So how do i make a balcony on the third floor safe?!

[MrsPear]

So we have finally managed to finish our flat (the family home has been divided) in dh's home country. We chose the top floor to get the most peace and quiet but how on earth do we make it safe?! I have convinced FIL that the balcony (it is the way to come in and out) needs a solid wall of at least 125 cm then a rail. But i am already having nightmares - ds 1 will be nearly four and ds 2 nearly one next visit. Any ideas?!

You put in vertical railings that can't be climbed. To make it as near safe as possible (because nothing is totally safe) you then install a mesh covering the entire gap. With a door if it is an access route.

and then another door with a lock that means your kids can't get on to the balcony unsupervised.

That was what i was thinking - now just need to convince dh and his family that it is necessary. They argue that their children don't climb but they have grown up with balconies so they are not new and exciting

In Britain the regulations require Balustrading to be a minimum of 1100mm high and not climbable. Also if you do use railings, the spaces between the railings must be less than 100mm.

cat netting?