THE CHALLENGE

The concrete topping on an occupied apartment balcony had failed and needed full removal and replacement. But with balcony restoration, what is visible from the surface doesn't always tell the full story.

Once demolition began, we uncovered deterioration extending into the precast balcony slab, including spalled concrete and heavily corroded reinforcing steel along the exterior edge. The additional deterioration required repair before the balcony could be rebuilt.

At the same time, the work had to be performed at an occupied apartment community. Residents needed advance notice before crews accessed their balconies, and railings, flashing, and soffit components had to be carefully removed and reset as part of the repair.

OUR APPROACH

Open it up and address what is actually there.

Our team saw-cut and removed the failed concrete topping down to sound material. With the slab exposed, the crew could identify deterioration that wasn't fully visible beforehand, including damaged concrete and corroded reinforcing steel at the balcony edge.

Repair the underlying precast slab.

Rather than simply replacing the topping over deteriorated concrete, we removed unsound material and completed the necessary plank repair. Additional deterioration uncovered on a neighboring balcony was repaired at the same time, keeping both balconies moving on the same schedule.

Use a proven repair method.

Our team had completed similar balcony repairs at this community in previous years. The crew followed the established repair sequence and reused a galvanized pour stop fabricated for earlier phases of the work.

Rebuild the complete assembly.

After the underlying repairs were completed, a high-strength cementitious topping was placed and finished. Flashing and soffit components were removed and reset as necessary, and the balcony railings were reinstalled.

Don't reinstall something that shouldn't go back.

When a section of existing flashing was found damaged during reassembly, our team flagged the condition rather than reinstalling bent material and recommended that new flashing be furnished.

THE RESULTS

• Two balconies were repaired and reassembled in roughly two weeks of field work.
• Underlying deterioration addressed, not covered up, including deteriorated concrete and corroded reinforcing steel exposed during demolition.
• Residents remained in their units throughout the project, with balcony access coordinated in advance through property management.
• Railings, flashing, and associated components were removed and reset as part of the work.
• Zero change orders, despite concealed conditions that could only be fully evaluated once demolition began.
• The project continued a repair approach ACS has successfully used across multiple seasons at the community.