Leaking balconies and planter boxes, North Shore
Balcony leaking into the room or the flat below?
A stain on the ceiling underneath, white crust growing out of the grout, or water coming in under the door. We find where the water is getting in before anyone lifts a tile, then tell you straight whether it needs a reseal or a rebuild.
- Leak found before anything is lifted
- Flood tested before the tiles go back
- Licenced waterproofers and plumbers
Sound familiar?
- "There's a stain on the ceiling under the balcony." In an apartment it is the flat below. In a house it is the room or the garage underneath. Either way the membrane under the tiles is letting water through.
- "White stuff keeps growing out of the grout." That is calcium, washed out of the tile bed by water sitting under the tiles. It means the leak has already started.
- "Water comes in under the door when it rains." Not enough fall, an outlet too small or too few, or no proper step down at the door.
- "The planter box wall is damp on the inside." Wet soil sits against that wall all year. If the box was not lined and drained properly, the water comes through.
What happens if you leave it
Water under a balcony does not dry out. It rusts the reinforcing in the slab, cracks the concrete, rots timber framing and brings down the ceiling below, and it does it for years before the tiles show much at all.
In a strata building it also becomes a fight about who pays, and that gets harder the longer it runs.
How it goes
Found, priced, fixed, tested
- Book a site visit. Usually within a few days. If water is coming through a ceiling, ring us and we will come sooner.
- We find where it is getting in. We look at the balcony and the damage underneath together: the grout, the edges, the door, the outlets, the falls and any planter box, with a moisture meter where it helps.
- You get the price. A reseal if the membrane is sound, a rebuild if it has failed, with the reasons for each. You decide.
- We fix it and prove it. A rebuilt balcony or planter box is flood tested before the tiles or the soil go back, so the membrane is proved before it is covered.
One of our jobs
A leaking balcony and planter box, rebuilt from the membrane up
Reseal it or rebuild it? A straight answer
Neither is always right. We find where the water is getting in first, then tell you which one your balcony needs.
Reseal
The grout raked out and replaced with epoxy grout, and the edges, the door and the outlets sealed, without lifting the tiles. Done in days. It suits a balcony where the membrane is sound and the water is getting in through the grout and joints. Building movement can open it up again, and we will tell you if your balcony is likely to move.
Rebuild
Tiles and bed up, the falls and outlets corrected, a new membrane turned up the walls and under the door, flood tested, then retiled. The permanent answer when the membrane has failed, was the wrong product, or was never there.
Before you book
What people ask us
What will it cost?
It depends on whether it is a reseal or a rebuild, the size of the balcony and what is under the tiles. You get the price before any work starts. Upfront pricing, agreed before we start.
Is it us or the owners corporation?
In most strata buildings the balcony membrane is common property, and the tiles on top can be either, depending on the by-laws. We put where the fault is in writing, with photos, so the committee and the owner can sort it out from the facts.
Will we lose the balcony for long?
A reseal takes days. A rebuild takes longer, because the membrane has to cure and be flood tested before it is tiled. You get the program before we start.
What about the ceiling underneath?
We show you what the water has done below and price making it good with the fix. Photos and the cause in writing if you are making an insurance claim.
Why balconies fail
- The membrane put on wrongly, or the wrong product for outside
- Not turned up the walls, or not taken under the door
- Not enough fall to the outlet, or too few outlets
- A weak or moving slab underneath
- Poor flashings where the balcony meets the wall or the door
Balconies on the North Shore since 2007
Our job records run from 2016. Since then we have done nearly 100 jobs on leaking balconies and planter boxes, from a reseal to a full rebuild, in houses and apartment buildings. Licenced waterproofers and plumbers, contractor licence 227192C.
What customers say
He always has the solutions to plumbing issues and leaks.
Bridget Knox, Google reviewSTS Plumbing saved us from months of disruption. Their team were professional, organised, and clearly experienced with strata work. We'll be using them again.
Strata manager, Crows NestThe final price was exactly what he quoted. We will definitely use them again, highly recommended.
Glenn Crouch, Google reviewBalcony leaking? Book a site visit.
We find where the water is getting in and price the fix before we start.
Common questions about balcony and planter box waterproofing
What are the early signs of a balcony leak?
Look at the grout lines. White calcium growing out of them, or calcium stains running down the wall or the soffit below, means water is getting under the tiles and coming out somewhere. That shows up well before anyone sees a drip.
Why do balconies leak when bathrooms usually do not?
A balcony has a problem a bathroom does not: the building moves. Heat, cold and structural movement work on the membrane and the junctions year after year. Add the usual poor detailing at the edges and the door threshold, and a balcony is the harder of the two to get right.
Can it be fixed without ripping the tiles up?
Sometimes. A reseal takes the grout out, puts epoxy grout in and seals the edges and penetrations. Done on the right balcony it works well. Where the membrane underneath has gone, the only honest fix is to take it up and do it again, and we will say so.
What about planter boxes?
Planter boxes are one of the most common sources of leaks into an apartment, because they hold wet soil against a wall permanently and are often waterproofed as an afterthought. They need a proper membrane, proper drainage and a way for water to get out.
Can you do it on an occupied apartment building?
Yes, and a good share of our balcony work is exactly that. We plan the access, keep the area clean, and give the strata manager photos and a written finding they can put to a committee.
Should I get it checked before it leaks?
If you are building or renovating a balcony, yes, and it is far cheaper than fixing it later. We are happy to look at the detailing before the tiles go on.
Are you licenced?
Yes. Licenced waterproofers and licenced plumbers, NSW licence 227192C.
Word gets around
Neighbours telling neighbours. Give us a call and spread the word.
Water where it should not be?
Book a site visit and we will find where it is getting in before anyone lifts a tile. If it is coming through a ceiling now, ring us.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm.
A photo of the balcony and the stain underneath helps us see it before we arrive.