Two other quotes insisted on full post replacement. We inspected the structure properly and saved Marie a five-figure variation.
Marie's harbourside place had a 40-year-old hardwood balcony off the main living. Boards were spongy, balustrade was loose, and the deck visibly sagged near the gutter line. Two builders had quoted a full strip and rebuild including post replacement. Both quotes were north of what Marie wanted to spend.
We came in for a third look. Posts were in fact original ironbark and structurally sound — the failure was the deck and the connection at the wall. Replacing posts that didn't need replacing would have been a waste of money. So we said as much, scoped only what was actually broken, and quoted accordingly.
Original ironbark posts retained — checked at every stirrup base, checked above the bearer connection, checked under load. All sound. New F17 hardwood bearers and joists, hot-dip galvanised joist hangers and post-to-bearer brackets. Merbau deckboards in 90×19 with stainless screw fix. New aluminium ledger flashing tucked behind the existing weatherboards to stop water tracking down the cladding into the deck. Cutek CD50 in clear.
Two and a half weeks. Strip and structural inspection day one and two. Findings written up with photos for Marie before we committed to the no-new-posts plan. Ledger and bearers in week one. Boards and balustrade week two. Final stretch was oil and a sand of one stair tread that had a paint mark.
Balcony over 1m drop, so balustrade went to 1,000mm with no climbable rail and gaps under 125mm. Ledger fixing inspected before deck went down. Repair work to existing structure under same envelope — exempt development pathway. Engineer's letter on file confirming the existing posts were within tolerance.
Balcony's solid for another 30 years. Marie spent maybe 60 percent of what the other quotes were asking. Old ironbark posts weathered slightly differently from the new boards which she's actually happy about — she didn't want it looking brand new, she wanted it looking like a balcony that belonged on the house.
"Coby and Bill did a fantastic job repairing our 40 yr old balcony. Other quotes insisted we get posts which we didn't need."
— Marie T., Manly