Cantilevered balcony
Hung balcony
Stacked balcony
False balcony
Mezzanine balcony
Loggia balcony
While building your new house or even renovating the existing one, you should spend some time on the kind of balconies you want to have in your house. Balconies not only have usability but also add aesthetic value to the exterior of your house. Having a large-sized balcony in your house provides you with an additional space to enjoy a gathering with friends and family or the weather outside. Once you have decided to have a balcony in your home, there are different types of balconies that you can choose from but which one to go with is slightly dependent on the outlook of your house.
In this blog, we have jotted down different types of balconies, which will help you in identifying the right type of balcony structure for your home.
Different Types Of Balconies
A balcony is an extension on the upper floors towards the outside that is enclosed with a railing for safety purposes. The size of the balcony depends on the total size of the house but even in small houses, the size varies. Balconies outside the window panels are small and are attached to the building while the huge sized balconies are usually supported with pillars on the lower floors.
The following types of balconies are the ones that you will find on different houses:
- Cantilevered balcony
- Hung balcony
- Stacked balcony
- False balcony
- Mezzanine balcony
- Loggia balcony
Cantilevered Balcony
Cantilevered balconies have structures protruding from the face of the building. These structures do not have any visible support but are supported by hidden iron or steel rods/girders. These balconies are supported by cantilevering the load of the wall. Due to this complexity in the design of these balconies, these can only be added while the house is being constructed for the first time. The size of these balconies is very small because as the depth of the balcony increases, its ability to withstand higher loads decreases and to support this, more technical building solutions are required.
Traditionally, cantilever balconies are made up of steel or concrete but the innovation in the building materials has produced relatively stronger and aesthetically better solutions. While using steel and iron, it is recommended to use the thermal bridging technique that gives thermal break to the structure. For this purpose, thermal break joints are used to break the flow of heat.
Hung Balcony
As the name suggests, a hung balcony is literally hanging on the building. Don’t worry, it is fully supported by screws and steel cables. Like cantilevered balconies, hung balconies are also supported balconies in which a large floor or plate is hung to the building using steel cables at an angle of 45 degrees.
Stacked Balcony
Stacked balconies have a simple design: when vertical pillars are used to connect two or more balconies to form a stack. The pillar approach not only gives a lot of support to individual balconies but also puts minimal load on the building. In most cases, it is not even a part of the building and is built as a separate structure.
By choosing a stacked balcony, one has to compromise on the aesthetics of the building, to some extent, but these balconies are preferred because of their simplicity.
False Balconies
False balconies have many different names but usually, it goes by the name Juliet balcony. Unlike other balconies, this is not an actual balcony where you can put some furniture or take a few steps. From outside the house, it only gives the look of a balcony but depending upon the space there is usually only enough space to put some plant pots.
Design-wise these are similar to any other balcony because these also have a railing. These are commonly found on apartment buildings but can also work equally well on a house.
Mezzanine Balcony
While all other types of balconies are outside the house, a mezzanine balcony is built inside the house, giving you an extra corner to sit in while also being completely aware of the surroundings. You can build a large or a small deck which is totally dependent on the kind of utility you want with this mezzanine balcony but it will also have railings for safety purposes.
Loggia Balcony
Loggia balcony, unlike other balconies, has a roof. In some houses, it is also built as a protruded structure which is easily visible from the side of the building like any other type of balcony but the sole difference remains that it is covered from the top. Usually, in a loggia balcony, there is enough space to accommodate some furniture for comfortable and relaxed seating.
These are the major types of balconies that will help you make a better decision for your house. You can also check our guides on:
- How to make your balcony safe for kids
- Best flooring options for balconies
- Balcony railing ideas for your house
- How to decorate a small balcony
This is all we have on different types of balconies. For more informational pieces on lifestyle-related topics, keep following Zameen Blog and don’t forget to subscribe to Zameen Newsletter for regular updates on the real estate sector of Pakistan.
