Hello everyone,
Several years ago, we bought a rather large house that consists of an old building (built in 1932) and an extension (built in 1970). The extension has a balcony on the first floor, which was originally accessible from the kitchen (old building) and the living room (new building). In complete ignorance and love for the house, we did not pay enough attention to one particular detail...
The previous owner decided to close off the balcony access from the kitchen and bricked it up, which certainly improved the kitchen’s usability. In doing so, they left the door frame in the wall and bricked up the former balcony door space to a height of 1.60 m (5.25 ft), installing a small window there. The door frame is still visible from the balcony side. Although it’s not very attractive, it did not bother us when we bought the house.
Now we have treated ourselves to a new kitchen and removed the old built-in furniture. Behind the furniture that was installed in front of the bricked-up balcony access, a 90 cm (35 inches) high solid mold growth has appeared. I suspect that almost everything that could possibly go wrong was done during the bricking up of the balcony access.
Now my questions are:
- Do I need to completely remove the wall closure, tear out the door frame including the roller shutter guide, and basically start over?
- Would it help if I only partially repair the still visible exterior part of the old balcony door, add appropriate insulation, and then plaster it so that the exterior wall is flush in this area?
- The balcony floor is tiled. To achieve a proper wall finish, do I need to partially remove the tiles, or can I leave them as they are?
Thank you very much in advance for your advice, ideas, and suggestions!
Several years ago, we bought a rather large house that consists of an old building (built in 1932) and an extension (built in 1970). The extension has a balcony on the first floor, which was originally accessible from the kitchen (old building) and the living room (new building). In complete ignorance and love for the house, we did not pay enough attention to one particular detail...
The previous owner decided to close off the balcony access from the kitchen and bricked it up, which certainly improved the kitchen’s usability. In doing so, they left the door frame in the wall and bricked up the former balcony door space to a height of 1.60 m (5.25 ft), installing a small window there. The door frame is still visible from the balcony side. Although it’s not very attractive, it did not bother us when we bought the house.
Now we have treated ourselves to a new kitchen and removed the old built-in furniture. Behind the furniture that was installed in front of the bricked-up balcony access, a 90 cm (35 inches) high solid mold growth has appeared. I suspect that almost everything that could possibly go wrong was done during the bricking up of the balcony access.
Now my questions are:
- Do I need to completely remove the wall closure, tear out the door frame including the roller shutter guide, and basically start over?
- Would it help if I only partially repair the still visible exterior part of the old balcony door, add appropriate insulation, and then plaster it so that the exterior wall is flush in this area?
- The balcony floor is tiled. To achieve a proper wall finish, do I need to partially remove the tiles, or can I leave them as they are?
Thank you very much in advance for your advice, ideas, and suggestions!
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