What to do with a rediculously long & narrow balcony?

July 4, 2006 3:31 PM

My new apartment has a balcony with some pretty strange dimensions. It's only 3 and a half feet deep (wall to railing) but it's over 25 feet long. I'm really not using the space, I'd like to come up with some cool uses for it. The best idea I have so far is a hammock (there's a pretty solid wooden awning above that I could anchor it to) but I'd almost be afraid of toppling out over the (3 foot high) rails if I rolled over. How can I make this a space that me and my guests will want to use?
posted by shanevsevil to home & garden (19 comments total)

shuffleboard??
posted by BobbyDigital at 3:37 PM on July 4, 2006

bowling!
posted by zerokey at 3:41 PM on July 4, 2006

Both of those are great ideas but I left out one crucial detail!

It has a krinkley sheet metal floor with a slight slope to it, down and away from the building!

I'm not sure how I'd overcome that. I'm no carpenter.
posted by shanevsevil at 3:47 PM on July 4, 2006

A balcony of those dimensions may not be intended as an occupancy balcony (not designed for holding the weight of people, furniture, shock and vibration of live loads, etc.). Sometimes, such things are simply hung on the side of buildings at the end of construction, to allow the use of full length patio doors for upper floors, as a means of meeting emergency egress requirements, or as light and ventilation attractions. Occupancy balconies are generally substantially cantilevered to the building frame, or supported by free standing columns and beams of their own.

Balcony collapses are no joke. Before making big plans for parties and occupancy uses out there, check out how it's made, and what kinds of loads it can really carry safely.
posted by paulsc at 3:50 PM on July 4, 2006

If the railing is only 3 feet it will be in your plans to put in a cantilevered extension that sticks out and away from the space. This assuming that the balconey is meant for live weight.
posted by ptm at 4:03 PM on July 4, 2006

Paulsc - Thanks for the warning. It's really something to think about, but I don't think this is an issue for this balcony. The balcony is the roof of a small semi-walled in porch downstairs held up all around by fat brick columns. Don't get t wrong idea, the slope of the balcony is a drainage thing, it's not falling away from the building. And an identical building next to me has it's balcony full of furniture and plants...
posted by shanevsevil at 4:05 PM on July 4, 2006

Yeah, this doesn't sound like something you're supposed to mess with. (Your landlord really should have discussed this with you ahead of time; if s/he advertised "balcony!" in the listing, there's a problem here.) My vote: 25 feet of hanging flowers and plants.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 4:06 PM on July 4, 2006

How about screening it in, and putting a small table and chairs out there, or a hammock on a frame? I've seen smallish hammocks on frames you could do. If it's screened in, it could be an extension of your apartment.
posted by annieb at 4:17 PM on July 4, 2006

Here we go again with completely unfounded warnings of eminent collapse with absolutely no evidence. I have never heard of the term "occupancy balcony"-- perhaps it has some obscure application of which I am not aware and someone could enlighten me.

If your balcony has doors which open onto the balcony and a standard 3-foot railing, you can assume that it was designed to be used like any other balcony. The fact that it is long and narrow is likely just an architectural style decision and not any indication of any kind of structural weakness. Balconies with doors are not just "hung on the side of buildings" with no means of support.
posted by JackFlash at 4:18 PM on July 4, 2006

I totally wanted to make the shuffleboard joke.

Assuming it's safe, you might want to put down some sort of weather resistant floor covering so you can walk out onto it barefoot, comfortably. Bamboo would be cool but I think it would be destroyed by the elements. You could attach two vertical pipes or stained 2" x 2" posts to each end using something not as ugly as a hose clamp, and then run netting between those posts for vined growth, perhaps. Some sort of lounge chair at each end facing inwards would take upl 12' of the space. It should also have little hanging LED solar lanterns that come on at night. Disclaimer: I have poor taste.
posted by mecran01 at 4:32 PM on July 4, 2006

Jack Flash-
Thank you. I'm really quite sure that this balcony was meant to be used, It really looks like it's shaped like this because of space limitations on the building.

Mecran01-
Making it barefoot friendly is a really good idea, and some lanterns wouldn't be a bad touch. As far as furniture, even my foldable beach lounge chair is hard to get in and out of up there. What's the smallest waterproof furniture?
posted by shanevsevil at 4:46 PM on July 4, 2006

Outdoor carpet is your friend!

Seriously, we hung out the balcony way more after putting some carpet down. That way you can lie down on it and not be too squicked out.

That said, 3.5 feet wide? That doesn't sound very conducive to activity no matter what you put out there. Pinball? :)
posted by trevyn at 4:57 PM on July 4, 2006

Apartment Therapy is running a feature/contest right now that is about greenspace, but by its nature, shows a whole lot of creative uses of unusual outdoor spaces. All of the entries have at least three photos. There might be an idea there that would make you feel less like you were sitting in a toast rack.

Can you hang your hammock partly outside and partly in, so you're hanging at an angle to the length with your legs out on the balcony? You could treat it like a Juliet balcony, where all you have is a French door that opens against a railing, and just arrange some seating near the door and enjoy some outdoor plants from inside.
posted by Sallyfur at 5:15 PM on July 4, 2006

I had one of these, and agree it was useless.
Luckily we had a second, bigger balcony for the BBQ grill and entertaining.
I did used to enjoy just sitting out there watching the sunset with a book, the restricitve space meant it was more peaceful and spare, a good spot for quiet time.
Assuming the doors are in the middle, I would put pot plants at either end, then a single chair beside the plants at one end, then sling a low hammock next to the chair.
At the other end, set up a small BBQ grill next to the plants.
Finally, set a long low bench along the wall from the grill back to the doors (think a railway sleeper on cinder blocks for dimensions, tart it up as your budget allows.)
Voila, you have one end for relaxing on your own, the other for entertaining, with seating to allow guests to keep you company while you sizzle up some steaks.
Since you suggest you could hang something from the balcony above, why not some lanterns or fairy lights for an attractive night time ambience?
posted by bystander at 6:41 PM on July 4, 2006

You could sod it. I did that with a balcony once. Put down some plastic sheeting to protect the wood, add some bags of soil. Add sod.

Enjoy the feeling of fresh grass between your toes in the morning.

Just water it. Otherwise you can end up with a grass fire.

Which, while entertaining in an outdoor sort of way, isn't very fun!
posted by jeribus at 7:26 PM on July 4, 2006

You could get some beads and a keg and turn it into a Mardi Gras balcony.
posted by Yorrick at 8:27 PM on July 4, 2006

Um -- a bit simple-minded here, but why not hang your hammock with a big-mesh net set up as a wall on the drop side? If there is no balcony/frame above to hang it from, can you set up a couple of uprights? Growing a small-leafed climber over the net would give you a little privacy while still letting you see out.

I am not sure how much it matters... do the physics of hammocks let you get/fall out with any sideways speed? If it is the type hung from a single point at each end, I think you will normally end up on the floor pretty well between the hanging points. Anyone able to conduct experiments?
posted by Idcoytco at 5:05 AM on July 5, 2006

Practice putting green?
posted by Wet Spot at 9:01 AM on July 5, 2006

What kind of light does it get? You could get into square foot gardening. Check out www.squarefootgardening.com or the book called Square Foot Gardening. You could build a raised-bed trough garden. Put up some trellises on the edge end and grow a wall-o-beans or something.

Or, pots with herbs. Or pots with tomatoes. Pots with squash...
posted by printchick at 10:33 AM on July 5, 2006