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Bespoke Steel Balconies
Bespoke Walk-On Steel Balconies
Engineered steel balcony platforms with glass balustrades and composite or hardwood decking — designed, fabricated, and installed across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.
Walk-On Balconies — Supply & Installation
A Structural Platform That Creates Real Outdoor Space
A walk-on balcony is a projecting structural platform that gives you usable outdoor space at height — somewhere to stand, sit, step outside from a bedroom or living room, and genuinely use. That makes it a fundamentally different proposition from a Juliet balcony, which is a safety barrier across a door opening and nothing more.
We design and fabricate bespoke steel balcony frames, supply and install glass balustrades around the perimeter, and finish the surface with composite or hardwood timber decking. Every balcony is engineered to your specific property, produced with full structural calculations and fabrication drawings, and installed to comply with UK Building Regulations. We handle everything in-house — from the steelwork to the final glass clean.
Why a Balcony?
A Walk-On Balcony vs a House Extension
If you want more usable space from your property, a walk-on balcony and a house extension are often considered as alternatives to each other. They're very different in cost, complexity, and what they deliver. Here's how they compare:
Cost
A ground floor extension typically costs £30,000–£70,000+ depending on size. A bespoke walk-on steel balcony starts from around £3,000–£10,000 for a compact platform with decking and balustrade. A larger project — say a 2m × 8m balcony with frameless glass, privacy screens, a spiral staircase, and all groundworks — typically comes in at £20,000–£30,000 fully installed. Either way, it's a fraction of a comparable extension.
Garden Space
An extension reduces your garden. A projecting balcony adds space above the existing footprint — you gain an outdoor platform without losing any ground-level garden area. For urban properties or houses with smaller rear gardens, this is often the deciding factor.
Disruption
Extensions involve groundworks, structural walls, roofing, and weeks of contractor activity. A steel balcony frame can be fabricated off-site and installed in a single day. Decking and balustrade typically follow in the same visit or shortly after — disruption is minimal and predictable.
Speed
Once planning permission and Building Control approval are in place, the physical installation of a walk-on balcony is fast. From approved drawings to a completed balcony is often a matter of weeks rather than the months typical of an extension project.
What You Gain
A balcony doesn't give you an extra room — but it gives you outdoor space connected directly to an upper floor. For a bedroom, living room, or loft conversion, this access to fresh air and light is transformative and adds measurable value to the property.
Planning
Extensions and balconies both typically require planning permission. Neither is automatic under permitted development where overlooking is involved. However, balcony planning applications tend to be straightforward in comparison — the scope is more defined and the application is less involved.
The Foundation
Engineered Steel Subframe
The steel subframe is the balcony. Everything else — the decking surface, the glass balustrade, the fixings — sits on top of it. Getting the frame right is the whole project, and we produce full structural calculations and fabrication drawings for every installation we carry out.
Frames are fabricated from hot-dip galvanised structural steel, which provides long-term corrosion protection in exposed external conditions without ongoing maintenance. The frame is fixed back into the building structure — through the external wall into the floor joists, structural frame, or masonry, depending on the construction of your property. Fixing design is part of the structural package.
- Hot-dip galvanised structural steel — no maintenance corrosion protection
- Full structural calculations produced for every project
- Fabrication drawings supplied for Building Control submission
- Engineered fixings back into the building structure
- Designed to carry decking, balustrade, and live load to 3.0kN/m
- Bespoke dimensions — fabricated to fit your specific opening
Approvals & Compliance
Planning Permission & Building Regulations
A walk-on balcony requires both planning permission and Building Control approval in the vast majority of cases. Understanding the difference between these two routes — and what documentation is required for each — is an important early step.
Planning Permission
Adding a projecting balcony to an existing dwelling is almost always considered development that requires planning permission. Balconies can affect the external appearance of a building and may overlook neighbouring properties — both are material planning considerations. Permitted development rights do not typically cover balcony additions.
