Problem
A 1970s brick apartment building with 42 balconies presenting the full defect set characteristic of its era: drummy tiles, water staining to soffits below, cracked slab edges with exposed reinforcement, and balustrade fixings of doubtful condition. Two previous patch repairs by other contractors had failed within three years of completion.
Diagnosis
Representative openings on six balconies across both elevations established the pattern: original bituminous membrane past end of life, screeds holding water against the slab, carbonation-driven corrosion at slab edges (carbonation depth 25–40mm against cover as low as 15mm), and balustrade anchors with significant section loss. Each balcony was individually surveyed, referenced and ranked into one of three condition classes.
Method
Works staged in six runs by balcony stack, worst class first, keeping closures to under three weeks per stack. Per balcony: strip to slab, break out and reinstate slab-edge concrete with polymer-modified mortar, prime and treat reinforcement, correct falls, apply liquid polyurethane trafficable membrane with full-height upturns, reinstate tiles, and install engineered balustrade anchorage upgrades. Hold-point photography at every buried layer, compiled per balcony.
Outcome
The programme was completed within the levy budget, with provisional quantities reconciled at the conclusion of each stage. The decision pack prepared for the committee comprised the ranked condition report, staged funding options and per-balcony completion evidence.