Korean Job Discussion Forums

skindleshanks · Joined: 10 May 2004

We are buying a brand new apartment and will move in in a couple months. This will be our first time actually owning our own place, and already I'm starting to dream about the freedom to do what we want with it.

One idea that crossed my mind . . . our balcony off the master bedroom will have a "garden" area about 1 metre wide and 2+ metres long. I was thinking that perhaps I could put in a small hot-tub--not a prebuilt jacuzzi, but something like you find at the sauna. My quick mental calculations say that that would be nearly 2000kg of water when full. Is that too much weight in one spot on the balcony? Being on the 10th floor, I wouldn't want my balcony falling off or anything.

It's just a dream, but has anyone seen/know of someone who has done this or know whether this might be possible?

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

I think I'd ask the management. They SHOULD know how much weight a balcony will hold.

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

skindleshanks · Joined: 10 May 2004

I guess it's worth asking them, and my wife was saying there may be laws regarding what you can do on balconies (apparently they've just recently allowed ondol to be installed on balconies for the first time, according to the salesperson at the model house).

I suppose a second option would be to rip out one tub and put in a steam shower, but they're 5 million won and up. Hard to know whether we'd recoup that when we move out.

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

skindleshanks · Joined: 10 May 2004

I'm thinking more like a heated mini plunge pool, so the water would be there for soaking in, not refilling every day.

Squid · Joined: 25 Jul 2003 Location: Sunny Anyang

Alternatively you might try training a Sumatran elephant to stand on your balcony.

Seriously crap idea...

Bob the builder.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

Whynot just buy a house if you are that keen on being "different" when it comes to your fixtures.

With a house you can have whatever you want.

Also, what happens if that water leaks onto your neighbors? They can sue you for that, or didn't that occur to you?

bellum99 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know

sounds like trouble to me. Remember the bridge and the department store. Next month we add apartment to the list.

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

numazawa · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: The Concrete Barnyard

Alright, heads up here, folks. Remember the last guy who came on here railing about balconies, only to be floored when several people called his post off-the-wall. What really sticks out in my mind is the way he opened up on everybody and threatened to terrace a new one.

skindleshanks · Joined: 10 May 2004

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. Razz

Perhaps its not a great idea, after all. 10 stories is a fair drop . . . perhaps a bungee jump platform would be safer . . .

I'm still trying to think of fun "improvements" that we can enjoy for a few years and then profit on slightly when it comes to resale (perhaps to some rich guy from Seoul--did I mention the ocean/mountain views?) The more I think about it the more I realize that the average Korean person lives in an apartment so that they can be "just like everyone else," and there may be few that would be interested in anything special.

However . . . I will ask the company anyway during the inspections next week.