Quick answers
Can I add external wall insulation only on my balcony walls, without scaffolding the whole apartment building?
Yes. Exterior walls facing your own balcony or terrace can be reached without scaffolding and insulated either with insulation boards and render or with sprayed polyurethane.
In many Athens apartment buildings it is hard to get every owner to agree to insulate the whole facade. Yet a large share of an apartment's exterior walls — especially along the living room and bedrooms — sits right behind its own balcony or terrace, where a crew can work safely without exterior scaffolding.
On this balcony, the exterior walls were clad from floor to ceiling with thermal insulation boards, anchored with mechanical fixings, rendered and painted to look like a normal finished wall again. That cuts heat loss and summer heat gain in the rooms behind the balcony.
A second option for balcony walls is sprayed polyurethane foam. Once the balcony doors, windows, awnings and air-conditioning units are carefully wrapped in plastic sheeting, the foam is sprayed directly onto the wall, sealing tightly around window frames and pipes without joints.
Before starting, the clearance around window frames, shutters, outdoor sockets and pipes needs to be checked so that the added thickness of the insulation does not get in the way.
Jobs that show it
External Wall Insulation Along a Balcony
The outside walls along a balcony were covered with insulation boards, anchored and rendered, so the home holds its temperature better.
See the job step by step
Spray Polyurethane Foam on Balcony Walls
Windows, awnings and air conditioning units were wrapped in plastic sheeting, then the balcony walls were insulated with spray polyurethane foam.
See the job step by step