A French balcony for your Amsterdam upper-floor flat: open the windows safely

Why so many Amsterdam flats need one

A typical Amsterdam townhouse is split into a ground-floor flat (benedenwoning) and one or more upper flats (bovenwoning or bovenhuis). In de Pijp, Oud-West, Oost and the 1930s streets of Zuid, the upper flats often have French doors or very tall windows on the street side, but no balcony in front of them. Open them on a warm evening and there is nothing between you and the pavement below.

A French balcony is a railing fixed directly in front of that opening. There is no floor to stand on. Its job is simple: you get the fresh air and the view, and nobody, child or adult, can fall out. On the ground floor it can make sense too, for example when the floor sits well above street level or there is a drop down to a garden.

Options

Steel or glass

Height

Min. 100 cm, 120 cm from 13 m drop

Mounting

Inside the reveal or on the facade

Lead time

6-8 weeks (Jul-Sep 8-10)

Fitting

Our own installers

Doors that open in, doors that open out

The way your windows open shapes the design. If the doors swing inwards, the railing can sit close to the frame. Many Dutch windows and doors swing outwards, though, and then the railing has to stand far enough forward for the doors to open fully. Sash windows in older canal-side buildings are different again: what matters is how low the opening becomes when the window is pushed all the way up.

When you send an enquiry, include photos of the window both closed and open. That tells us straight away what we are dealing with.

Steel or glass

We build in steel in our own workshops in Urk and Emmeloord. A steel French balcony with vertical bars suits most Amsterdam facades and follows the style of our bar models A01 to A07. The F models add a little more decoration. Everything is hot-dip galvanised and powder coated in any RAL colour you like. Black and anthracite are popular, and so is our own canal green (grachtengroen), a shade our powder coater mixes specially for us.

If you would rather see the street than a row of bars, go for glass. The panel is held in steel or stainless steel profiles, so the view from your room stays almost untouched. You can see examples on the glass French balcony page at hekwerkwebshop.nl, and our own overview is on the French balcony Amsterdam page.

Fixing it inside or in front of the opening

Dutch installers talk about mounting in de dag or op de dag. In plain English: inside the window reveal, or on the facade in front of it.

• Inside the reveal. The railing sits between the sides of the opening. It looks neat and discreet from the street, but the reveal needs to be solid and there must be room for the doors.
• On the facade. The railing is fixed to the wall either side of the opening, usually with brackets, and stands slightly proud of the wall. With outward-opening doors this is often the obvious choice.

Which one suits your home depends on the brickwork, the frame, the direction the doors open and the condition of the wall. We decide that on site, and it goes into the production drawing you receive from us.

How high it needs to be

Every railing we make is at least 100 cm high. Where the drop below is 13 metres or more, we make it 120 cm. On the third or fourth floor of a townhouse with a high ground floor, you can reach that point. We do not go lower, even on request. How the height works with an existing sill or low wall is something we check when we measure up.

The street side: rules, access and fitting

A French balcony on the front facade is visible from the street. If your building is listed or sits in a protected cityscape area (beschermd stadsgezicht), it is wise to check with the City of Amsterdam what applies to your property. We do not give advice on permits, but the drawing we supply is useful when you ask. Our article on railings for canal houses covers older buildings in more detail.

We are in Amsterdam every day with our own drivers and fitters, not a parcel service. We know the narrow pavements, loading restrictions and steep Dutch staircases, as described in our piece on delivering in the city centre. A French balcony is usually compact enough to carry up the stairs, and much of the fitting can be done from inside the flat.

Measuring, quote and lead time

Quotes are free and without obligation. Send rough measurements of the opening and a few photos, and we aim to reply with an indicative quote within one or two working days. If that works for you and you would like us to install it, we come to measure and then send a final quote with a drawing. We only measure on site when we also do the installation. The price depends on width, height, steel or glass, model, finish, fixing method and how easy the spot is to reach.

After you approve the quote, the standard lead time is 6 to 8 weeks to installation, or 8 to 10 weeks from July to September. Prefer to fit it yourself? We can deliver only, free of charge and handled with care by our own drivers. Request a quote via our quote form, call or WhatsApp us on 036 84 54 240, or email offerte@hekwerkwebshop.nl.

Frequently asked questions