How to legalize combining a balcony with a room

Combining a balcony with a room is a procedure that allows you to increase “useful meters” in Brezhnevka, Khrushchev or new buildings.

But immediately questions arise related to the coordination of work and implementation. Is it possible to demolish part of the wall? What about connecting a loggia to a kitchen, bedroom or living room?

Will it be possible to insulate part of the room? Will there be any problems with selling real estate later?

Coordination of combining a room and a loggia

Combining a living room and a balcony/loggia is a complex redevelopment . Those. Legislation is sensitive to this kind of work and requires additional permits and approvals.

The reason is that during the work:

• transfer electrical points and communication networks;
• they expand the living area by adding an auxiliary premises to it (i.e. the legal status of the latter changes);
• door blocks are transferred;
• openings are made in load-bearing walls;
• load-bearing wall structures are demolished (in whole or in part);
• window openings are moved, and much more is done.

But let's look at what national legislation requires us to do. Previously, there were no requirements or standards that would force owners to approve redevelopment in the prescribed manner.

There have been cases when people combined a balcony and a loggia “back under Brezhnev,” but now they cannot sell the property because there is no approval.

A couple of years ago, the combination of a balcony and a room/kitchen was classified by housing inspectors as reconstruction (in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 14 of Article 1 of the Town Planning Code of the Russian Federation).

At the same time, the reconstruction meant that it would be necessary:

• obtain permission from the State Construction Supervision Committee of the city of Moscow;
• prepare a stack of documents in accordance with the requirements of clause 7 of Article 51 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

In practice, this meant one thing: connecting rooms was as difficult as building a new house.

Officials explained the problems of obtaining permission and passing approvals by saying that:

• the heating system in apartment buildings is not designed to heat a balcony or loggia; (as a result, the problem of cold balconies with insufficient thermal insulation appears);
• the risk of a decrease in temperature in all rooms increases;
• communications may not be installed correctly, and so on.

In 2012, permission to connect a balcony with a kitchen or room appeared in Post 508. Moscow Government . But housing inspectors literally began to be inundated with claims. Neighbors of the “re-planners” complained that due to the changes, the ceilings and external structures began to freeze. The person who did the redevelopment was fine. At the same time, dampness appeared among the neighbors below and above. Mold began to spread throughout the house.

The Housing Inspectorate initiated the abolition of the clause on the possibility of redevelopment of such premises. The connection between the balcony and the room began to fail. At the same time, in Lent. The Government of Moscow No. 508 introduced clause 10.19 of the Appendix. 1 with a clear ban on combining a balcony with internal premises (as amended by the Moscow Government Post No. 1104, as well as PPM No. 1572 dated December 17, 2018).

In 2020, combining a loggia with a room (be it a kitchen, bedroom or living room) in its pure form is NOT ALLOWED. Such actions are prohibited under any tricks and under any pretexts. Strong insulation does not help, since the microclimate in the room changes.

Legitimation procedure

How to legalize the addition of a loggia to a room or kitchen? To legitimize the combination of kitchen and loggia, you need to go a certain way. It is important that the decision of all family members to reconstruct the apartment is unanimous.

You need to start by filing a statement about the upcoming reconstruction at the BTI.

If the reconstruction does not damage the building, then it will be allowed. Then you need to immediately contact the design institute that developed the technical documentation for the residential building.

If such an organization no longer exists, then you need to find an existing design bureau , where they will prepare a design sketch for a new version of the apartment, already with the addition of a loggia to the kitchen or room, as the owner wishes.

Now the drawing will be developed taking into account all building codes and regulations.

Thermal engineering calculations will also be done here, without which the set of papers will not be complete. It will be cheaper to link a standard project.

Submission of documents

Where is the redevelopment done? Next, you will have to collect approvals from those organizations where designers and BTI employees will be sent , depending on the situation:

With a complete package of papers, you need to contact the housing inspector for registration of redevelopment.

The full package of documents required for approval includes:

• statement;
• passport;
• registration certificate;
• reconstruction project;
• all approvals - from the SES, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Society for the Protection of Monuments, etc.;
• documents for ownership of an apartment;
• thermal engineering calculation.

Sometimes require a technical examination of the condition of the building’s structures , as well as the written consent of all household members.

If, simultaneously with the connection, warm glazing of the loggia itself will be carried out, then approval for this from the architectural and planning department is required.

All papers must be collected and submitted to the single window of the Housing Inspectorate, from where the papers are transferred to the redevelopment department. The application will be registered.

Processing time, cost and results

The review will last no longer than 45 days.

The cost can range from 20 to 40 thousand rubles. . When re-registering property rights, you will need to pay a state fee in the amount of 1000 rubles.

What documents are issued after registration? This will be either permission or refusal. The refusal must be justified , that is, with an explanation of the reasons (Article 27 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation).

