Glass Balustrades – Plan ahead

Balustrade installation left to the last moment is not a good idea!

We get some customers coming to us after all, or the majority, of their building work is almost finished wanting to order and install a balustrade. In these cases usually the walls are finished and the waterproofing has already been applied. The repeated request in these cases is “I want to install the balustrade but not fix through the waterproofing” or “We cannot fix to the floor…”

Warning, we see it all too often

Ladies and gentlemen! Glass balustrades are part of the structure and need to be thought of as such.

Would you finish your building and then add a structural beam? Would you finish the wall and then think about adding an opening? The same reasoning needs to be given to the balustrade. Think about it early and get it correctly designed and incorporated into your building.

Get us involved

We love to help, and we love to get involved in the details, be it through you direct, the architect, builder, structural engineer or whoever is running the technical side of your project. We have many solutions available, all of which use our standard elements and keep the costs reasonable. But - and this is an important 'but' -we need to be involved early and be able to help influence the implementation.

Tips

Here are five useful tips on or when thinking about having glass balustrades on your property.

Choose a system or company early:

The advantages of this are:

• Each system has to be implemented differently, some will require posts, some will not. Some may need to be fixed to the walls etc.
• Knowing and understanding the parameters allows you to influence the correct things DURING the build or renovation
• Allows the company to program in the works in accordance with your requirements and saves you having unnecessary delays that hold up completion, building sign off or similar.
• Strengthening the points where the balustrade fixes to the building.

Fitting the posts early

Fitting the sub posts early on has great advantages:

• Easy access to the structure it needs to fix to, before screed, insulation, decking etc has obstructed access.
• Water proofing can be done over the posts, saving years of trouble of potential water leaks.
• Base plates and fixings remain hidden and under floor level.

What guarantees does the product you choose carry?

Take time to check that the balustrade you choose suits the location it will be installed in, what guarantees are offered?

Take time to see a similar installation in a similar location

Take time to go have a look at a similar balustrade that has been installed in a similar location, see how it has fared the elements and satisfy yourself that it will perform as specified. The advantages of doing this are obvious and allow you to weed out unsuitable products or companies.

Choosing the right glass or glass coating for your environment

Having tinted or clear glass, opaque, with or without a protective or self-cleaning (hydrophobic) coating, these are important considerations and the environment, location and view are part of the decision process. If for instance you are in an exposed costal location you would certainly want to apply a hydrophobic protective layer on your glass to prevent, or reduce salt damage and build up, this is just one example of many options on glass.

Sincerely,

Effi Wolff

Managing Director

Balcony Systems Solutions Ltd