A glass balustrade round the flat roof of a new porch extension in Milton Keynes, fixed entirely into the wall so nothing goes through the waterproof covering. It is our parapet wall glass balustrade, in galvanised and powdercoated steel with toughened glass infill.
Designed, made in our Sheffield workshop and installed by us for Level Up Developments.
Project overview
- Client: Level Up Developments
- Location: Milton Keynes
- Scope: Design, manufacture and installation, also available supply only
- Product: Parapet wall glass balustrade, cavity wall fixed
- Application: Flat roof porch extension with a waterproof membrane
- Glass: Structural toughened safety glass infill
- Finish: Hot dip galvanised then powdercoated RAL 7016 anthracite grey
- Design standard: BS 6180 line loading
- Fabrication: BS EN 1090-2, UKCA marked
Get a price for something similar
This is our parapet wall glass balustrade, made for guarding a flat roof or extension without putting fixings through the waterproofing.
The waterproofing problem
On this renovation the obstacle was the porch extension roof. It is flat, it is covered with a waterproof membrane, and a floor mounted balustrade would have meant drilling through it.
That is the one thing worth avoiding on a new extension. Every bolt through a membrane is a joint that has to be sealed, and a seal that fails does so slowly and out of sight. It also tends to end the roofer's guarantee on a covering that has only just gone down.
Drilling near a drainage point or anywhere water pools is worse again, and on a small porch roof there is not much of it that is not near one.
Fixing into the cavity wall instead
The system is fixed horizontally into the masonry of the house rather than vertically into the roof. Not one fixing enters the roof base.
Stand off spacers bridge the gap between the inner masonry and the external render or brickwork, so the load is anchored in the structure of the wall rather than in the outer skin. The base rail and the handrail then carry the glass between them, which is why this is a framed arrangement rather than a frameless channel.
The membrane stays whole, the drainage is untouched, and the roofing guarantee is not disturbed. We used the same principle on a retrofit roof terrace in Sheffield and on a row of new builds in Chesterfield.
No posts, no base fixings
Taking out the vertical posts and the base fixings leaves a run that is mostly glass, which on a porch roof overlooking the front of a house is what a developer wants: light through it and a clear view out.
It is also quicker to fit. There is no setting out of post positions on a roof surface and no sealing to do afterwards, so the installation is a wall job rather than a roofing job.
Galvanised, then painted
All the metalwork is hot dip galvanised and then powdercoated in RAL 7016 anthracite grey.
Galvanising does the corrosion protection and the powder coat does the colour. If the paint gets chipped the zinc underneath keeps working at the chip, rather than rust travelling under the coating, which is what happens when steel is simply painted. It needs washing down rather than repainting.
Get a price for something similar
Send photographs of the roof and the wall around it, the length of each run, and a note of what the covering is, to sales@diomet.co.uk, or call 0114 243 9009. On a new extension, ring before the roof is finished.
- Parapet wall glass balustrade, the system on this job, priced online
- System 7 side fixed frameless glass balustrade, the frameless way of fixing to a face
- System 10 powdercoated glass balustrade, galvanised and painted, where you can base fix
- System 9 galvanised steel glass balustrade, bare galvanised for an exposed roof
- Raised glass wind screens and privacy screens, where a roof terrace is overlooked
- 12mm clear toughened glass panels, if you only need glass for a frame you have
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
- Balcony building regulations
- Material finishes
- Installation
- Product maintenance
- Our certification and what it covers
Frequently asked questions
Can a balustrade be fitted to a flat roof extension without drilling the membrane?
Yes, by fixing into the wall instead. The load goes horizontally into the masonry through stand off spacers, and nothing enters the roof base, so the covering and the drainage are untouched.
Will it affect my roofing guarantee?
Fixings through a covering usually do, which is exactly why this system avoids them. If the roof is already laid, tell us who laid it and we will specify something that does not interfere with it.
Can it be fixed into a cavity wall?
That is what it is designed for. Spacers bridge from the inner masonry out through the render or outer brickwork, so the anchor is in the structure rather than in the outer skin.
Can I fit it myself?
Yes, it is available supply only. Because the waterproofing problem is solved in the design, the installation is a wall fixing job and does not need roofing tools or trades.
Is it suitable for a developer doing several plots?
Yes, and it is cheaper that way because the setting out and the sections repeat. We work with developers regularly on exactly this detail.