I have a balcony that needs patching up (obvious from photo) builder is reluctant without structural engineer check as he thinks its moved recently…I don’t think it has and have the following 2 photos to compare as “evidence” – the lower summer one is almost 5 years old.

I think they’re pretty close, I could put a bit more time in if nec to get the position/zoom-point precisely identical images (older summer pic was taken with a wider angle lens I think) but can anyone overlap them on photoshop or something to see whether there has been any movement? I don’t have the software…

IMAG0002 by alan cole, on Flickr

DSC00124 by alan cole, on Flickr

running a line across from the top step the top one shows the balcony thing is lower but it could be camera angle causing that.

Thats a completely different house.

Aye I can’t get my head round whether a valid comparison can be made…

wors – in the intervening period I had that new window and door put in (structural engineer had some input as the wall was weakened, the column beneath between door & window having been removed)

are there any obvious cracks in the slab?

If not then I’d be tempted to take some measurements, slap a bit of render on to stop further deterioration and then measure again in a couple of months to see if there’s been any further movement?

If the Staircase is connected to the balcony you will be able to notice if the balcony has shifted by cracking in the staircase.

Looking at the stonework under the balcony its doesnt appear to have moved much, but ince again hard to tell as not a totally clear view.

If theres no visible cracking I would agree with wwaswas, you want to prevent further conrete deterioration to the slab so some cover it over to prevent/slow down the amount of water that can get at it.

Why not just get someone to come out and have a look, might save a life or a heavy insurance claim if it falls.

the angles in the two pictures are different enough that an overlay won’t tell you anything conclusive.

Thanks all…I’ve found another pic that shows the builder was talking ****, and I am confident there has been no movement – there are cracks but none has gotten bigger.

I suspect builder maybe does not want the job!

it is quite clearly in the process of failing. the pcc staircase might be holding it up to a certain degree. the fact that the face of the concrete has blown off would suggest that the re-bar behind is rusting which depending on penetration depth is repairable if done correctly. this is not an easy job however and just cleaning it up and repairing the concrete is just turd polishing. it needs a proper structural test doing on it to determine the extent of the rust damage. as an absolute minimum the rust needs removing before a good quality concrete repair is carried out and then the top surface needs a waterproof treatment putting on it to stop the ingress of water.

where are you based? sounds like it’s worth getting someone round who you do trust to give you an opinion either way. probably someone can recommend someone local to you.

just cleaning it up and repairing the concrete is just turd polishing

You’d be amazed at how many bridges in the UK this is whats done!

i wouldnt. assessing bridges and having them correctly repaired is part of my job, so im well aware how many its done to.

Fair enough. Out of interest are you LA, HA or MAC?

Part of work to be done is a fresh layer of concrete above to stop water ingress.

It’s 60-odd years old and hasn’t moved in 5, so it’s failing slowly, and I can’t afford/justify a long term repair.

i work for a LA.
Keep an eye on it. I wouldnt think putting a layer of concrete on it will do any good as concrete is porous. it needs a waterproof membrane putting on it to prevent the water getting in in the first place. also, adding concrete will add to the self weight of the slab which could in turn increase the rate at which it fails. just a thought. Id extend the area where the face has come off to see how far any rust extends, clean off any rust you can see the use a good repair mortar to reface it then treat it with a slip resistand waterproof membrane to prevent any water from getting in. this will need to be tied into the stonework on the wall itself aswell.

disclaimer: id just like to point out at this time that i do not profess to be an authority on this type of work. the work i do is not on houses, its on highway structures which are a lot easier to do than this. this is just me using that knowledge and hazarding a semi educated guess.

Ta…I’m beginning to think it is DIY-feasible. There are cracks in the top surface which’d need filling in first.

not much of an instant help but glass has no tensile strength, once epoxied couple bits of picture frame glass (thinner than normal glass) approx 1″ x 3″ across crack if theres any movement glass breaks