‘Everybody who comes to our house and sees the balustrade says “Wow”!’

Completely renovating a rotten wooden and wrought iron balcony using a Balconette Aerofoil Glass balustrade system has made the structure safer and more usable for the homeowners, as well as enhanced the external appearance of this south London home.

For architect Peter Ullathorne, who is retired from commercial practice, ‘what was basically a window-cleaning facility has now become a balcony where you can actually step outside, even though it’s not very wide, lean on the Aerofoil balcony handrail and observe the world. And even talk to our neighbours.’

Built in 1968, the terraced property originally had wooden decking and Spanish ‘hacienda-style’ wrought iron balcony railings that were very low. They were starting to corrode, and the wooden platform was quite rotten in places, so it got to the point where ‘it couldn’t be ignored.’

Peter says: “We weren’t going to replace like-with-like, it was part of a process of continually modernising the house. So, we looked at various systems; obviously the Balconette system offered a very attractive and straightforward package.

“We had looked at other balustrading systems but discounted them because of the design. What made us choose Balconette was the overall appearance and straightforward detailing, plus the service provided which was very helpful and supportive in design terms.”

Jutting off a first floor living room, the new balcony comprises aluminium decking laid on top of the existing wooden support and nearly five metres of Balconette’s Aerofoil System with the wing-shaped handrail in a Royal Chrome Anodised finish.

“The Aerofoil handrail has a lovely slim profile with sufficient substance to have strength and it goes with the house,” continues Peter. “Balconette advised us that we would find this style preferable and that’s quite true.”

Key to the success of the project was providing the right decking and sub-structure for the Balconette system to sit on. “That was just a matter of choosing the right aluminium sections and providing clear drawings for the contractor,” continues Peter. “It was very easy to install, the instructions were clear, and they knew their trade so no problem with installation. In fact, it went in much faster than we thought.”

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On the finished result, Peter comments: “It does look very smart and is a considerable improvement. Every time we come back to the house, we look up and think ‘ah, I’m glad we did that’. People come to the house and say, ‘oh my heavens, wonderful, what a change!’ Most people ask, ‘how did you do it?’ So, interest is being shown.”

He adds: “We’re immensely pleased with the end product and everybody who comes to our house says ‘Wow!’ because it’s improved the look of the house completely.”