Around 80 metres of frameless glass balustrade across the terraces, balconies and garden patios of one large house in Mosborough, Sheffield, with frosted privacy screens built into the balcony runs. It is our System 4 frameless glass balustrade, in black powdercoated base channel, with raised privacy screens where planning asked for them.
Surveyed, made in our Sheffield workshop and installed by us, working alongside the main contractor.
Project overview
- Client type: Residential, large private development
- Location: Mosborough, Sheffield
- Scope: Survey, supply and installation
- Product: System 4 frameless glass balustrade
- Quantity: Approximately 80 metres across terraces, balconies and patios
- Glass: Toughened and laminated, no handrail on top
- Channel: Base channel, powdercoated black
- Screens: Raised frosted glass privacy screens to the balconies
- Substrate: Mounting walls backfilled with concrete by the main contractor
- Fabrication: BS EN 1090-2, execution class EXC2, declaration method 3b
Get a price for something similar
This is our System 4 frameless glass balustrade, priced by the metre and made to your own runs, with privacy screens added where you need them.
The wall matters more than the glass
On a frameless run, what the channel is bolted to decides whether the job stays right.
Frameless glass is a lever. There are no posts sharing the load, so every push along the top of a panel is turned into a concentrated force at the bottom of it, straight into the fixings. Bolt that into standard blockwork and the fixings work at the block over the years. The result is panels that start to move, and gaps that stop lining up.
On this job the main contractor backfilled the mounting walls with concrete before we arrived, specifically so there was a solid core for the channel to fix into. That is the single most useful thing a builder can do for a frameless balustrade, and it has to happen while the wall is being built rather than afterwards.
If you are at design stage, tell us early and we will give your builder the fixing positions and what they need behind them.
Why there is no handrail on top
A frameless run can be built with a capping rail along the top or with nothing at all, and the glass specification is what decides which.
Here the panels are toughened and laminated. Toughening is what makes the glass strong. Lamination is what makes it fail safely, because the interlayer holds a broken pane in place rather than letting it drop out of the channel. That is the property a designer relies on when a run is specified without a top rail.
Whether a particular balustrade needs a handrail is a decision for the designer and the building control officer on that job, taken against BS 6180 and Approved Document K. We make to whichever specification you are working to, and our glass balustrade building regulations guide sets out what they will be looking at.
Privacy screens that also stop the wind
The frosted screens on the balcony runs went in to satisfy a planning condition about overlooking, which is a common requirement on a house with balconies close to a boundary.
They earn their place twice, because a raised screen at the end of a balcony is also a wind break, and on an exposed corner that is often the difference between a balcony that gets used and one that does not. Frosted glass keeps the light coming through while stopping the view, which solid panels do not.
Get a price for something similar
Send a drawing or a photograph with the length of each run on it, a note of what the glass is fixing to, and the height of the drop, to sales@diomet.co.uk, or call 0114 243 9009. On a new build, send it while the walls are still being designed.
- System 4 frameless glass balustrade, the system on this job, priced online
- Raised glass wind screens and privacy screens, the screens on the balconies
- System 7 side fixed frameless glass balustrade, where the glass fixes to the face of a slab rather than the top
- Parapet wall glass balustrade, for glass sitting on top of an existing wall
- System 1 stainless steel glass balustrade, the posted alternative, which costs less per metre
- System 11 patio glass fencing, for a boundary or screen rather than a guarded drop
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
- Glass balustrade building regulations
- Glass quality standards
- Material finishes
- Installation
- Product maintenance
- Our certification and what it covers
Frequently asked questions
What does a frameless balustrade need to fix into?
Something solid. Concrete is ideal. Standard blockwork is the usual problem, because frameless glass loads the fixings hard and a block will give over time. On a new build the answer is to backfill the mounting wall with concrete while it is going up, which is what happened here.
Can a frameless run be fitted without a handrail along the top?
It can where the glass specification supports it, which normally means toughened and laminated panels. Whether your own balustrade needs a top rail is a decision for your designer and building control officer against BS 6180 and Approved Document K.
Do privacy screens have to be frosted?
No, but frosted is usually the right answer. It blocks the view while still letting light through, which solid screens do not. Tinted and fritted glass are also possible.
How long does 80 metres take to install?
On a job this size it is weeks rather than days, and it is normally done in sections as the building work allows. Programming it with the main contractor is part of the job.
Can you match the channel to the house?
Yes. The base channel is powdercoated, so it can be any RAL colour. Black was chosen here to sit against the stonework.