Balconies add value to a home and are hugely sought after. But we barely seem to set foot on them, says Ysenda Maxtone Graham
It’s hard to count the number of balconies overlooking the Thames: there are so many of them in the string of developments called something Quay, Harbour, Reach or Wharf. I reckon it’s more than 1,300 between Wandsworth and Chelsea Bridges – and that’s not counting the 2,000 more balconies under construction in the new Battersea Power Station development. Balconies are spawning all over our trendy, coffee-drinking cities. But, on a summer Saturday evening, with shimmering water below, how many people are actually sitting on those balconies? That’s easier to count. I did it this weekend, and counted one solitary person having a cigarette. It’s the Great Balcony Delusion. We think we want a balcony, but when we have one we don’t use it. It’s the modern equivalent of not keeping the car in the garage. I asked Sam at James Pendleton Estate Agents about balconies and house prices, and he...
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