Railing & Balustrades

Adding railings, handrails or balustrades to a flat roof that you intend to use as e.g. a balcony or roof garden / roof terrace can be a great looking and practical finishing touch. Before building the idea firmly into your plans however it is worth remembering first that:​

• ​Planning Permission may be required if the railings / handrails could be considered to be a ‘permanent’ feature.
• It is possible to add ‘non-permanent’ handrails to your flat roof balcony / garden area which don’t require planning permission. Unfortunately the designs available on the market for these often tend to lack some of the finesse and visual appeal visual of the permanent versions.
• Fixing handrails to a flat roof needs to done in a way that will maintain the integrity of its surface i.e. not piercing the membrane and creating areas where water could get in.
• Building regulations require handrails to be at least 1100mm high.
• If your flat roof balcony, terrace or roof garden is overlooking a neighboring property you may be required to have a privacy screen e.g. a glass screen that’s etched, sandblasted or coloured.