Going to a house that has a balcony. there are no vertical post’s or anything that would make it a deck.. its a true balcony. Other than making sure the wood isnt rotten, proper flashing, and making sure no wood is pulling away. i’m drawing a blank since I believe I wont be able to see the beam. It’s a finished basement*(so no way to see the beams and how deep they go or how they are secured.
1 Like
As reminded at the last HI class I attended last weekend…
There are three sure things in life: death, taxes and balconies leak.
3 Likes
At this point, Al you can do is look for moisture intrusion on the under side, if the under side is inclosed look for moisture and buckling of the ceiling boards and peeling paint, as far as framing goes it’s shit luck that it is framed properly. Good luck! Use your judgment.
5 Likes
Morning, Patrick. Hope to find you well and in good spirits today.
I want to say some negative views on you hypothetical but will only say, “Are you kindling me?”
Flashing? there are no vertical post’s? making sure no wood is pulling away?
Time for more lessons.
Patrick, if the underside is covered your best option is to state you could not adequately inspect the balcony because the support framing was not visible or accessible.
7 Likes
looks like original wood from 2004, also the face is pulling off.
no water stains on the ceiling where the balcony would come in.
1 Like
Is that a support beam at the end of the joists? Or is it a fascia board? Do you have some wider angle pics of the balcony?
1 Like
So, those are going to be cantilevered joists. That or we have some major issues, lol.
There will likely be no way to verify the integrity of the cantilever behind finished surfaces. Give it the jump test, look for wood rot and proper flashings. I wouldn’t worry too much about the fascia board mounted on the ends of the the joists, as long as it it is fairly secure and not going to fall off and bonk someone on the head. Check the sturdiness of the guardrails also of course.
1 Like
thanks, yes that what I was trying to explain when I said there was no post *(vertical supports) its a true balcony. finished garage so no way to how far they go in, or any water damage.
recommended new decking and securing facia board.
1 Like
What type of flashing do you expect to see?
Do you have any up-close photos where the joists penetrate the sidewall?
May or may not be visible, but look at the top of the joists right where they exit the wall. The sides of the flashing will likely be covered up by the filler “ledger” they installed. Depending on how they installed that filler, I may want to see flashing at the top of that as well.
1 Like
This is the point of entry into the sidewall. This is one of the critical points to observe for damage, flashing failure, etc.
I can’t see much.
100% agree with you. other then some deck rot/weathered wood and the facia pulling out there wasn’t anything wrong with it.
Funny I looked at a handful of balconies at the complex and they all where in similar shape. *(facia pulling off, and original deck boards from 2004)
Is this a house or a multi unit building?
Looks multi to me…
It’s a complex . You own your unit (basement, main level, garage) but it’s HOA