Have been thinking about expanding your living space for a long timeby attaching a loggia or balcony to the room? Do not know how to correctly coordinate everything so that there are no problems? Today we will tell you in detail about all the intricacies of this process. There is never a lot of space in the house, so when the chance of our home even for a few square meters falls, we certainly want to take advantage of this opportunity. Therefore, the addition of spaces such as a loggia and a balcony always excites the imagination of homeowners. And even if by law these are non-residential premises, nevertheless, very many are trying to make them habitable. But what awaits us if we decide to tackle such an affiliation, what pitfalls will we face on our way? We turned to the architects Tatyana Morozova and Ruslan Kirnichansky and with their help we will help you understand all the intricacies of this very complex process. Tatiana Morozova, architect Tatiana is the head of the architectural bureau ARCHdesign and this is not the first time she appears on the pages of our online magazine. You can learn more about it. archdesign-tm.ru Ruslan Kirnichansky, architect-designer Ruslan is the head of the architectural bureau Fabbrica Immagini, we have already written about one of his projects, you can find out more information about it. fab-im.com
Loggia and balcony: what is the difference
Although some people consider these words synonymous,there is a difference, and it is palpable. Unlike a loggia, it protrudes from the wall of the building, and also has some kind of protective fence. In turn, the loggia is an integral part of the building and is located inside the house, in no way protruding outward, which means it has a fence on at least three sides. But there are also more subtle technical aspects. The balcony and the loggia are structural elements of the building that are different from each other. The balcony ceiling fastening system is designed for less weight relative to the loggia, so most often you can get permission to combine the loggia and the room. However, in some cases, it turns out to add a balcony to the living space, but this is so difficult that, as a rule, it is not worth the trouble. Ruslan Kirnichansky, architect-designer: - I do not recommend combining a balcony with a room, as it is costly and time-consuming (coordination and permissible reinforcement of the slab). In addition, by adding a balcony, you do not solve the problem of a shortage of space (balconies have a modest area), with loggias the situation is more interesting, and combining it is economically justified and effective. fab-im.com Tatyana Morozova, architect: - Often the "native" glazing of the house is panoramic, with glass directly from the upper floor slab. So, when ordering a new glazing, you will have to reduce the area of this glazing (the insulation will take the same 15-20 cm from the top too), which will lead to a decrease in illumination. In our climate, this is an important factor. archdesign-tm.ru 
Variants of joining the balcony / balcony to the room
There are several ways how to attachbalcony or loggia to the apartment. The first consists in glazing of the added area, if there is none, as well as its capital insulation. After that, it will be possible to dismantle the balcony door along with the window. This is an easier method, although it should be remembered that even such changes require permission and registration. The second option involves partial removal of the outer wall of the building, which is much more problematic. Moreover, it is difficult not only in technical performance, but also in paperwork, since such a redevelopment will necessarily need to be coordinated, and then approved by the relevant authorities. Each case must be considered individually, because your changes can disrupt the supporting structure of the whole house. Tatyana Morozova, architect: - When deciding whether to connect or not, you need to really look at your situation. Sometimes the loggia or balcony is not very wide, which means that after insulation (which will take 15-20 cm from each wall, excluding the inner wall of the house), there may be a very narrow and small space on which only wall cabinets can be placed. archdesign-tm.ru 
Dismantling of the door and window unit
From a technical point of view, this is the main point,which directly depends on the structure of the building. For example, in brick, block or panel houses, a section of a window-sill block in a wall can be part of a supporting structure, therefore, no one will allow it to be cut or even removed, and unauthorized restructuring would be a direct violation of the law. In monolithic houses, this business is easier, because usually the facades of the walls in them are not load-bearing, so the expansion of the opening will not be a problem. Not everything is simple with the sill, it often acts as a fixing for the balcony slab, or hides the interpanel joints, or prevents the room from freezing. In any case, like the window sill block, it should never be removed just like that and a special permission from the competent authorities will be required. Ruslan Kirnichansky, architect-designer: - It is permissible to remove the lower partition of the balcony door and window in exceptional cases. If the house has a panel system, then the dismantling of fragments of the external walls is strictly prohibited, since carrying out these works negatively affects the general house frame. If the house is monolithic-brick, then you can dismantle the lower walls, but I recommend doing this after conducting a study of the building structure and obtaining an agreement, which will describe the algorithm for strengthening the structures. fab-im.com 
How to harmonize and legalize
must be properly documented andlegalized. Therefore, in order to connect a loggia or balcony to a room, you should first contact the BTI to order a technical passport for an apartment from them, which will then need to be presented to the Moscow Housing Inspectorate for capital homeowners or to the Department of Construction and Architecture of an urban district for residents of any other city. In addition, you will also have to find a design organization, necessarily consisting of an SRO, which will make for you a plan for future redevelopment. At the same time, the company's specialists must carry out a technical inspection of the house and only after that start making changes. But that's not all, get ready to visit the sanitary-epidemiological, gas, fire and other services to coordinate with them your secret desires for redevelopment. 
The next step is perhaps the most responsible. Now you need to collect all the documents together and hand them over to the same Moscow Housing Inspectorate or a similar authority in your city. And in order not to get lost in all these papers, we list the necessary documents:
Well, only by doing all this, you can goDirectly to the redevelopment. Although after the completion of the work will not be able to breathe peacefully. It will be necessary to apply again to the department of housing inspection, so that they will make a check. Employees of the court must make sure that you have not disorganized a half-house or have not completed anything extra. And when they make sure that you have done everything in strict accordance with the approved project, they will give you an act of completing the redevelopment of the premises. 
Warming and heating
Relocation of engineering equipment outside the perimeterload-bearing walls of the building are prohibited. Balconies and loggias belong to the auxiliary area of the apartment, they are non-residential space, and even if the loggia is combined with a room, it will not work to obtain permission to move the radiator (this contradicts the "Code of Rules"). Insulation of the loggia is required: the lower and upper floors, walls. In addition, the glazing needs to be replaced with a winter one. Since the transfer of the radiator beyond the perimeter of the external, load-bearing walls is prohibited, the electric option can be used to heat the balcony. It could be an electric heater. Tatyana Morozova, architect: - As a rule, a warm floor is arranged on the attached loggias. This is correct, since the loggia, even connected and insulated according to all the rules, is the coldest and most ventilated place in the apartment. It must be remembered that the installation of a warm water floor is excluded (as well as water radiators). Electric only. When calculating heating devices per cubic meter, the warm floor is not taken into account, since it is not a heating device, but only an auxiliary device! There is also such a method as heating with infrared radiation built into the suspended ceiling, floor and walls (if necessary). This method has its fans, and here's why: 1. The air humidity does not change (unlike traditional heat sources). 2. Silently. 3. Environmentally friendly. 4. Does not affect the aesthetic appearance of the room (since it is entirely under the finishing). archdesign-tm.ru Ruslan Kirnichansky, architect-designer: - For energy-intensive equipment, provide a separate cable with an automatic switch from the shield (to ensure fire safety). As a heater of the former loggia, you can use not only floor convectors. I recommend installing an electric heated towel rail on the wall of the former loggia, it is convenient and does not take up much space. The configuration and style of modern electric towel warmers is varied, and this equipment can be elegantly integrated into the interior. We must not forget that a heated towel rail is a heating device, and only then equipment for drying textiles. When summer comes, it can be turned off. fab-im.com 
Eugene Kulibaba, siruk-design.ru, sunwavestudio.ru, fedorova.ru, fab-im.com, int2architecture.ru,
