ᐅ Balcony Door and Window Sills – Deficiencies in New Construction
Created on: 22 Feb 2019 21:30
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drigli1984D
drigli198422 Feb 2019 21:30Hello!
I have been reading in the forum for a while and now I registered because I have a few urgent questions.
We recently moved into our newly built apartment in Vienna and are facing some defects. Someone from the developer and the construction management will visit next week to inspect the issues. We already had someone here last week, and for each of our complaints, they mostly responded with "this is normal" or "this is within tolerance." Now I want to prepare a bit for next week and hope to get some support.
1) We have a double-leaf balcony door and right next to it a regular balcony door. There is a seal between the two elements. However, the seal does not extend all the way to the bottom (see photo); approximately 7-8mm (about 1/4 inch) are missing. On the outside, there is also no additional seal installed (see photo). Exactly where the seal is missing, there is a draft, and a relatively loud whistling sound can be heard constantly, even when the roller shutter is down. Should the seal be replaced, or is it sufficient if the window company repairs it with silicone? I want it to be done according to standard practice.
2) Between the two elements at the seal, the frame is slightly frayed (see photo). Is this normal or not? Also, how much silicone is acceptable when attaching the retaining strips? As shown in the photo, the work looks quite sloppy. In other places, the retaining strips are a bit too short (1-2mm) and were simply filled with silicone.
3) In our living room, we have two interior windowsills, each 133cm (52 inches) wide. The distance between the two windowsills is 34cm (13 inches). The windowsills protrude from the wall by between 2.7cm and 3.8cm (1 inch and 1.5 inches). So there is a difference of over 1cm (about 0.4 inch), which is clearly visible to the naked eye since the windowsills are at a height of 1.70m (5 ft 7 in). Is this still within tolerance?
4) There is a hole under the windowsill that causes a draft. Is closing it with PU foam sufficient?
5) One of our interior doors had glue residues on it when we moved in. We have no idea where they came from. When trying to remove the glue, the door fitter slightly damaged the paint. Can we generally request a door replacement?
Basically, we just want an idea of how things should be done properly so that we can argue our case.
Thanks in advance.
Greetings from Vienna
Christoph
I have been reading in the forum for a while and now I registered because I have a few urgent questions.
We recently moved into our newly built apartment in Vienna and are facing some defects. Someone from the developer and the construction management will visit next week to inspect the issues. We already had someone here last week, and for each of our complaints, they mostly responded with "this is normal" or "this is within tolerance." Now I want to prepare a bit for next week and hope to get some support.
1) We have a double-leaf balcony door and right next to it a regular balcony door. There is a seal between the two elements. However, the seal does not extend all the way to the bottom (see photo); approximately 7-8mm (about 1/4 inch) are missing. On the outside, there is also no additional seal installed (see photo). Exactly where the seal is missing, there is a draft, and a relatively loud whistling sound can be heard constantly, even when the roller shutter is down. Should the seal be replaced, or is it sufficient if the window company repairs it with silicone? I want it to be done according to standard practice.
2) Between the two elements at the seal, the frame is slightly frayed (see photo). Is this normal or not? Also, how much silicone is acceptable when attaching the retaining strips? As shown in the photo, the work looks quite sloppy. In other places, the retaining strips are a bit too short (1-2mm) and were simply filled with silicone.
3) In our living room, we have two interior windowsills, each 133cm (52 inches) wide. The distance between the two windowsills is 34cm (13 inches). The windowsills protrude from the wall by between 2.7cm and 3.8cm (1 inch and 1.5 inches). So there is a difference of over 1cm (about 0.4 inch), which is clearly visible to the naked eye since the windowsills are at a height of 1.70m (5 ft 7 in). Is this still within tolerance?
4) There is a hole under the windowsill that causes a draft. Is closing it with PU foam sufficient?
5) One of our interior doors had glue residues on it when we moved in. We have no idea where they came from. When trying to remove the glue, the door fitter slightly damaged the paint. Can we generally request a door replacement?
Basically, we just want an idea of how things should be done properly so that we can argue our case.
Thanks in advance.
Greetings from Vienna
Christoph
H
HilfeHilfe23 Feb 2019 07:10Everything can be fixed, even in Dössiland
Replacing the door will probably be disproportionate.
Seal the hole under the window sill with expanding foam mess? No!
Are the window sill supports from the inside?
Use silicone to align the seal between the components? Absolutely not. Instead, use the appropriate PU sealing material from Würth, Sika, etc.
Everything looks very, very sloppy.
Seal the hole under the window sill with expanding foam mess? No!
Are the window sill supports from the inside?
Use silicone to align the seal between the components? Absolutely not. Instead, use the appropriate PU sealing material from Würth, Sika, etc.
Everything looks very, very sloppy.
D
drigli198423 Feb 2019 13:17Thank you for the responses!
We were really disappointed at the handover. We bought the apartment directly from the developer, a subsidiary of the largest construction company in Austria. At handover, the guide rails for the blinds were not installed, the window handles were missing, our special request was carried out incorrectly, and so on.
Regarding the stain on the door, it’s a matter of principle for me. As mentioned, our special requests were not properly fulfilled, and I have been discussing compensation for the damage the whole time.
The windowsill was photographed from the inside!
What can be done in the case of the gasket that is too short between the two doors? There is a significant draft coming through the terrace doors.
Best regards,
Christoph
We were really disappointed at the handover. We bought the apartment directly from the developer, a subsidiary of the largest construction company in Austria. At handover, the guide rails for the blinds were not installed, the window handles were missing, our special request was carried out incorrectly, and so on.
Regarding the stain on the door, it’s a matter of principle for me. As mentioned, our special requests were not properly fulfilled, and I have been discussing compensation for the damage the whole time.
The windowsill was photographed from the inside!
What can be done in the case of the gasket that is too short between the two doors? There is a significant draft coming through the terrace doors.
Best regards,
Christoph
Regarding the window, @11ant probably knows best. Personally, if it were my project, I would probably mess around with Sikaflex facade in white. However, there are surely better solutions. This issue should be resolved by the supplier, and not with silicone or foam.
I am only familiar with window sills like these for exterior use. In the end, your construction specification is what matters.
I am only familiar with window sills like these for exterior use. In the end, your construction specification is what matters.
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