Best way to close gap on balcony to avoid puppy falling through?

[maddy1310]

Getting a puppy next week and trying to puppy proof our balcony. Trying to figure out the best way to cover the gaps, any suggestions? Have attached some pictures for reference.

[knockhead]

Oh man, we got a puppy 3 months ago and were faced with the same problem.

First attempt was to get some leftover curtain material and tape it to the glass + floor. Didn't work, as the dog kept biting the material and tape. In addition, we get heaps of wind on our balcony and it kept rip the material right off the tape.

We got a pet playpen pretty soon after, and blocked off that part of the balcony with it. It worked quite well. Our dog is too big to fit under the gaps in the balcony now, so we use the playpen whenever we take our dot to a friend or family member's house.

[BenjaminTaylor]

I would get some perspex and cut it to a nice thin section and attach it via some L brackets. Do it to the inside. Or you could do the outside also if you are confident. Acrylic perspex can be cut using a circular saw. The cut end can then be sanded smooth and even buffed up to a polished finish if desired.

[Noyade]

Hi Maddy.

I duuno much about rented properties/strata-title - are you allowed to do much structurally/cosmetically?

Along the lines of Benjamin - I was thinking of simple plywood sheets placed against the metal - which appears to be all flush. Maybe a tad of silicone to hold it in place, which should be easy to remove once your puppy has learnt the dangers of gravity.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @maddy1310. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for your question.

It's great to see you've already received some helpful responses.

You might like to check out the discussion: How do you close a gap in our balcony to stop our Puppy falling through? by @Martin2020. Within it, Martin uses a length of 140 x 19mm KD Select Grade Merbau Decking - Linear Metre to run along the front as @Noyade has depicted. At each upright post, you could drill two holes and thread a thick cable tie through the timber and around the post. Personally, I would use wire instead of a cable tie as puppies can tend to chew through plastic.

Please let us know how you go or if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @BenjaminTaylor. It's terrific to have you join us and many thanks for contributing to the discussion.

I like the idea of using perspex, especially if the strata has some concerns on the appearance.

We look forward to hearing about the projects around your own house and garden, and we'd encourage you to let us know if you ever need assistance or have something to share. I trust you'll find plenty of inspiration within the community as our creative members are contributing their projects here all the time.

Mitchell

[MitchellMc]

It's great to have you join the Bunnings Workshop community @knockhead. Many thanks for jumping into the conversation.

It sounds like you have plenty of experience with containing puppies. They certainly can be little escape artists.

We can't wait to hear about the projects that you're working on, let us know if you ever need a hand or would like to share some of them with us.

Mitchell

[Carol_Prime]

@maddy1310 

Baby gate panels.  No drilling required and you can use them anywhere around the home. Adjustable screws that press against the wall. Worked a treat for us. Same as baby play pen. 

[Jason]

As this has been a very popular discussion, we have created a Best Advice article called How do you close a balcony gap for pet safety?

We hope you find it useful. 

Please let us know if you need any assistance with your own puppy-proofing project.

Jason