ᐅ Balcony Door and Window Sills – Deficiencies in New Construction
Created on: 22 Feb 2019 21:30
D
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
drigli1984 schrieb:
Since this is a condominium, all defects are handled by the developer.Therefore, all your defect notifications should be directed to the site manager, as they are your contractual partner!
drigli1984 schrieb:
Expert should not be an insult. I didn’t take it that way either; I just wanted to express two points at once: a) that my comments should not be counted twice, but only for "window manufacturers"; and b) that I usually experience "experts" as almost the opposite of those who lack knowledge.
drigli1984 schrieb:
The installer told me on the phone today (two appointments have already been missed) that these are connectable elements, In principle, these elements can be connected, but nothing of that kind is visible here. The supplier should explain—preferably with a cross-section drawing of their connecting profile—how this could be concealed in this case. Such a design cannot be completely ruled out just by appearance alone; however, it would be watertight, which apparently is not the case here.
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
D
drigli198421 May 2019 18:03Good evening!
I need your assessment again. I have now received two proposed solutions:
Solution 1: The first solution, proposed by the installer and an Internorm expert, involves sealing the too-short coupling by enlarging the coupling joint and filling it with window foam to close the cavities. Additionally, a vapor-tight sealant will be applied on the inside, which will then be covered with a trim strip measuring approximately 20/3mm (0.8/0.1 inches). On the outside, a suitable sealant will also be applied to permanently close the coupling joint.
Solution 2: The 3-part element will be dismantled on site and fitted with a new coupling gasket. In this case, the building connection (exterior façade, painter-ready reveal inside, interior floor connection, exterior roller shutter box, etc.) will need to be opened and subsequently renewed.
My questions:
1) Can the proposed first solution hold up in the long term, or what do you think about it? @11ant
2) Is it possible to reuse the elements if they are dismantled as in solution 2, or must new elements be installed?
3) Does anyone have experience with what happens if the apartment is uninhabitable during the defect repair, and who guarantees the safety of the belongings (I live on the ground floor in the middle of Vienna)? Is the developer responsible for covering the costs of temporary accommodation and security services for the apartment?
Thanks in advance
Best regards from Vienna
I need your assessment again. I have now received two proposed solutions:
Solution 1: The first solution, proposed by the installer and an Internorm expert, involves sealing the too-short coupling by enlarging the coupling joint and filling it with window foam to close the cavities. Additionally, a vapor-tight sealant will be applied on the inside, which will then be covered with a trim strip measuring approximately 20/3mm (0.8/0.1 inches). On the outside, a suitable sealant will also be applied to permanently close the coupling joint.
Solution 2: The 3-part element will be dismantled on site and fitted with a new coupling gasket. In this case, the building connection (exterior façade, painter-ready reveal inside, interior floor connection, exterior roller shutter box, etc.) will need to be opened and subsequently renewed.
My questions:
1) Can the proposed first solution hold up in the long term, or what do you think about it? @11ant
2) Is it possible to reuse the elements if they are dismantled as in solution 2, or must new elements be installed?
3) Does anyone have experience with what happens if the apartment is uninhabitable during the defect repair, and who guarantees the safety of the belongings (I live on the ground floor in the middle of Vienna)? Is the developer responsible for covering the costs of temporary accommodation and security services for the apartment?
Thanks in advance
Best regards from Vienna
drigli1984 schrieb:
Can the proposed first solution hold up in the long term? Out-of-court settlements are not love marriages, but I can see it as a viable path. However, I don’t know anyone who can report success or failure in this regard.
Snowy36 schrieb:
They take care of that in one day In the case of solution 2, I’m not keen to wholeheartedly join your hopeful chorus.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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