skip to main content

Verandahs & Decks Design Dilemma

width of panels and width of gaps in glass railing

6 years ago

We are having a glass balustrade put on our elevated, north facing, uncovered tiled patio. I am concerned that using glass will trap the heat on the patio. For this reason I am keen to have smaller panels of glass and wider gaps to allow for more airflow, but wondering at what point it will look silly. Keen for your advice on what you have done.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

macyjean
6 years ago
I don't know about the smaller panels but the width of the gaps will be dictated by safety regulations.
PRO
User
6 years ago
There are indeed building code safety requirements that govern the design of balustrades, including the gaps around panels. Sometimes compliant gaps at the maximum opening look a bit off. I find that smaller gaps, 20 - 50 mm often look more pleasing.

You say your patio is not covered. In that case there is little potential for any balustrade to trap heat.

An uncovered north facing tiled patio will be a heat sink, and a glass (or substantially open) balustrade will allow more sunlight onto the tiles which will increase heat gain. A solid balustrade may reduce that heat gain due to it's shading potential, but I am guessing you want glass for the view, so if heat is a problem, consider adding a roof covering to shade the patio.
Related Discussions
Bathroom towels rails.
Q
Comments (2)
Hi Kathryn, know exactly what you mean and had same the problem a few months ago, didn't have the extra wall either, and after weeks of searching couldn't find anything that would suit, really hard to find what you're describing and nothing worse than towels that don't dry particularly in winter not to mention the damp smell :/ so in the end we went with two single rails on the same wall, maybe something you could consider if you can't find what you're looking for
...See More
Roller Blinds - Configuration of panels/drops over large openings?
Q
Comments (4)
I have confess I got a little lost in your question, but I can offer my advice. I try to have the least number of blinds as possible, of course the blinds need to fit into the manufacturers size tolerences and some common sense comes into play too. If you need multiple blinds across a very large window and want to avoid multiple chains to operate the blinds, motorization is always an option (hard wired or battery operated). For stacking slider doors, I usually have a smaller blind over the main door opening and a larger blind over the balance (as I find the smaller door opening is used more frequently, and access is better this way). I prefer having the blinds meet over the windows mullions (rather then over the glass) to offer the most privacy possible as the blinds will have a gap between them. I hope this helps you.
...See More
Glass doors thoughts on framed or not
Q
Comments (13)
We did the entire rear of a house on a cliff overlooking a river, and did the whole frameless / framed dance. No one would guarantee the long term noise and weather resistance. In the end, we opted to go with electric operated framed panels from Kaba Auto doors for both waterproofing and noise. If I recall correctly, because they were top hung and motorised, we were able to get up to 1.5m sliding panels with a 2m fixed panel across the rear of the house. We then built a drainage channel under the floor guide which drained into a channel grate installed just outside the door within the stone. The frame widths were only 40 ish mm from memory. Doors were awesome. You could run at them and they would be open before you got to them....
...See More
Best layout for this bathroom? (Includes stain glass window)
Q
Comments (34)
Decided on carrara marble 300x600 tiles and honed nero and carrera for the shower floor. Floor to ceiling for the shower and up to the 1300 from the floor and painting the rest. 1. What colour fittings best suit carrara marble and keeps the transitional victorian theme? 2. The 3.24 wall has plasterboard over exposed brick. Do you think it would look nice if I took the plasterboard off and left that part exposed brick? Any Response Appreciated!!
...See More

Sponsored

More Discussions

Which kitchen design is the best?

20

Master Bedroom Layout

2

Help! My shapes feel out.

6

Want to work with this footprint but struggling to settle on floorplan

7

7