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What is a Juliet balcony?

My name is Tom Lopatosky. I’m the President of LOPCO Contracting(www.LopcoContracting. com) & I’m honored to have the opportunity to talk to you about home improvement on a monthly basis. I love answering your questions! Please send them to tom@LopcoContracting.com or call 401-270-2664. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this column!

Every so o en, I hear terminology relating to a home or some type of construction that admittedly makes me stop and think, “Where have I heard that before?”

Recently, I was asked by a client for a bit of advice on a project involving a Juliet balcony. When I brought the term up in conversation with a fellow tradesman, whom I was describing the project to, I received a bit of an odd stare, followed by them exclaiming, “What the heck is a Juliet balcony?”

It was certainly a fair question, as this term is not really commonplace, even though we have our fair share of Juliet balconies in this part of the country.

A Juliet balcony is o en not much of a balcony at all. Many times, Juliet balconies are small platforms that cannot even hold a potted plant, nevermind a person. ey are usually a rail system in front of a door or window that provides the protective rail and allows the door or larger window to be open, and for whomever may be inside, to hang out at the rail. While they de nitely can be large enough to hold a person or two, this does not necessarily have to be the case. Sometimes, the Juliet balcony is purely decorative and is not able to be accessed whatsoever.

In most cases, the rail system is made out of wrought iron, however, these days, it is quite common to see the balconies made out of composite material, aluminum, or even wood.

ey are called Juliet balconies, as you may have imagined, because if you remember back to that English class in high school in the play ‘Romeo & Juliet,’ there is a balcony scene where Juliet is exclaiming, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” e Juliet balconies are balconies that resemble that speci c balcony from where Juliet was cawing from in the play.

Juliet balconies are features on one’s home that I believe to be a pretty cool detail. In areas where outdoor space is super limited (think New York City, as an example), Juliet balconies o er folks access to outdoor space, without pushing the envelope in terms of greatly extending o a building, and bringing into question, permissible use allowances and things of that nature.

From the exterior view, a Juliet balcony adds a bit of European air to whatever building whose design they are incorporated into. ey can also look great from the inside too; as mentioned earlier, they are o en paired with larger functional doors or windows. Many people enjoy being able to open what o en are oor to ceiling doors that allow plenty of light and air ow, as well as a convenient and comfy view of whatever may be outside.

Although the terminology may not be that which is used every day, Juliet balconies are neat niches within architecture that when integrated correctly, can beautify whatever home or property they are assimilated into.

About Tom Lopatosky

Tom Lopatosky has run his own carpentry and painting business in Providence since 1995; LOPCO Contracting – the “Personable, Particular Professionals” – specializes in carpentry and exterior & interior painting. Recently LOPCO Contracting was named ‘RI’s Finest Painting Contracting Company’ by ShopInRI Magazine. In 2013, Tom was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) and a “40 Under 40” award winner by Providence Business News. He is a member of both the PDCA and RIBA (Rhode Island Builders Association). Tom has weekly ‘Home Improvement Tips’ that air on the radio on 630 WPRO AM (during the weekday morning news) and on television on WPRI 12 (during the Saturday morning news.

“When my oldest mare died, I allowed the others to see her, sni her body, and realize that she had died, not just disappeared,” she wrote. Pugh added that the mare’s daughter, Dolly, was brought out of the barn to witness the burial.

“She stood over her mother until the heavy equipment came to move the body, dig her burial spot, and bring her down to the site,” Pugh continued. “Dolly followed the backhoe and waited patiently, standing guard until her mother was completely covered and the equipment le . From that day forward, when she was let out of her stall in the morning, the rst place Dolly would go was to her mother’s grave and stand over it for a few moments before moving on to graze. She is now buried alongside her mother.”

Pugh revealed that cows also grieve.

“I saw my neighbor’s cow give birth to a premature calf,” she recalled. “It didn’t live long, less than an hour. As the mother stood over her baby, trying to nudge it back to life, all the other cows gathered around. en they formed a line and each cow walked by, gently touching the dead calf and then moved on. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.” Pugh remembers that the cows also comforted the mother by gently nudging her and remaining with the grieving animal for the rest of the day.

“Years later, when that same farmer’s horse died and was being buried, the cows that had been lying in the cool shade under the trees all stood up and watched the burial. It was almost like they were paying respect to the dead,” she added.

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MORE THAN JUST A FISH STOREMORE THAN JUST A FISH STORE Essentials for All Your Animals NeedsEssentials for All Your Animals Needs

MORE THAN JUST A FISH STORE Essentials for All Your Animals NeedsDog Facts You Didn’t Know

• A dog’s nose has about 4 times as many scent cells as a cat’s and 14 times more than a human’s. at’s why dogs are o en used to track down illegal drugs and missing persons. ey can sni out their dinner from any room in the house!

• With patience and understanding you can teach any old dog new tricks, depending on what you are trying to teach, or un-teach the dog, which is usually more di cult. Dogs can learn at any age, and like humans, it’s just old habits that are hard to break!

• According to a recent survey, the most popular name for a dog is Max. Other popular names include Molly, Sam, Zach, and Maggie.

• An estimated 1 million dogs in the United States have been named the primary bene ciary in their owner’s will.

• Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not sweat by salivating. ey sweat through the pads of their feet.

• Dogs can alert their owners of an epileptic seizure up to an hour before it occurs.

• Walt Disney’s family dog was named Lady. She was a poodle.

• e heaviest dog ever weighed 319 pounds.

• e oldest dog ever died at age 29.

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“We speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

e well-known animal authority advises horse owners to allow their other equines to see the deceased before it’s removed or buried because animals understand death and need to mourn the passing.

“Unfortunately, I have had to use my own advice more o en than I cared to,” she concluded. “Being that their lifespan is thirty years or more, you develop a close relationship with them and it’s devastating when they die.”

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