apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You may need to check with the building owner to see if its permitted first

If this is an owned property, I'd save up and get it properly glassed in. Add value to your place, and get a bonus room!

Have you checked if your building has rules about balconies? Make sure that your strata/landlord isn't going to make you take something down before you spend any money on this.

Good luck with a solution!

thats what I was going to say..

depending how crafty you are, i think a thick canvas would work pretty well.. you could even add in some windows or just flaps to open as windows. I have a canvas pup-tent I use for camping, and despite having no floor, it retains heat pretty well and is semi-waterproof. it would be like a tent attached to your apartment! you could just put grommets on the edges and tie it to some screw-in hooks or something.. maybe :)

Definitely check not only with the building rules, but also city code - then from there.

don't do that, it ruins the architecture

I agree with Vicadin, it would be hard to make it not look like an eyesore.

I agree with Vicadin - even if you don't like the look of the building, if everyone there did a different closed-in-balcony project the place would end up looking really messy and it would probably devalue the property.

Enclosing a balcony is just a Bad Idea.

If you must, just get some full-length outdoor draperies and some swing-arm rods like these from Umbra:

http://www.umbra.com/ustore/product/238936/c410/anywhere_telescoping_system.html

...and create a luxurious outdoor space for yourself.

even if this is an owned space most condo boards have pretty strict rules about balconies and what can be put on them and hung even including potted plants and Christmas decorations both for safety and as mentioned before for aesthetic reasons. Rent or own, if you must do this, check first.

I live in Brazil and we have some options for that: http://www.dwssistemas.com.br/sacadas.htm . I don't like it, but we don't have cold wheater like u guys do!

It seems like there'd be some rule against this. In my previous apartment, my neighbor fenced in his balcony with mesh and fabric. It was such an embarrassing eyesore that I hated having people over because it was the first thing they saw.

This could be a fire code violation, which would nullify your lease. I'd check first, and then go with canvas curtains.

In the case where a permanant installation is allowed, you should be talking to an architect and/or licensed contractor about building materials.

If it were my balcony, I'd choose the kind of double pane, energy efficient glass used for those wonderful alpine homes in Park City and Aspen (it gets damn cold at ski resorts). Glass would be the least offensive to the building's aesthetic, allow you to treat the space like an atrium, and probably represent the best investment in terms of a capital investment.

For a semi-permanent treatment, I'd look to the materials used be event-tent manufacturers. I've seen transparent vinyl suspended with both iron and PVC pipes, and sealed with industrial snaps and velcro. Again, least offensive to the aesthetic, and you can see out (it looks like wet glass on a rainy day -- blurry/soft focus)

rant: I hate it when readers don't asnwer the question. we should assume you have permission and focus on the question.

Or maybe, kimg924, the readers were being conscientious and kind in trying to save the original poster some time, expense, and a maybe a fine. Why should we assume that the person had permission. Sometimes these issues never even occur to a person ask in the first place because maybe if it had occurred to the original poster it might have been included in the question in the first place.

I second this Greige. Not only shouldn't we assume that a person has done the necessary research to uncover whether or not this is possible, but as a professional designer, i know that the majority of my bad ideas aren't identifiable as bad ideas until i talk to someone else about them.

In this case, i would agree with many of the posts in saying that thick insulated safety glass with thin black powdercoated mullions would be the only reasonable way to wall in this balcony and not disturb the existing architecture too much. Anything more will look like someone pitched a tent on a balcony.

However i would not recommend doing it. The cost will be super high, and short of putting up insulation and drywall, or mud brick it just isn't going to be as warm as you want it to be. The floor and ceiling will transfer too much temperature change from their exterior surfaces. Even if you own the place i cant see you being satisfied with the result short of creating a new room on an existing balcony.

if this is a rental, just forget about it. most buildings have rulls about that sort of thing.

Around here I know of two condo buildings similar to tha one shown that permit ONE and ONLY one type of enclosure through one and only one specific contractor. If you lived in those complexes, the info is available thru the condo association. You might find out if you investigate that something like that applies where you are. But I would imagine you will just be told that you can't make any changes at all. Good luck.

Greige, it doesn't matter how conscientous anyone's intent is,

The question in many cases in many posts throughout AT is not answered. That's the point. "I'm thinking about green paint for this room. What do you think?" Answer: "Oh my god, get rid of that awful carpet."

I've seen nothing but helpful advice here - everything from "canvas drapes" to "insulated glass with unobtrusive mullions" to "look before you leap".

Personally I think the idea of creating an insulated outdoor space where one doesnt exist is far more challenging than the original poster expects. Anyone who lives in an uninsulated HOUSE will tell you - it is very difficult to keep heat in! Doing something in an exterior balcony will be next to impossible short of doing major construction. If that is the direction the poster is headed they should seek professional architectural help - not the help of a bunch of design hobbyists on a blog.