Does anyone actually enjoy their front balcony?

[KHONDAHM]

Sitting here recalling a conversation I had with the Mrs. a few weeks ago about home design from which we invented a game of collecting 100 baht for being the first to spot someone actually enjoying their front balcony. Hanging up clothes and such does not count. Porches do not count.

Played the game for almost a month and neither of us collected.

Balconies and verandas seem to be everywhere, but nobody ever uses them. Understandably, because of the heat in the day, mosquitoes at night, and pollution if on a main thoroughfare. Does anyone actually enjoy their front balcony? As in sit and read a book, sunbathe, watch the game outside with a cold brew, play chess, etc. (omitting the occasional BBQ). If so, how often and how long are you typically out there and would you say you are getting your money's worth of use out of it versus putting the building budget to use on something else like an extra room or upgraded amenities?

Being from the land of no front balconies (excluding the old houses and excepting a deck add-on out back here and there), it's not something that I would ever want to include in a home build - especially in Thailand, but just curious how it is working out for those who did include it in their home build.

[polehawk]

No balcony where we live but a year ago we bought a house that had a 6 to 9 foot wall around the whole one rai property. The place had a penitentiary feel to it. We recently had a sliding gate installed in front along with floor tiles on the walkway. Set up a picnic table and chairs and spend a lot of time in this cooler weather just watching the world pass by. Our dogs have become more socialized to the outside world and we're beginning to get to know some of our neighbors. A much more enjoyable place to live now.

[Zidane]

Khondahm,
Yes,what you say is very true.We have a balcony adjoining our bedroom but we never use it other than to hang some washing !
However,one of our cats uses it to sunbathe and weigh up the world below so he's getting his moneysworth out of it,I guess !
And funnily enough on our estate....all the two storeys have balconies but I've never seen anyone sat out on one in the two years we have lived here !

[Texpat]

We have three balconies. They provide great shade to the porches under them.

[Prenders88]

We use our veranda all the time, when we are in the house.
We are located in a cul-de-sac, and at an angle that affords a view of the road down to the lake.
A pleasant place to sit in the morning with a cup of tea, exchanging greetings and banter with the neighbours. Just sit there and take in the air, and marvel at the big blue sky. Far removed from living in London, where you can live next door to someone and not even know their name, even if you have been living next door to them for 15 years.

Countless times the straw mat goes down and my wife and the neighbours share a meal on the veranda.
Something you can't do in England because of the poor climate, six months of rain, sleet, and snow.
Oppressive dark dingy days, where you'll lucky to see the sun. When the sun does appear there is mass hysteria and the newspapers have headlines like "Phew, what a scorcher"!! In London everything looks monochrome.

[rct]

If the view is nice, one enjoys spending time there.

Mature landscaping with proper maintenance can help. Investing in larger plants and trees at the beginning will help. It does not cost that much relative to the price of house and land.

I met a renter who took a run of the mill older house in the shade with nice big trees, and put in a curved brick border around the perimeter of the garden then planted flower beds about 1 meter wide virtually all the way around the 180 square wah plot. Looks amazing.

Why go through life looking at crud when one can choose a good view?

[doo]

Hi.
Sit on mine most days summer and winter great. Got my chair placed so I can watch T.V., when not reading a book or doing crosswords etc. The carport roof extends over it so quite cool if there is a breeze, if not I do the next best thing and put the fan on. Dec. now and yesterday was thinking about the people back home shivering in the low temp. Made me glad I came out here when I retired. Plus other things.

[Kudjap or Bust]

Use our main bedroom veranda pretty much everyday, it's a decent size, have a table and easy chairs set out (wooden outdoor furniture), also have an umbrella for shade. Morning coffee and breakfast out there except when its raining of course and sometimes I'll read a book there before bed while she's watching Thai TV.
As above I can spin one of the chairs and watch the bedroom telly if I need to, usually the news in the morning.
The second bedroom veranda is the one for washing, don't think any guest has ever used it.

[Galee]

Where I am at the moment. Not much. Too noisy and not much of a view. The wife uses it more than i do, she knows I don't like the smell of som tam, so often goes outside to eat it.
When I eventually get my place built it will be different. Designed with veranda off the bedroom for morning coffee and breakfast, big veranda outside the dinning area. All looking over quiet, peaceful country side, (at the moment?)

[rickfarang]

Had balconies in our Bangkok condos. Besides doing and hanging up the wash, I kept a small workbench for cutting and drilling mechanical parts. One, on the 15th floor, offered a spectacular view of swaths of Bangkok (were were in Bangna) and in the cooler weather was a nice place to sit and have a drink, but only rarely.

In udon, we are balconyless, but we have a shaded patio in the front of the house of about 150 sq meters, and besides the workbench, its a wonderful place to host meetings or just sit in the evenings, having a drink and watching videos on the portable computer. Years ago, when my wife was a college freshman, the patio would be loaded with young people eating, drinking, and playing the guitar well into the night. A most enjoyable place.

Basically: Balcony = limited utility except for laundry. Patio = great place for entertaining and relaxation. If you have a choice, go for the larger patio.