Apartment Patio vs Balcony – What is the Main Difference?

When you are on the hunt for your perfect new home, you sometimes have to decide between finding a property with a patio or a balcony. Knowing the difference between a patio vs a balcony can make a world of difference and significantly affect how you go about enjoying your time outside.

According to Clever Patio, you rarely find a patio above the first floor — patios look into gardens or the street, while balconies exist on the second floor and above. These balconies also notably don’t attach to a garden. Instead, you can plan to look across the city scape and over buildings. Another key difference between patios vs balconies comes down to size. Balconies are usually smaller than patios and feature railings as a safety feature. Homedit also explains that designers typically construct a patio for dining purposes, and these spaces can feature a variety of materials, like asphalt, concrete, and if you’re lucky, natural stones or gravel.

Finding a property in the city with a patio or a balcony can feel like a massive win, but knowing the pros and cons of an apartment patio vs balcony can make your search that much easier. You can easily put up curtains or dividers in a balcony to offer up some privacy and the spaces don’t take much effort to upkeep, but they are typically pretty small and usually don’t provide much cover from bad weather. On the other hand, you have more options to decorate a patio and these spaces, but they require more upkeep than a balcony.

When you need to track down your dream apartment, understanding the key differences between a balcony vs a patio can help you narrow down your real estate hunt and can ensure you end up living in your dream apartment with the perfect touch of the outdoors.