“On weekends we try and stay around the house, have a BBQ, have friends over.”
Rande Gerber, Businessman
Pros and Cons of Having a Barbecue on your Balcony
Having a BBQ can be quite a lot of fun.
However, many people who live in flats and don’t own a house are often not sure whether having a BBQ on their balcony is a good idea.
If you are one of those people, I listed all the pros and cons of BBQs on the balcony for you in the following article so that you can evaluate for yourself whether you want to barbecue on your balcony or not.
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Contents
Advantages of Barbecues on the Balcony
- BBQs can be a good alternative to using your stove
- You don’t have to own a fancy house to have a BBQ
- Can give you a quite exotic feeling
- You can try out our latest technological inventions
- You will learn some level of flexibility
- BBQs on your balcony can help you socialize
- You can invite your neighbors
- BBQs on the balcony can be fun
- You don’t have to clean too much
- Especially nice on cozy summer days
BBQs can be a good alternative to using your stove
One important benefit of having a BBQ on your balcony is that it can be a great alternative to using your stove.
In fact, if you want to cook a nice steak, you often need to grill it to get the optimal flavor instead of just cooking it in a pan.
Thus, especially for dishes that need a certain smokey flavor, using your barbecue on the balcony can be quite beneficial if you currently live in a small flat and don’t have any other option to make a BBQ.
You don’t have to own a fancy house to have a BBQ
In fact, many people think that they have to live in a big house with a big garden to have a barbecue.
While having big houses and plenty of space can have its advantages, barbecues are still possible on the balcony and you should not let your confined space discourage you in this regard.
Hence, if you really love barbecues, you should still go for it, even though you may just have a small balcony.
Can give you a quite exotic feeling
Another advantage of having a BBQ on the balcony is that you will also get a rather exotic feeling.
Since most people are used to having a BBQ in a garden, they get a certain exotic feeling from barbecuing on the balcony.
However, this does not have to be a bad thing at all.
In fact, we as humans need a certain level of change to stay healthy and therefore, having a BBQ on your balcony can also greatly help you out in this regard.
You can try out our latest technological inventions
Over the past decade, it has also become much easier to have a barbecue on our balconies.
In fact, there is plenty of barbecue equipment out there that had been designed for people who live in small flats and still want to enjoy BBQ experiences.
Hence, if you currently don’t have this sort of equipment, you may want to get such equipment in order to optimize your BBQ experience on your balcony.
You will learn some level of flexibility
By doing a barbecue on your balcony, you will also become more flexible.
Since you will not have too much space, you will be forced to coordinate your actions much better and you will also learn how to use your space as efficiently as possible.
In general, staying flexible and adapting to new circumstances is quite important, not just for your barbecue, but also to succeed in various parts of our lives.
BBQs on your balcony can help you socialize
Many people are also just not able to financially afford living in a house right now.
However, this doesn’t mean that those people are not able to socialize.
In fact, a perfect way to socialize is to have a barbecue on your balcony since you can invite your favorite people over to your flat and still have a great time.
In fact, in many cases, the quality of barbecues does not depend on the space and the location, it rather depends on the people you hang out with.
You can invite your neighbors
Another upside of BBQs on your balcony is that you can also invite your neighbors over to your flat.
In fact, many people in our current state of the world don’t have a good relationship with their neighbors.
However, it can make quite a lot of sense to improve your relationship with your neighbors since you can help each other out with various problems of daily life.
Hence, barbecuing can be a great way to invite your neighbors over and to improve your relationship with them so that all parties can benefit from it in the future.
BBQs on the balcony can be fun
Barbecues can be quite convenient and can also be quite a lot of fun.
In fact, we have it deep inside our DNA to use fire to cook our meals since our ancestors did the same thing many thousands of years ago.
Therefore, in order to satisfy this basic need, having a barbecue on your balcony can also help you in this regard.
You don’t have to clean too much
Another benefit of having a BBQ on your balcony is that you will not have to clean too much.
In fact, while you have to clean many pots if you cook in a regular manner on your stove, you can avoid this by having a BBQ since you will not need any pots or other additional equipment that needs to be cleaner.
Hence, also from a dishwashing perspective, having a barbecue on your balcony can also make quite a lot of sense.
Especially nice on cozy summer days
BBQs are always nice. However, especially on nice summer days where it is still quite warm in the evening, BBQs on your balcony are a great way to finish your day.
This is especially true if you live on the top floor of an apartment complex and can enjoy a great view of the cityscape.
Disadvantages of Having a BBQ on the Balcony
- Barbecues on the balcony may just not be allowed
- Potential problems with your insurance
- BBQs on the balcony may lead to serious smell
- Soot may be a problem
- Air quality on your balcony will be rather poor
- You may inhale harmful particles
- Confined space can be a problem
- You will not be able to invite too many people
- Noise level may disturb your neighbors
- BBQs on the balcony are not the same as BBQs in a garden
Barbecues on the balcony may just not be allowed
Although having a barbecue on your balcony can have many upsides, there are still some issues related to it.
