Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 25, 2012 10:09 am We have decided to build a double story house in saltwater coast but we are unsure of putting a balcony on the front or not. There is only a 80% chance we will be able to see the city and bay. I have been looking around at the other double story homes and I don’t think it adds that much value to the house. But that’s only a quick look on the net at houses for sale. It is around 30k for the Façade with the balcony. Is it really worth it? Re: balcony or not??? 2Nov 25, 2012 10:18 am Unless you are going to have a balcony big enough to use ie sit out there with a cuppa or entertain in and it is in a place where you are going to use it like off your family area then in my opinion it's not worth it. Especially if it's going to cost you 30k. If you do want the possibility of views then I would make your windows accomodate this and add a nice seat nearby to take advantage of them. Just my 2 cents worth Re: balcony or not??? 4Nov 29, 2012 11:03 am Hi! We have ocean "glimpses" and if we didn't put a balcony on our house we would have definitely been lowering our eventual resale value. We have built a balcony big enough to sit and enjoy the views, like Charnley said it needs to be big enough to actually use! Maybe speak to a local Real Estate Agent to see if they think its valuable.$30k now might mean $60k later on Then you just need to think about if you would actually like one. It's definitely not all about resale but its also something you don't want to regret later on! Good luck with your decision! Re: balcony or not??? 5Nov 29, 2012 12:26 pm We don't have ANY views, but we stil want a balcony; because that side of the house faces the direction that breezes come from, and a balcony allows full-height doors to allow summer breezes through. For semi-similar reasons, our balcony will be covered but only about 1m deep, because that's the northerly aspect & we want to block summer sun from falling on the windows while allowing winter sun to come through (as it's at a lower angle). The balcony itself is unlikely to be used; it's all about making the rest of the house more comfortable & efficient. Re: balcony or not??? 6Nov 29, 2012 5:31 pm Thanks bbuilder2012 and forg! It is bigger enough to have a chairs and a table. And it would be nice to sit out there. Its off the master bedroom so it would only be my husband and I sitting out there. Thank you all for your help. I am going to go with the balcony Re: balcony or not??? 7Nov 29, 2012 5:36 pm We purposely didn't choose a balcony for the front of our double storey. I didn't see the point of spending the extra $$ if it was never going to be used. It would have been off our bedroom, facing east and looking straight out onto neighbours. No view, so I didn't see the point. We still have a big window there, anyway, and if we sit outside it's around the back in privacy in the alfresco, not where the neighbours can see! Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: balcony or not??? 8Nov 29, 2012 5:40 pm This is a question I ask myself alot when designing. Along west coast of Perth there are HEAPS of homes with Balconies. Of course you would with those amazing views ... right ? Well you drive down west coast highway on any given day and you will hardly see anyone using their balconies, you know why ? ... Cause it is hot as hell and they are extremely exposed. However the real estate market is not built in reality, it is built on selling the dream. People dream of sitting out on the balcony on a summer evening, even if they don't actually do it. plus balconies look good, they certainly add to the design So I may have posed even more questions and not helped at all, but this is a question I ask myself alot and I simply had to put in my 2 cents Re: balcony or not??? 9Nov 29, 2012 6:08 pm Forg We don't have ANY views, but we stil want a balcony; because that side of the house faces the direction that breezes come from, and a balcony allows full-height doors to allow summer breezes through. I agree with this approach. I'd like a small balcony above my porch predominately as a way to help air the upper floor. I'm intending to put a security door so that it's okay to open up for breezes. It's better to have it covered so that you can have the door open and not worry too much about rain getting in. If possible, make sure the door is at the end of a hallway and that there is a window at the other end of the hallway (or a room at the end of the hallway) for easy through ventilation. Build thread: here Land Nov 12, Contract 6/07/13, Consent 15/08/13, Start 20/09/13, Slab 25/09/13, Frame 4/10/13, Brick 21/10/13, Roof 2/11/13, Lock-up 17/12/13, Handover 3/3/14 Re: balcony or not??? 10Nov 29, 2012 6:23 pm Forg We don't have ANY views, but we stil want a balcony; because that side of the house faces the direction that breezes come from, and a balcony allows full-height doors to allow summer breezes through Breezeway louvres do the same thing and they look awesome Re: balcony or not??? 11Nov 29, 2012 8:12 pm same as stormy. Builder wanted basically 20K extra for balcony off the front master bedroom, overlooking the road/street and other peoples driveways. we altered the basic facade to articulate it and cost us under 4K Re: balcony or not??? 12Nov 29, 2012 10:19 pm munta Forg We don't have ANY views, but we stil want a balcony; because that side of the house faces the direction that breezes come from, and a balcony allows full-height doors to allow summer breezes through Breezeway louvres do the same thing and they look awesome Are you referring to the brand of louvre windows, or is there a type of louvre window I should research? I'm keen if there's something I've not seen around! Normal louvres (obviously) don't provide the shade we're after, and extending eaves or a shade or whatever out either looks a bit wonky or costs as much as just getting a covered balcony built. However - Breezeway louvres don't seal very well, meaning you lose a heap of heat in winter; I've recently seen some decent louvres which do seal a lot better; still not real cheap, though! Re: balcony or not??? 13Nov 29, 2012 11:59 pm Forg However - Breezeway louvres don't seal very well, meaning you lose a heap of heat in winter; I've recently seen some decent louvres which do seal a lot better; still not real cheap, though! Are you sure? Case study from Breezeway of their product after cyclone Yasi. http://www.breezway.com.au/downloads/Cyclone_Yasi_Editorial_220411.pdf and more here http://www.breezway.com.au/casestudies_yasi.htm ----------------------------------------------- http://pab34newdigs.blogspot.com.au/ ----------------------------------------------- Re: balcony or not??? 14Feb 26, 2013 9:31 am Another option is to use aluminium, timber or frosted glass in the louvres to add the shade/privacy you're after. Some louvre windows even meet the requirements for air-conditioned buildings (less than 1L/s per square metre which is better than a lot of windows). This means they don't leak much air at all when they are closed but fully open to allow the wind straight through. Breezway have a good product and so do other companies like Klimat Louvres. Both are made in Australia, try to stay away from overseas imports. First time building 2 storey home in NSW. Below Current plan have separate balcony. But thinking to do a multipurpose lounge with balcony (kind of sunroom) in first floor… 0 4271 Well you won't get cooked by the afternoon sun when sitting out on the balcony on a summers afternoon but you won't have much to look at besides the neighbours… 4 3206 Dear all, Requesting your help in relation to a CDC code. We are building a new home in NSW on a corner lot (500m2, 15m wide) following Greenfield CDC code. Our design… 0 3259 |