Balcony Design: Addition and Restructuring
In times of the pandemic, most people would love to have a balcony in their home, to get a whist of fresh air. A balcony not only adds value to your home, but it upgrades your overall exterior, and provides a great view to take in and get in touch with the outdoors. Good balcony designs add exterior elegance to buildings. However, to get the best of a balcony addition and restructuring, you need the service of a professional structural engineer.
In 2006, the International Building Code [IBC] defined balcony as an exterior floor projection from a building solely taking support from the building without any additional independent support. Structural engineers can offer you expert analysis and advice on the best balcony designs for your building. They will help identify damaged or distressed balcony structures, also providing professional solution for restructuring.
Structural engineers assist you with the best materials for your balcony structures while also helping you to cut costs. Structural engineers will also help you come up with a balcony addition plan that will guarantee your safety. The professional touch of a structural engineer will add stability, rigidity, and strength to your balcony structures.
Why You Should Consider Adding Balcony to Your Building
You should consider yourself lucky if you have an existing balcony in your building. The inclusion of a balcony in a building has an unlimited number of advantages and benefits. Here are reasons why you should consider balcony addition to your building.
- The inclusion of an appropriate balcony design will add more value to your house.
- It beautifies the exterior outlook of a building.
- A balcony also adds relaxation and social space to your building.
- A balcony offers you a fantastic overview of your natural environment.
However, if you have an existing balcony, you can add a new one. On the other hand, you can also consider it for renovation. You should consider renovating your terrace if you observe any or all of the following structural failures:
- Any apparent rot in crucial parts of the balcony
- Slack guardrails or railings of the balcony
- Imbalance level or slope in any part of the decking
- Persistent infiltration of the balcony by water
- Cracks or opening in any structural part of the balcony
Components That Influence the Quality and Structural Performance of a Balcony
Some significant elements affect the performance of a balcony. This technicality further highlights the need for a structural engineer. These components include:
- Guardrails: Guardrails are essential components of a balcony. They are critical to providing safety support for the balcony. The guardrail of a good balcony must be able to support a 200-pound load acting in all directions. Guardrails are usually 42 inches above the surface to complement the weight support features.
- Support Columns: A well-constructed support column will provide safe support for your balcony. Likewise, the design of support columns is oriented to support the expected load on the balcony.
- Ledgers Connections: ledgers are the part of the balcony that is connected to the exterior parts of the building walls. These ledgers must be bolted appropriately to improve the structural performance of the balcony.
Conclusion
Balcony addition to your building comes with a lot of benefits. The use of appropriate balcony designs and structures will further help you harness these benefits.
However, the involvement of a structural engineer can be of significant importance. The presence of a structural engineer will help you reduce costs. It will also choose the right designs while maintaining a high fundamental standard.