Full height first floor doors have become more English despite their origin across the channel in France.
By modifying two standard upstairs windows in their home, that was originally built around a decade ago, to create French windows with glass Juliette balconies. The Spellmans wanted to take full advantage of the glorious countryside views.
Adding light to a property can transform its appearance, as well as enhancing its use and the general well-being of its occupants. Glass and aluminium Juliette balconies from Balcony Systems help homeowners to achieve these aims, as Nigel and Jo Spelman from Droxford in Hampshire discovered.
Having felt the upstairs living rooms were ‘out of touch’ with the garden and the south-facing views, they decided to cut down the brickwork and let in the light with floor to ceiling glazing. Researching balconies lead them to Balcony Systems and a successful outcome for their project.
“Whether standing or seated our field of vision now extends from our garden below through to the distant horizon and the sky,” says Nigel. “This has improved the look and our use of the house tremendously, particularly as our principal reception rooms are on the first floor. As we were originally planning to have a wrought iron balcony, having seen the excellent result in glass we’re very glad we went down that route.”
He continues: “We are very pleased with the Balcony product and absolutely delighted with how the new full length windows with their glass Juliette balconies have worked out. We were hoping that the balconies’ aluminium handrails would not appear obtrusive and any concerns have proved unfounded.”
The couple also chose Balcony Systems’ self-cleaning glass coating for both Juliettes and find this a great maintenance-saving bonus in terms of reduced cleaning.
Future plans include an extension at the back of the house with a first-floor sunroom – possibly with curved patio doors – and a sweeping glass-sided veranda with walkway linking the upstairs of the house to the upper level of the garden.
“We shall certainly think of Balcony Systems as a potential supplier for this next and more ambitious phase,” adds Nigel.