so on. The only myth about him that can be mentioned is that the penoplex serves as good sound insulation. Of course, it gives a certain sound insulation. But there is no point in using it specifically for this purpose. Just a waste of money and time. Those who tried to do this, then dismantled the structure and replaced this material with another one with better soundproofing properties. Well, you already know how to make a good "thermos" from your loggia. Good luck with your renovation! Is it legal to insulate your balcony or loggia? Certainly. You paid a hefty sum for it when you bought it. You're not going to tear down the walls, are you? No, then it's all right on that side. Well, according to the code, it is impossible to display batteries on the loggia. Previously, this was a common practice, but due to the fact that everything was done by handicraft: both insulation and heating, the removal of batteries was banned in 2005. So - now out of competition on the balcony. But there is one more technical point. The so-called "thermal contour of the building". This is something like the norms for the temperature of all its main structural elements: walls, ceilings, panels, etc. It must be calculated. This term pops up from time to time on construction sites and forums. Especially when it comes to balcony insulation. And we will devote a few lines to this issue. From a technical point of view, can the insulation of a balcony or loggia affect this very “contour”? The “thermal contour” of a building is an ephemeral concept and not all civil engineers will be able to explain what it is even to themselves (not to be confused with the heating system, which really needs to be calculated and balanced). So, what is meant by this very “contour” and its violation? In short, loggias and balconies should have a temperature environment, and the heated part of the building is something about the room. This is by design. Although what guided the designers of those years is unclear. The loggias are large. How not to close them from rain and wind? After all, according to the project, they should all be open! Paradox. But in fact, it turned out differently. Common sense took over. All balconies, in most cases, were glazed by the tenants and the doors to them were unanimously opened in winter, especially in non-frosty times. And the loggias warmed up as a result, or rather, the walls surrounding them. And just because they were not insulated or very illiterately insulated. And this situation continues to this day. All balconies are glazed and finished with clapboard, and everyone keeps the door ajar on them in winter. Closed only in severe frosts. So what kind of “thermal contour of the building” can we talk about in this case? Maybe this “contour” does not exist at all, since nothing has happened to Soviet houses for many years? And it doesn’t happen with new buildings, where it depends only on the developer in what form to rent a house - with glazed or unglazed balconies? Yes, even if it exists, this notorious contour, then competent insulation of a loggia or balcony makes it inaccessible to general heat building envelope structures. Everything that should be cold, cold and will remain. But this is at proper insulation, but if it’s wrong (which is in most cases), the walls on the balconies definitely warm up. True, nothing happens to the house either, but here room temperature the balcony is already hard to reach. But this is the real goal of competent insulation, right. For the sake of this, it is worth spending your money, and you will never harm your neighbors by insulating your balcony. Only if they poorly insulated it, and in order to raise the temperature on it, they also connected to central heating at home (heating circuit). And also wrong. That's when your neighbors may have problems, but simply when glazing and insulating their balcony - never. There were no such cases.Do you have to repair the balcony at your own expense?
What can and cannot be done on the balcony?
What is forbidden to do on the balcony
When do you need a renovation permit?
What threatens illegal repairs on the balcony
What prevents the repair of the balcony. Real stories
Insulation of a balcony with a brick parapet
Insulating material will help to effectively insulate the balcony of their brick Glass insulation
Floor insulation
Penofol can be used as insulation
Underfloor heating - one of the options for insulating a balcony 
Wall and ceiling insulation
Insulation of panoramic balconies
Installation of an additional glazing circuit
When installing an additional glazing circuit, the usable space will decrease slightly Energy saving glass film
Profile replacement
Calculation of the amount of material for warming the loggia
Getting Started
Making a thermos