Failure Cases

In what cases can they refuse? Refusal may occur if:

• in neighboring apartments, such redevelopments have already been legalized and implemented, which weakens the load-bearing walls;
• they will consider that the heat loss in the house is too great;
• the house is an architectural monument, etc.

What to do if you can’t combine a room and a loggia? Options

We have already indicated above that “attachment in its pure form” is prohibited (i.e., you cannot demolish the wall between 2 rooms and make one large one).

But at the same time, you can safely get the go-ahead to perform the following actions:

• dismantling the window sill block;
• dismantling part of the outer wall in monolithic buildings (but not all!).

Between the living room and the attached room it is necessary to install either sliding structures or swing translucent doors (i.e. French windows).

How to attach a balcony to a room and insulate it: options with doors

So, we need to install a translucent partition between the rooms. It is necessary to eliminate the risk of changes in the microclimate of apartments (with mold, dampness and similar “troubles”).

If you install sliding structures, then additional rooms will not need to be heated:

1. If you were going to dismantle the window frame and the door itself to the balcony (attachment with the elimination of window and door filling), then you will need to go to the BTI and make plans for the apartment.
2. If you wanted to not only dismantle the doors and windows, but also remove the window sill block and/or any part of the curtain wall, then this is reflected in the project. BTI engineers will draw French windows or swing/sliding doors in place of the fences.

Installing sliding doors forever

The latter are needed because:

• fit into the interior of the apartment (but you need to select materials);
• protect against the risk of cold penetration, the spread of dampness and mold (especially when saving on insulation).

In practice, there are situations when, after the “first winter,” people install such structures because they do not want to live in dampness.

If the dimensions of the partitions allow, then such doors are opened away from the opening. Attaching a loggia according to this scheme is the easiest and safest way.

Temporary installation of sliding doors only

You already know that first a project is drawn up, and then an inspector and a BTI technician come to the apartment to check whether the repair meets the specified requirements.

Often people install structures only for the duration of such “visits”, and then remove the doors to the mezzanine or to the dacha. If the apartment is put up for sale, the doors are installed “backwards”.

By the way, the “agree” option does not work. BTI employees were required to take photographs of the presence of doors.

According to BTI documents, a balcony still remains a balcony. At the same time, they may “recommend” that translucent swing or sliding structures be made of double-glazed windows.

Refusal to install doors

As a result, there are similar objects “on paper” and in apartment plans, but in reality there is nothing.

Owners run the risk of encountering problems like:

• inability to sell real estate or make other transactions with it;
• fines and sanctions from BTI specialists;
• complaints from neighbors about dampness, fungi, mold.

List of documents for approval of redevelopment

Legislation changes terms and requirements from time to time, so it is important to be careful . In 2020, you had to carry some documents, and in 2020 you will have to send completely different ones.

In addition, there is another nuance: in your region, rules may be established that differ from those enshrined in the Federal Law.

The owner of the apartment provides to the BTI:

• registration certificate of the apartment;
• single housing document;
• redevelopment project (it will first be necessary for it to be developed by a design organization);
• those. conclusion with permission to expand living space;
• a notarized photocopy of the certificate of ownership;
• passport (or any other identity document);
• permitting conclusion from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation (firefighters);
• conclusion of Rospotrebnadzor (SES);
• conclusion of the organization holding the balance sheet (i.e., management company).

Combining a loggia with a kitchen by removing the window opening and eliminating the door threshold

First, let's look at the thresholds and their features. The following rules apply:

• in monolithic houses, connection is possible (but only if the walls are not load-bearing);
• in panels, the elimination of thresholds is prohibited (the integrity of the external panels is compromised + there is a risk of freezing of the floors).

Authors of standard series projects, i.e. those same “sockets” do not give permission to carry out such work on the basis of clause 1.4.7 of the Appendix. 3 k Post. Moscow Government No. 508.

The question arises about what can be done in panel houses in this case? The legislation allows for a reduction in the height of the threshold, but this does not appear in the documents at all. Those. During an on-site inspection, BTI engineers can only find out the presence/absence of a threshold, and not its height.

Next comes the question of the window sill system. What about dismantling or changing it? Legislation in 2020 stipulates that:

• in panels commissioned before 2007, demolition of the window sill system is permitted;
• in houses built after 2007, dismantling is prohibited (MNIITEP generally prohibits touching window sill blocks, since protection from progressive collapse suffers).

Those. in the second case, the developer will not give permission for dismantling . Unauthorized changes and redevelopments are fraught with problems (inability to sell real estate, visits from engineers, complaints from neighbors, fines and orders to eliminate changes).

As for brick or block houses, even more difficulties arise with the dismantling window sill system.

You need to find out what the design of the concrete slab is:

• if it is not embedded in the outer brick wall (that is, it rests on separate supporting elements), then demolition is possible;
• if the balcony slab is sealed in the form of a cantilever, then any changes to the wall and threshold can lead to collapse (if not now, then in the future).

