Hi,
my balcony has a nice view but is very exposed (goes hand-in-hand, if you think about it).
It's around the edges of the building (so, a symmetrical "L", if you want).
I am thinking of attaching plexiglas to the two short "ends" of it. However, I am unsure how to best attach it to the rail. I don't want to replace the guard-rail, probably just put it behind it.
Wind-speeds can probably top way beyond 140 there, due to tunneling-effects with neighboring buildings. So it has be really, really well fixed or it will fly off and possibly kill someone.
I looked only and they often just drill into the rails, which is not possible here because they face the plate with the thin side.
Anyone got any pointers or companies who can do this without charging thousands for attaching maybe 50 or 100 € worth of plexiglas on both ends....
Are you looking to protect yourself from the elements or just to get a little more privacy?
I looked into getting several sheets of 80 x 200 colored plexiglass to give a bit more privacy but found that (a) they were expensive and (b) they were heavy!
Finally I opted for this solution . They come with zip ties and so far after almost 3 years it has proven to be quite durable.
A photo of the railing type would help.
Could you use right-angled metal brackets? Fix these to the railings with screws and then fix the plexiglass to the brackets with bolts, nuts and washers.
Use zinc-plated brackets which won't rust.
Do a low-key* check on planning permission, too. A neighbour of ours wanted to put up a barely noticeable glass weather protector around their upper balcony. Plain glass, minimal fixings and frame, virtually no impact on the style of the building or the surrounding views.
Planning permission denied.
*I say "low-key" because someone else in the neighbourhood put up a similar thing with a wrought-iron support on their terrace with zero planning permission and nobody said anything.
Both were owned properties, not rentals.
It’s not about privacy. In fact, I would use 100% transparent plexiglass.
https://imgur.com/a/HCTPlfE
I mostly sit on the side of the balcony that faces the Landwirtschaftszone and thus have pretty much 100% privacy. I want to buy a lounge and put it in the corner of the 2nd photo. It’s not as exposed as on the first photo, but I’d still like to protect it a bit.
You could even just drill holes in the plex and zip tie it into place.
If you don't want to drill then you could use a few U-bolts of some sort (Bügelschraube) going round the railing frame.
Something like this but with a narrower gap:
To keep the strain off the plexiglass, I'd use a metal plate on the plexiglass side of the U-bolt and then the plexiglass and then the washers and nuts.
I would not use zip ties. The force of the wind acting on the surface area of the plexiglas would be huge and the constant buffeting of the wind will cause the ties to fail.
UV plays havoc with them too.
Hey, that looks like a great idea - thanks a lot.
I clearly lack imagination
If you're worried about zip ties breaking, a few jubilee clips would do it as well.
Is it that you want to use the plexiglass to block out the wind and rain?
There are also slide-out garden “walls” that are attached via a base plate… like this:
https://www.galaxus.ch/de/s4/product…E&gclsrc=aw.ds
That would block your view, though. But you can retract it when the wind isn’t blowing and it isn’t raining, etc.
Ah, no. That is way too obtrusive. With the plexiglass, I would be pretty sure to get the OK from the neighbors.
i doubt zip ties would fail due to wind force, but yes, over time UV will make them brittle.
since they're dirt cheap, you can just get UV resistant ones and replace when they get brittle, or every year as preventative maintenance.
Attach it with quick release fittings and claim it is mobile so no need for planning permission.
BTW, if it is rented then you need landlord's permission to put anything on the outside. Been quite some fuss recently about people having to remove solar panels hung on their balconies.
I'd put them on the inside of the railings (not sure if that is what you meant).
That way if they break, the pieces won't fall on someone.
You're right - you can get some very heavy duty ones. They are quite wide too.
And, you can get UV stabilised cable ties too for use outdoors which don't go brittle so quickly.
It's owned (mostly by the bank, while I pay down the mortgage).
I would never do that in a rental.
Holy moly, it’s 150 for a pack of those Bügelschrauben:
https://www.hornbach.ch/de/p/buegels…50-st/6834592/
Just get 2 bolts and 2 metal plates per fixing.
Hornbach do sell most iron mongery items by the piece, or by weight as well as in large boxes.