Balcony Construction for Dummies - The Freelance Files MMCI

cantilevered balcony joists

It never ceases to amaze us that many of the freelancers at the former eHow.com (now a collection of niche sites under the Leaf Group umbrella) would begin to answer a question by defining even the most basic terms. For instance, we've seen many an eHowian open a post about, say, changing the tires on a 1988 Toyota Tacoma¹ by warbling that "The 1988 Tacoma is a truck built by the Toyota Corporation of Japan in 1988." Duh. And yet some of them were so careless that they never bothered to look up the definition of something they were allegedly explaining. The latter group includes one Will Gish, who failed miserably to explain, "How Is a Balcony Built?" for the mother site.

Had Gish bothered to look up the architectural definition of a balcony he might have learned that one is a projection of an upper floor of a building, generally framed by extending the floor joists beyond the exterior wall. Oddly enough, all of Gish's references, material he supposedly used to create the information, were for building a deck. 

Yup, according to Will,

"Balconies resemble decks, though they differ in a few key areas. While decks connect with the ground via pillars, balconies attach only to the side of a building."

We submit, however, that a balcony doesn't "attach" to be building, it is a part of the building. Will's ignorance, however, was responsible for ensuing bogosity such as,

• "You will need to create detailed structural drawings for every part of the balcony before beginning construction " – Actually, Will, you will need to include the balcony in the plans for the house (or a serious remodeling job).
• "Balconies employ joists, or lateral piece of wood, that run between the primary support beams of the structure. Joists support the floor of the balcony while reinforcing the beams." – No, Will, the joists project into empty air beyond the (reinforced) top plate of the underlying floor. They aren't "between" anything.
• "The juncture between a joist and beam requires special support mechanisms, such as ledger strips or joist hangers. " – They require "ledger strips" our collective ass, although there ay be some sort of saddle hanger holding them in place.
• "When adding a balcony to the exterior of a building, you must securely fasten it to the building..." –Again, you idiot, a balcony is framed as a part of the building, not some weird limpet clinging to its side!

Gish forged ahead with his version of building instructions, including,

• "Start by installing support networks, such as diagonal beams, and prepping the wall that will hold the balcony." – WTF are these "diagonal beams"?
• "Outdoor balconies resemble decks and attach to the facade of a structure. " – Neither of those claims is true...
• "When you finish, place a heavy item on the balcony before standing on it -- better a broken patio table than a broken neck." – How do you place a table that weighs more than a human body onto said deck without walking out there, Will?
• "Outdoor balconies can also comprise a part of the overall structural design of the building, in which case the builder installs them as the building is erected, not after the fact as an addition." – Will, Will, Will: nobody slaps a balcony onto a building after the fact. For one thing, a balcony is useless without a door so that you can access it!

So, to recap: a balcony is not the same thing as a deck, A balcony is built as part of the framing of a building, not attached as an afterthought. And if you want to research how to build a balcony, you do not use off-the-shelf deck instructions.

This moron, art history degree and all, utterly botched his assignment; and yet Leaf Group leaves this rubbish up there for all to see some nine years after the fact. Well, we saw it and we decided that for the second day in a row, some freelancer deserved a Dumbass of the Day award from the dangerously stupid collection.

DDIY - CONSTRUCTION