A recent survey has shown that almost half of the British public feel that a balcony or roof terrace is one of the most important features when purchasing their ideal home, and that extra outdoor living space is one of the most sought after architectural additions to a property. The same research also revealed that 45% of the people desire to live by the coast or in a bustling city centre – two environments where balconies and terraces are highly sought after, and in some cases, the only available outdoor living space.

As a nation, we love our gardens, however the struggle for residents in any city centre environment is the limited space availability. By transforming balconies and terraces into an extension of the internal living space, it changes what may have once been an un-used and neglected area, into an oasis of calm and relaxation in an otherwise hectic place to live. It is becoming increasingly fashionable for people to entertain and socialise in their outdoor living space, and as a result, the demand for balconies and terraces has risen considerably, with some of the larger balconies housing opulent features such as hot tubs, mini bars, outdoor kitchens and luxurious furniture.

It has been estimated that a third of all new build flats and apartments that come onto the market have additional outdoor living space – making them much more desirable to potential buyers. Additionally, due to the architectural design, balcony and terraces also bring in extra natural light to the indoor living space, helping to make compact properties more light and airy. It has also been suggested that by adding extra living space to an existing property, in the form of a balcony or terrace, it could increase the property value by up to 25%.

Since the majority of balcony and terrace structures are cantilevered (projected) construction, the protection of the structural integrity and stability of an outdoor living structure is just as important as the aesthetics and functionality. The unpredictability and constant UK weather fluctuation also imposes a major health and safety concern for the construction of walkway, balcony and terraces. These systems must be protected from water ingress and feature a surface designed to be both tough and durable for traffic, furniture loads and daily use whilst offerings suitable levels of slip and skid resistance whilst wet.

Innovators of the highest quality PMMA cold liquid applied resin technology, Triflex have been providing reliable and durable waterproofing, surfacing and protection systems to the construction industry for almost 40 years. The Triflex ‘Living Life Outside’ concept allows walkways, balconies and terraces to become an extension of the internal living environment.

Formerly, a large proportion of waterproofing of walkways, balconies and terraces has been carried out using sheet applied membranes or buried hot melt systems that generally involve hot works during installation. With boilers and gas torches which can exceed 1,000°C, not only do these techniques pose a significant risk to health and safety, in many cases they cannot be used due to the restrictions imposed by property insurers, an increasing number of which will not cover claims as a result of damage started by hot works.

Triflex’ cold liquid applied waterproofing and surfacing systems are based on the most advanced seamless polymer chemistry, offering many advantages over traditional hot sheet applied and hot melt membranes, primarily their cold application, rapid cure times and limited access restrictions during installation.

On too many occasions, construction project schedules have been considerably affected by unseasonably cold weather, which in many cases can result in long periods of inactivity. This down-time may lead to not only wasted resources but in programme delays, resulting in the potential to cause damage both financially and to the installing contractor’s reputation.

Cold liquid applied resins have proved themselves as reliable solutions to the construction industry. Applied on site as a cold liquid, they cure as a result of a chemical cross-linking reaction and rapidly harden to create a long term durable waterproofing and surfacing solution. With the ability to maximise installation weather windows, and minimise inactivity on-site, Triflex PMMA liquid applied waterproofing and surfacing systems benefit from all year round application, and rapid cure times as low as 0°C.

With systems specifically designed for both new-build and refurbishment, and compatibility with virtually all substrates, Triflex have a solution for the majority of walkway, balcony, terrace and roofing construction projects, ranging from public access walkways to domestic balconies and terraces. The durable and hardwearing systems for areas over occupied premises are BBA certified and NHBC approved and all systems are fully warranted, ensuring complete peace of mind.

The importance of colour and design in our homes cannot be underestimated, so in addition to excellent technical specifications, Triflex balcony systems have an exceptional range of colour, texture and design options; allowing areas to be fully tailored to meet the aesthetic and functional requirements of projects, giving almost limitless design possibilities.

If you simply cannot visualise your project, Triflex offer a free online tool that demonstrates the transformations that can be achieved using Triflex balcony and terrace systems. The design tool allows standard colour and surface combinations to be tested on screen against a variety of sample balconies and terraces, and even allows for the incorporation of simulated tile effects.

If you have any specific project in mind, or would simply like to know a little more about our cold liquid applied walkway, balcony and terrace systems, our experienced Technical Team are on hand.

Website: www.triflex.co.uk