In the second case, you need to invite engineers to carry out calculations and give permission to carry out the work. In some situations, strengthen the pinching of the slab by metal structures.

You need to be careful when demolishing window sill walls and thresholds. There is a risk that as a result of actions not coordinated with government agencies, you will receive a bunch of orders, fines and even lawsuits.

Combining a balcony with a kitchen or room when expanding the doorway

Here you also need to consider the type of house. Such actions are prohibited in sockets, block and brick buildings. There is no clear answer to the question of whether it is possible to “do something like this” in a monolithic house.

It all depends on whether the wall is load-bearing:

• if it is not load-bearing, then redevelopment is allowed;
• if it is a carrier, it is refused.

In monolithic apartment buildings, the outer walls are made according to the “pie” principle, i.e. there are 3 layers:

• foam concrete (gas silicate or slag concrete) blocks;
• insulation (which uses polystyrene foam or mineral wool boards);
• plaster (facing brick, ventilated facade system).

Such “pies” are made with floor-to-floor support on floor slabs. Those. walls in monolithic houses are not load-bearing, and the apartment owner can widen the doorway without the risk that this will cause dampness, fungi or building permits.

But there are objects in which the external walls are made of reinforced concrete and are load-bearing. Of course, in such cases, expanding the doorway will lead to load redistribution and problems.

To find out the possibility/impossibility of redevelopment, first you need to look at the project and technical plan. It would also be a good idea to order a technical report for redevelopment.

In the future, you won’t have a headache about how to legalize “unauthorized work.”

Rules for combining a balcony and a room in monolithic buildings:

1. If there is a non-load-bearing wall above the opening, you can dismantle it right up to the floor slab.
2. If there is a supporting reinforced concrete crossbar above the opening, then you cannot touch it. We increase the height of the opening to this element.
3. Installation of swing or sliding doors in place of the dismantled wall is required. This is required to separate the balcony from warm interior spaces.
4. Clause 6.20 of SNiP 01/21/97 states that there must be at least 1 balcony with a fire protection wall inside the apartment. Even the dimensions of this wall have been established.

The answer to the question of whether redevelopment can be carried out depends on the design and characteristics of the building. But from time to time other issues arise related to changes in the area and functional purpose of the premises.

It is necessary to take into account all possible combination options and use the optimal one.

Approvals for the redevelopment project

To demolish the window sill and part of the outer wall, you must obtain permission . In clause 3.1 of Appendix 1 to the Post. Right Moscow No. 508 indicates that such actions constitute a change in design.

A redevelopment project is required, which is directly indicated in clause 4.7 of Appendix 3. Formulas with completed thermal engineering calculations must be attached to the redevelopment project.

Batteries (heating radiators) on the balcony

The general rule is this: radiators are prohibited from being placed on a balcony or loggia. The requirement is prescribed at the level of clause 10.7 of the Appendix. 1 k Post. Moscow Government No. 508, as well as other documents.

Legislation prohibits placing on balconies and loggias:

• water radiators;
• water heating systems;
• any other utilities that come from the risers of the heating system (for example, it will not be possible to make a sauna or swimming pool).

As for electric heating and heating systems, they are allowed . There are no prohibitive rules. But be prepared for the fact that if something happens, you will have to obtain a court decision to preserve the redevelopment.

Attaching a conservatory or veranda to a room

If such objects exist in reality, then they are indicated “on paper” (i.e. in the design documentation). Next we study the nuances of the BTI explication.

There are 2 options for the development of the situation:

1. Verandas and winter gardens in the BTI explication are included in the total area. This means that there will be no problems with heating systems. Combining premises is possible without problems.
2. Verandas and winter gardens in the BTI explication are classified as auxiliary premises. In practice, this means that such objects are equated to balconies/loggias. Accordingly, you will have to find out about the possibility of redevelopment and obtaining approvals.

There is one more point. In the inventory documents for the apartment (i.e., in the plans and in the BTI explications), the actual area of ​​the balcony is multiplied by a reduction factor of 0.3. Those. the information provided in the technical documentation does not correspond to reality. So you’ll have to go around with a tape measure and measure everything again.

We hope that there will be no problems with the redevelopment. Choose your option for combining space and enjoy new areas!

Video: How to attach a balcony to a room?

Joining the common area

Is it possible to attach a loggia to a kitchen or room?

It is carried out in accordance with the requirements of Articles 25 and 26 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, and the change in the loggia is carried out in accordance with Resolution 508 of the Moscow Government.

The balcony can be considered both in the context of the overall project and as a separate element.

You can attach a balcony to a living room (with reservations). To the kitchen - with significant restrictions.

Find out on our website how to coordinate such renovation work on a balcony, kitchen or bathroom.