Do-it-yourself glazing of the veranda and terrace

Recommendation points

• Existing glazing methods
• Advantages and disadvantages of wooden frames
• Aluminum complex systems
• Glazing on PVC profiles
• Subtleties of installation

In order to comfortably use the terrace in the cold season, it must at least be glazed. We propose to compare the effectiveness of the three main types of glazing in order to understand: which option and in what cases will be optimal from the standpoint of both thermal protection and availability, and ease of installation.

Existing glazing methods

The playground attached to the house can be used not only for leisure, but also for household purposes. In winter, a terrace or veranda usually replaces the vestibule, and also serves as a kind of airlock, reducing heat loss at home. To perform these functions, it is sufficient to exclude direct air exchange with the street, therefore, the glazing front of such structures is usually performed single. This is enough to eliminate blow-through and ensure the greenhouse effect, while at the same time the cost of purchasing materials and their installation will be minimal..

There are three systems that are widely used in the glazing of verandas and terraces. All of them are well known to the layman: in the same way they arrange fences of non-insulated balconies. The main difference between them is the material used and the scheme for assembling frame structures into a single front. Windows for a terrace or glazing of an open extension to the house can be used wood, aluminum and plastic. There are also options with frameless and so-called “soft” glazing, but the specifics of their application are too narrow for consideration in the framework of a general review.

Of course, each of the three systems is suitable for use in the realities of a private house, but it would still be better to make a choice taking into account some restrictions. This is the ease of installation, and the general style of arrangement of the local area, and the appearance of the facade. Of course, one cannot ignore the level of one’s own skills – the complexity of assembly and installation is different for each type of frame, in addition, special tools may be required. The financial side of the issue is also important: in terms of cost, all types of frames have a completely clear gradation, and sometimes it is impossible to say whether the additional investments will really pay off in appearance and ease of use..

Advantages and disadvantages of wooden frames

The easiest and most budgetary way to arrange single glazing is to enclose it in wooden frames. Even very high quality kiln-dried wood and its carpentry processing are usually cheaper than purchasing other types of materials. In the absence of the necessary tool, you can purchase it by abandoning the services of a carpenter and performing the assembly yourself. It is more interesting and cheaper, there is a guarantee of exact compliance with the task at hand, plus the tool can later be used for other tasks.

Not without negative nuances. The main one is the need for periodic maintenance of wooden frames. This is especially inconvenient if you have to equip a veranda in a country house or in a house not intended for permanent residence. Behind the tree you need an eye and an eye: timely restoration of the protective coating, fight against diseases and reassembly of frames with too high warpage. The latter, by the way, can lead to the destruction of glass, which is quite common, because single-glass frames are usually made quite thin.

It is safe to recommend wooden frames for open areas if the adjacent buildings are also made of wood or have a finish in the same style. Platforms open “to the floor” are not suitable for such glazing; the presence of even a low parapet for installing wooden frames is strictly recommended. Of course, there are restrictions on the span width: for wooden frames, the optimal width will be up to 40–45 cm without impost and 1.5–2 times more if there is a vertical partition. Installation of wooden frames can be carried out without covering, it can be easily replaced by vertical posts made of timber.

Aluminum complex systems

Many are repelled by the too technological look of aluminum glazing systems. Rare adherents of high-tech style may be disappointed by the high cost of such systems. However, aluminum profiles are definitely one of the best options when choosing windows for a veranda or an attached area. There are several reasons for this..

Aluminum profiles do not require any maintenance – just set and forget. More precisely, not so: imagine the heat generated on a fully glazed terrace on a sultry summer day. If in the case of wooden windows it would be necessary to take into account the need for opening sashes, aluminum frames make it possible to simply remove the glass for the summer and install it back with the onset of cold weather. Yes, and there are no problems with the inclusion of a pair of swing leaves in the front..

Aluminum profile systems are best suited for full height glazing. In addition to high bearing capacity and resistance to corrosion, typical solutions of such structures provide for the installation of doors of all types of opening. Installation of this kind of systems is carried out in the shortest possible time: the profiles have a high degree of unification and a simple assembly scheme, the installation is quite easy to do with your own hands.

In terms of appearance, aluminum frames are also a very advantageous solution. There are options with wood-like lamination and painting in different colors, so the question of style matching is not an acute issue. Naturally, this leads to an additional increase in the cost of an already expensive system, which can undoubtedly be called the main disadvantage of aluminum profiles.

Glazing on PVC profiles

At first glance, it seems that the use of PVC profiles for terrace glazing is a clear overkill, at least in terms of costs. However, upon closer examination, it turns out that the bulk of the cost of a plastic window is a double-glazed unit, which on the terrace it makes sense to replace with ordinary glass with a spacer of a suitable size. Also, the bearing and heat-saving properties of the profile are not decisive, so the frame can be chosen the cheapest.

Glazing systems on PVC profiles have an important advantage – free division of openings into sections. So, the lower cells can have a deaf filling, forming a kind of parapet. It is possible to separate blind and transparent transoms to adjust the sun exposure, as well as to save on the size and, accordingly, the fittings of the opening sashes. In general, plastic frames have a degree of manufacturability comparable to aluminum ones: they are easy to assemble on your own, the glazing front has almost complete tightness even in strong winds, and the profiles are massive and stable enough to be used for fastening window sills, tensioning clotheslines and others. similar purposes. When using reinforced profiles, they can also perform a load-bearing function, supporting the terrace canopy.

From the point of view of appearance, PVC windows are practically not inferior to aluminum ones. For them, there is also the possibility of applying lamination under a tree and, although the profiles are not factory painted in arbitrary colors, it is quite possible to do it yourself using the cheapest spray paint..

Subtleties of installation

The general glazing scheme is extremely simple: the common front is divided into separate openings using shaped pipes or antiseptic treated beams that are installed vertically, dividing the entire front into sections. As a rule, the height of the openings does not exceed 2.5 m, which fits into the standards of all the types of glazing considered, however, the width (pitch of the posts) must be selected for a specific frame material. For wooden frames, the recommended spacing of the posts is 100–120 cm. Aluminum and PVC frames can be installed without intermediate supports, however, the section width in both cases should not be chosen above 160 cm.

Formed openings are almost ready-made window blocks, the frames for which must be selected with a clearance tolerance of about 5 mm. When installing glazing on a loggia and a veranda, it is necessary to take into account the capital, read – the stability of the structure. This mainly concerns the canopy (or roof), because quite often the attached structures are made on a frame structure, subject to fluctuations and seasonal precipitation. To guarantee the safety of the glazing, especially when using wooden and aluminum frames, it is necessary to properly strengthen the canopy and make sure that the linear dimensions of the prepared openings do not change excessively throughout the year..

Another way out of this situation can be called the installation of “floating” glazing with an increase in the gaps between the frame and the boundaries of the opening. In this case, the frames are attached using flexible elastic ties – mounting plates. The remaining gaps, which can be up to 20–25 mm, are filled with polyurethane foam. Protection of the foam seam is provided by overhead wooden strips, which must be seated on an acrylic or silicone sealant.

If the installation of window sills when glazing the terrace is not necessary, then the ebb must be installed unconditionally. When glazing is installed on the parapet or directly on the foundation, the ebb strips will protect the lower junction seam from excess moisture, excluding the development of mold and other harmful microflora.