For instance, one problem with having a BBQ on your balcony is that it might simply not be allowed.
In fact, in many countries, it is quite common that there are rules and regulations in place that prevent you from having a BBQ on the balcony.
In fact, in some countries, you may have to pay serious fines in case you get caught and in order to avoid getting fined, you may want to refuse from having a barbecue on your balcony.
Potential problems with your insurance
Another issue of BBQs on your balcony is that it can lead to serious insurance problems.
In fact, in case something goes wrong and you cause any damage related to your BBQ, your insurance may not want to pay for this kind of damage and you may suffer from an enormous financial burden, especially in case the whole building burns down.
BBQs on the balcony may lead to serious smell
While you will not have any problems with smell from your barbecue when you do it in a big house with a big garden, you may experience problems in this regarding with your barbecue on your balcony since your neighbors will live quite close to you and especially if you use charcoal for your barbecue, chances are that your neighbors will complain quite a lot.
Soot may be a problem
Another downside of having a BBQ on your balcony is that soot may become a serious problem.
In fact, if you use charcoal for your BBQ, chances are that the soot will leave black traces on your balcony walls.
Air quality on your balcony will be rather poor
In general, if you make a barbecue on your balcony, chances are that the overall air quality on your balcony will be rather poor.
In fact, due to the smell and the soot that will be emitted into the atmosphere, chances are that your guests will not feel too comfortable sitting on your balcony.
Instead, you may want to do the BBQ on your balcony and let your guests sit inside to make the BBQ experience more convenient for them.
You may inhale harmful particles
If you use charcoal for your barbecue, chances are that you and your guests will also inhale plenty of harmful particles.
In fact, in the combustion process of charcoal, plenty of harmful components and fine particles are emitted into the air, which can be quite harmful to our health when they enter our lungs.
Hence, it might be a good idea to refrain from using charcoal for your BBQ on your balcony and go for gas or electric grills instead.
Confined space can be a problem
Especially if you live in a small flat on a rather confined space, it may be quite hard for you to coordinate yourself and to provide a good barbecuing experience.
In fact, this is not only true for the barbecue itself, but also for the necessary preparation for it.
Consequently, you may be quite annoyed and stressed if you have to organize a barbecue on a pretty confined space.
You will not be able to invite too many people
Another disadvantage of having a BBQ on your balcony is that you will not be able to invite too many people over to your flat, especially if your flat is quite small.
Thus, if you decide to make a barbecue on your balcony, make sure that you only invite your favorite people so that you don’t get overwhelmed and your flat will not be too crowded.
Noise level may disturb your neighbors
Not only the smell from your barbecue can be a problem, also the overall noise levels related to your barbecue on your balcony may be significant.
Especially if your barbecue party lasts until midnight or even longer, chances are that your neighbors will not be happy with you at all and may even call the police.
BBQs on the balcony are not the same as BBQs in a garden
In general, the overall feeling of BBQs on a balcony is not the same as doing barbecues in a big garden.
While some people like having a barbecue on the balcony, others rather think that BBQs are meant to take place in a garden.
Thus, depending on the type of person you are, you may like barbecuing on your balcony quite a lot or not at all.
Top 10 BBQ on the Balcony Pros & Cons – Summary List
| BBQ on the Balcony Pros | BBQ on the Balcony Cons |
|---|---|
| BBQs on the balcony can be convenient | BBQs on the balcony can annoy your neighbors |
| You can invite your friends to your BBQ | May lead to bad air quality |
| It is easy to socialize through barbecues | You may be liable in case of accidents |
| Good alternative to using a stove | May not be suitable for using charcoal |
| You will learn some flexibility | BBQs on the balcony may not be allowed |
| Can be a new experience | You may get fined |
| May give you an exotic feeling | May lead to serious smell |
| Especially nice on hot summer days | Excessive noise may be a problem |
| Even better if you have a nice view | Confined space may lead to stress |
| You can invite your neighbors to your BBQ | You can’t invite too many people |
Should You Have A BBQ On Your Balcony?
As we have seen before, there are several advantages and disadvantages of having a BBQ on your balcony.
In the end, you have to decide for yourself whether barbecues on your balcony make sense for you or not.
However, if you decide to go for it, make sure that you do this in line with your local rules and regulations in order to avoid any fines.
Also make sure to get a high-quality grill that will last for many years or even a lifetime. You can find one of those here.
Sources
https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/top-10-bbq-tips/
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/a576609/barbecue-tips/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/80312/12-bbq-tricks-and-tips-pitmasters
About the author
My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.
As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.
After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.
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