Balcony - renovate or replace? When, where, how?

[Joellernej]

Hello.

I am trying to maintain our house, built in 1950.

(I have asked scattered questions over the years, most recently about how to deal with the scaffolding by the balcony: https://www.byggahus.se/forum/threads/hur-goer-jag-med-staellning-vid-balkong.519317/#post-5763095).

We have a balcony that is cast in concrete. *I am unsure about how to proceed.* In some places along the edges, the concrete underneath has come loose and the reinforcing steel is exposed, rusty. The corrugated sheet metal around it is in need of repainting, as well as the other metalwork.

Should I
1) Chip away until the reinforcing steel is visible and sand it, then pour new concrete
2) Remove everything and cast an entirely new balcony, possibly with lighter material than solid concrete
3) Build a new one with a wooden frame or similar?

Or something else?

I feel that I might not be able to or strong enough to do this myself, so I am probably rather looking to tackle the windows on the house once the facade painting is done.

Does anyone have tips on companies that might do this? (The ones I found through a simple Google search seem mostly focused on housing associations rather than individuals).

 

[neo11]

The slab has just cracked a little, pressure wash, wire brush a bit, rust protection paint on the rebar.
Possibly replace tiles on the balcony, and renovate the metal railing.
But breaking away feels completely unnecessary.
Maybe cladding with wood can give a new look, but more maintenance later.

 

[Joellernej]

The slab has only cracked a little, pressure wash, use a wire brush a little, apply anti-rust paint on the reinforcement.
Possibly replace the tiles on the balcony and renovate the metal railing.
But chiseling away feels completely unnecessary.
Maybe covering it with wood can give a new look, but more maintenance later.

Thank you for the response. I like the current look (minus the flakes and cracks and rust...). The balcony could ideally be about thirty cm deeper to make it more usable, but I'm not so keen on doing that if it doesn't really need to be redone.

I am, however, still a bit worried about how I can know if the quality of the concrete is okay. I certainly don't want the balcony to collapse suddenly...

 

[neo11]

It doesn't look like there's anything wrong with the concrete overall.
I wouldn't worry about it collapsing.
Unless you've discovered more things that the pictures don't reveal.

 

[tyomka]

Spontaneously from the pictures, it doesn't seem very dangerous, but if you feel worried that the balcony will collapse one day, I would recommend hiring a structural engineer who will give you a clear answer. Either it's nothing serious and only a little maintenance is needed, or the balcony risks collapsing within a few years if no action is taken immediately.

 

[FreQa]

Gorgeous 50s attached balcony. Classic corrugated sheet and flourishes on the crest. Like many others here, I'm not worried about the slab sticking out from the house but... How is it attached to your wooden house? In one picture, there's a hole right into the wall and if the wooden wall rots, yes, then it can be a swift drop down.

 

[Plupp 405730]

It is with the utmost certainty a concrete slab that the balcony is cast into.

 

[Joellernej]

Yes. The house is originally a plastered house, with aerated concrete (although the top floor is partially wood). It was additionally insulated in the 80s, when it was clad with wood paneling. The balcony is cast into the concrete slab.

 

[Joellernej]

During temperature shifts, the floor/house creaks near the balcony. Either it's the parquet floor wanting to move but can't because I built an interior wall that sits flush against the parquet, or it's pipes, or it could be the metal parts embedded for the balcony that stretch and make noise.

It's been like this for many years, but it adds to the worry about the balcony.

 

[Joellernej]

This is what it looked like in 1965