A first floor walk out balcony on a house in Northamptonshire, with frameless glass across the front so the view is not cut up by posts or a handrail. It is our infinity frameless walk out balcony, made to this elevation and supplied as a kit for the customer to install himself.
Project overview
- Client type: Residential
- Location: Northamptonshire
- Scope: Design, manufacture and supply, installed by the customer
- Product: Infinity frameless walk out balcony
- Steelwork: Powdercoated RAL 7016 anthracite grey
- Balustrade: Frameless base channel glass, no posts and no handrail
- Deck: Composite decking on steel trimmer joists
- Fabrication: BS EN 1090-2, UKCA marked
Get a price for something similar
This is our infinity frameless walk out balcony, engineered to your own wall and door opening and supplied as a kit or installed by us.
No posts, no handrail
Tony wanted the balcony for the view, which is the usual reason, and that rules out most balustrade arrangements before you start. A posted system puts an upright every metre or so straight across what you are looking at.
So the glass sits in a continuous base channel and each panel stands on its own, with nothing bridging the top. That means the glass is doing the structural work, which in turn sets its specification: toughened for strength and laminated so a damaged pane stays in place rather than dropping out of the channel. On a run with a capping rail you can get away with toughened alone. Without one you cannot.
Whether your own balcony can go without a handrail is a decision for your designer and your building control officer, against BS 6180 and Approved Document K. Our balcony building regulations guide covers what they will be looking at.
Why there is no timber in the floor
The deck is composite boards on steel trimmer joists. There is no timber anywhere in the structure, and that is deliberate rather than a styling choice.
Timber joists inside a metal frame are the thing that tends to go wrong on an older walk out balcony. Even treated, timber enclosed where it cannot dry out holds moisture, and the rot happens where nobody can see it. Steel joists do not warp, shrink or rot, and composite boards do not need oiling or replacing.
It also means the same build up can be used where combustible materials are restricted on taller buildings, which is worth knowing if you are specifying for a flat rather than a house.
Installed by the customer
Tony managed the installation himself. We supply these as kits nationwide, with every component made to size in Sheffield and the structural parts arriving ready to bolt together.
It works because nothing is cut or welded on site. It also puts the weight on the measurements, so on a supply only balcony we will tell you exactly what we need from the elevation, and it is worth sending photographs of the wall, the doors and the ground below before anything is ordered.
Working at height is the customer's own responsibility on a self install, and we fit these ourselves where that is preferred.
Get a price for something similar
Send photographs of the elevation, the rough size of balcony you want, and a note of what the doors are and what is underneath, to sales@diomet.co.uk, or call 0114 243 9009. Say whether you want to fit it yourself.
- Infinity frameless walk out balcony, the balcony on this job, priced online
- Walk out balcony with glass balustrade, the posted version, which costs less
- Cantilever walk out metal balcony, where you do not want legs to the ground
- Walk out balcony with ornate balustrade, where metal railings suit the house better than glass
- Walk out balcony with a glass floor, where the balcony must not darken a window below
- System 4 frameless glass balustrade, if the balcony exists and only the glass is needed
If you are not sure which of those fits, our how to get a price page sets out exactly what we need from you.
Before you order
- Balcony building regulations
- Retrofitting a balcony to an existing house
- Walk out balcony FAQ
- Material finishes
- Installation
- Our certification and what it covers
Frequently asked questions
Can I install a walk out balcony myself?
Yes, and plenty of customers do. The kit is made to size in Sheffield and bolts together, with nothing to cut or weld on site. Working at height is your own responsibility, and we fit them ourselves where that is preferred.
Why steel joists rather than timber?
Because timber enclosed in a metal frame cannot dry out properly, and that is where rot starts on older balconies. Steel joists with composite boards take that problem out of the structure altogether.
Can a balcony really have no handrail?
It can where the glass specification supports it, which means toughened and laminated panels in a structural channel. Whether yours can is for your designer and building control officer to decide.
Does the balcony need planning permission?
A walk out balcony is not permitted development, unlike a Juliet, because there is a platform to stand on and it overlooks. Assume you will need to apply, and talk to your planning department early.
What does it cost to run?
Nothing much. Steel, glass and composite need washing down rather than treating. There is no timber to oil and no paint to redo on a powdercoated galvanised frame.