You apply to your local planning authority before work starts. The application process typically takes 8 weeks for a householder application. We can advise on what drawings and supporting material a planning application requires, but the submission is the responsibility of the property owner.
Building Regulations
Separate from planning, Building Control approval is required for any structural work of this nature. Building Regs govern structural integrity, fixing design, loading requirements, and balustrade height — all of which we address in the structural documentation we produce for every project.
We supply full structural calculations, fabrication drawings, fixing specifications, and balustrade compliance data. Many clients use an approved inspector (rather than the local authority Building Control) which can speed up the approval process.
What We Provide
For every walk-on balcony project we produce: structural calculations confirming the frame meets the required loading; detailed fabrication drawings; fixing design specifications; and glass balustrade test and compliance data. This documentation package covers the Building Control submission requirements.
Sequence of Work
Planning permission must be in place before work starts — we won't install without it. Building Control can be notified at the start of work and an inspector signs off on completion. We advise on this sequence at the design stage so everything is in the right order before fabrication begins.
Balustrade Systems
Glass Balustrades for Walk-On Balconies
The glass balustrade fixed to the perimeter of the balcony is what makes the platform safe and transforms it into a finished outdoor space. Both systems we offer for balcony applications are specified to the higher 3.0kN/m commercial loading standard required for walk-on balconies.
Frameless Channel System
Glass panels slot into a continuous aluminium base channel fixed directly to the steel frame — no posts, no clamps, nothing between you and the view. The frameless channel system is the most visually minimal balcony balustrade available, giving a completely unobstructed panoramic outlook.
An optional stainless steel or glass top handrail can be added for comfort and compliance. Available in straight, L-shape, and U-shape configurations.
Frameless Balustrades →
Post & Handrail System
Stainless steel posts bolted to the balcony frame carry a continuous handrail above with glass infill panels between. A strong, defined architectural choice that suits both contemporary and traditional properties — the integrated handrail makes this a solid all-weather option.
Available in brushed or polished stainless steel. Posts can be powder-coated in any RAL colour to complement the property's exterior finish.
Post & Handrail Balustrades →Both systems are supplied with full compliance documentation for Building Control. Not sure which suits your balcony? Send us a photo and we can advise.
Surface Finish
Decking Options
Once the steel frame is in place, the decking is the surface finish — what you walk on, what you see from inside, and what gives the balcony its character. We offer two options:
Composite Decking
Our most popular choice. Made from a blend of wood fibre and recycled plastic, composite boards are dimensionally stable, moisture resistant, and virtually maintenance-free — no annual oiling, no warping, no splinters. Available in a wide range of colours, from natural oak tones to contemporary grey and charcoal. 25-year product warranties available.
Hardwood Timber Decking
For those who prefer the warmth and character of real wood. Species such as Garapa, Ipe, and Cumaru offer exceptional outdoor durability without chemical treatment — naturally dense and resistant to wear, moisture, and insect damage. Left untreated, hardwood weathers to a beautiful silver-grey; oiled annually, it retains its warm golden-brown tones. FSC-certified timber available on request.
Related Service
Need External Access to Your Balcony?
Many walk-on balconies benefit from an external staircase providing direct garden-level access — particularly useful for loft conversions or rear balconies where using the internal staircase to come and go is impractical. We also supply and install bespoke spiral staircases — a compact, space-efficient solution that connects garden level to balcony level without taking up significant outdoor space.
Available in 1250mm and 1500mm diameter, powder-coated in any RAL colour, with glass infill or steel spindle balustrade — they pair naturally with a steel balcony installation.
See Spiral Staircases →
Our Work
Balcony Projects
Recent balcony and glass balustrade installations completed by our team.
Ready to Build Your Walk-On Balcony?
Get in touch with photos and rough dimensions — we'll give you a ballpark price and advise on what's structurally and planning-wise feasible for your property.