ᐅ Balcony Door and Window Sills – Deficiencies in New Construction
Created on: 22 Feb 2019 21:30
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drigli1984
Hello!
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 16:38Get experts involved and have the necessary corrections made where possible! Have you withheld any security deposit or retention?
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drigli198423 Feb 2019 16:55We have received a retention guarantee of two percent of the purchase price.
My main concern is not that the defects won’t be repaired in some way, but that the quickest and easiest method will be chosen for the repairs rather than the correct one.
That’s why I have questions regarding the sealing and the window sills. If the defects are to be repaired next week, I want to know whether the work was carried out properly.
My main concern is not that the defects won’t be repaired in some way, but that the quickest and easiest method will be chosen for the repairs rather than the correct one.
That’s why I have questions regarding the sealing and the window sills. If the defects are to be repaired next week, I want to know whether the work was carried out properly.
Domski schrieb:
Regarding the window, @11ant probably knows something about it. I am a big fan of Austrian humor and am therefore absolutely sure: this botched job has nothing to do with it.
drigli1984 schrieb:
My main concern is not that the defects won’t be fixed somehow, but that the quickest and easiest way will be taken – not the right way. The (only!) right way here is: get rid of the junk! This is irreparably defective material, installed without the slightest trace of professional expertise. Not low quality in the sense of discount store goods – I cannot judge that accurately from the photos – but scrap in the sense of poorly processed and severely damaged.
If you’re going to mess things up like this, replacing a three-panel unit with a two-panel and a separate single-panel unit, it should at least be properly connected with a coupling profile.
First of all, such a coupling profile may not even exist in the profile system used here (so maybe it *is* discount junk?), and secondly, it takes up a few centimeters (inches) of width, which should have been accounted for in the other units. This already rules out any proper repair, since at least one of the units would have to be replaced because of this. NO seal can adequately replace such a profile.
Furthermore, I have the impression that blunt tools were used to cut here or that the miter saw was misaligned, since the only correct gap in the miter joint should be zero.
Basically, silicone or acrylic sealant is only intended for joints when the installer understands the fundamental difference between a joint and an excessive tolerance. That is clearly not the case here, not by a long shot (I’m missing the Mady who could convert that into Schillings *smile*).
I cannot imagine a window sill at 170 cm (67 inches) height, but in my opinion, the window sill design shown clearly belongs on an external side: usually, it does not rain indoors, so a drip edge to divert rainwater from the render facade is unnecessary inside. Regarding cultural differences, I assert that Austria and Germany are the same on this point.
I am almost certain that in this case the window dealer usually deals in something completely different.
Even the most questionable members of the window INSTALLERS guild I have encountered so far have been far outdone here. Respect.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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drigli198423 Feb 2019 22:04Thank you for the detailed response!
The apartments were not cheap (all cost between 3,900 and 5,000 per square meter), built by a reputable construction company, and the materials used are all high quality (not discount grade). Yet the workmanship during installation is so poor.
Viennese humor is somewhat macabre... so it doesn’t disappear even in such situations.
The windows and patio doors are from Internorm, so not discount quality. I’ve also taken a few photos. There is a draft coming through the seals at both the top and bottom.
@11ant In your opinion, are the patio doors made of two parts that, as installed, cannot possibly be airtight?
Two window sills are at a height of 170cm (67 inches), because the ground floor windows face the sidewalk. I don’t know why the inner window sill has a drip edge. Maybe the developer was preparing in case it soon starts to rain inside… which is not impossible with all the defects.
The apartments were not cheap (all cost between 3,900 and 5,000 per square meter), built by a reputable construction company, and the materials used are all high quality (not discount grade). Yet the workmanship during installation is so poor.
Viennese humor is somewhat macabre... so it doesn’t disappear even in such situations.
The windows and patio doors are from Internorm, so not discount quality. I’ve also taken a few photos. There is a draft coming through the seals at both the top and bottom.
@11ant In your opinion, are the patio doors made of two parts that, as installed, cannot possibly be airtight?
Two window sills are at a height of 170cm (67 inches), because the ground floor windows face the sidewalk. I don’t know why the inner window sill has a drip edge. Maybe the developer was preparing in case it soon starts to rain inside… which is not impossible with all the defects.
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