STRUCTURAL SERVICES · BALCONIES
Balcony and terrace repairs, done stack by stack
We fix what's rusting the slabs and loosening the railings, one stack at a time, and residents get their balconies back.
Balcony and terrace repairs cover the concrete slab, the railings and their anchors, the waterproofing and the drainage. Every FISP inspection looks at balconies, and on post-war buildings loose railings and spalling slab edges turn up again and again. Banu Construction restores the slabs and re-anchors or replaces railings to code. Then we deal with the water that did the damage in the first place.
What we deliver
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Slabs repaired at the cause.
Rusted reinforcing gets cleaned, treated or replaced before any new concrete goes on.
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Railings that stay put.
Re-anchored or replaced to your engineer's design and to current code.
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Water that drains off.
Coatings, curbs and drains are set so water runs off the slab instead of soaking in and starting the next round of damage.
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A drop for each stack.
Rigged under our own Special Rigger license, so every balcony in the line is within reach.
Services and capabilities
01 Investigate
- Condition survey and sounding of every balcony
- Railing load and anchor checks
- Repair design worked out with your engineer
02 Restore
- Balcony and terrace slab restoration and patching
- Curbs repaired, modified or newly installed
- Pedestrian traffic coatings
- Railings re-anchored, repaired and re-coated
- New railings where the old ones are out of compliance
- New and replacement drains
- Fixes for ponding and poor drainage
03 Close out
- Photo documentation for your QEWI, balcony by balcony
- Notices to residents and a reopening schedule
- A coating maintenance plan
Signs your balconies need work
- Pieces of concrete on the balcony below or on the sidewalk
- Rust stains at the slab edge or on the underside of the balcony
- Railings that wobble or have rusted at the base
- Reinforcing steel showing through the concrete
- Water that sits on the balcony long after the rain stops
- Cracked or peeling coatings
Questions about balconies and terraces
Are balconies part of the FISP inspection?
Yes. Your QEWI inspects balconies, terraces, railings and the way the railings are anchored, along with the rest of the exterior. Loose railings and spalling slab edges come up often on post-war buildings, and they can be classified Unsafe when pieces could fall.
Do residents lose use of their balconies during repairs?
Only while their own balcony is being repaired. We close them a few at a time, a single balcony or a single stack, and residents hear from us in advance how long theirs will be closed.
Why do balcony slabs crack and spall?
Water. It soaks into the concrete, reaches the reinforcing steel and rusts it. Rust takes up more room than steel, so it pushes the concrete off from the inside. Railing posts set into the slab do the same thing at each anchor.
Do new railings have to meet current code?
When railings are replaced, usually yes, for height, opening sizes and load. Your engineer specifies the railing. We fabricate or source it and install it to that design.
Can ponding on our terrace be fixed without rebuilding it?
Sometimes. New or relocated drains, a topping to regrade the surface and new waterproofing can solve it. If the slab itself has sagged, or the waterproofing underneath has failed, a rebuild may be the fix that lasts.
Where balcony work concentrates
Balcony repairs cluster in the post-war apartment towers of Queens (Forest Hills, Rego Park, Flushing), Brooklyn (Ocean Parkway, Coney Island, Brighton Beach), the Bronx (Riverdale) and Manhattan (Upper East Side). On Staten Island, it's the mid-rise apartment buildings on the North Shore.
Let's talk about your building
How many balconies, and what does the report say?
Send us the count and your QEWI's report, and we'll lay out the order of work.
