Repairing the roof of a balcony on the top floor: when is it needed?

The article contains information for those owners of private houses who are planning to repair the balcony roof on the top floor. From it you will learn when repairs are needed, what they include and in what sequence they are carried out. What needs to be taken into account when planning and approximately how much you will have to pay for it. Having received this information, you will receive the necessary knowledge base for confident communication with managers of construction companies providing similar services. This means you can avoid unnecessary expenses for unnecessary options and get the desired result without compromising quality.

Even a small balcony on the top floor of a private house gives it a special chic Source balkon-market.ru

When you need it

The first signs that a balcony roof needs repairs are the following:

even with light, short-term rain, the roof of the structure begins to leak;
strong humidity and even dampness inside the loggia;
unpleasant odor close to musty;
on the surface of the walls, fencing and ceiling of the balcony there are cracks, traces of smudges , darkened or peeling paint;
finishing materials inside the balcony have an unaesthetic appearance and are deformed under the influence of moisture and temperature changes;
there is rust on the metal elements of the structure ;
the floor is uneven or even crumbled from prolonged exposure to drops or thin streams of water;
the temperature inside the loggia does not correspond to sanitary standards or declared parameters.

The presence of leaks both inside and outside the balcony is a sure sign that repairs need to be done Source gaanswers.appspot.com
In addition, the roof on the balcony should be repaired if the house is several decades old and its balcony has never been repaired. Also, repair of the roof on the loggia can be carried out in case of modernization of the balcony, for:

replacing conventional glazing with warm double-glazed glazing;
insulating the balcony so that it can be used in winter;
increasing the load-bearing capacity of the roof and (or) balcony as a whole;
increasing the comfort of the balcony;
improving the aesthetic parameters of the design;
implementation of design ideas both in terms of the interior of the loggia and in terms of the exterior of the house.

Modernizing a balcony and installing warm glazing can also be the reason for repair work Source oknamydom.ru

Fixing ceiling leaks

Let's consider the situation of ceiling leakage from neighbors above. The first step is to determine where the leak is occurring. On the ceiling it is very noticeable and appears in the form of a yellow or brown spot. In this case, you need to follow the following procedure:

Clear the ceiling of debris (dust, dirt, peeling finish). Remove the plaster from it and wipe the surface with a damp cloth. No need to use detergents.
Treat the surface with a primer and wait for it to dry completely. Thanks to the primer layer, the balcony ceiling will have better adhesion.
Cracks in the ceiling, even the smallest ones, need to be widened with a grinder. After which you will need a sealant. They need to fill all the widened and other cracks. When sealing the seam, monitor the amount of sealant. There shouldn't be too much of it.
Additionally, it is recommended to seal the seams connecting the balcony wall to the ceiling and balcony frame. After applying the sealant, the seam is carefully smoothed with a plastic or wooden spatula. To prevent the sealant from sticking to it, simply wet the tool.
It is mandatory to install the canopy on the balcony frame, and the resulting joint between the slave and the canopy is also sealed with a polyurethane mixture.

Note!
It is recommended to contact your neighbors so that they can carry out similar frauds. Then you can definitely eliminate repeated leaks on the balcony. But what if you couldn’t fix the problem? In this case, they resort to another option - the use of rolled materials or coating mastic. The easiest way is to use coating mastics. Everything is quite easy to do with your own hands. It's like painting a surface. It all comes down to using a brush to apply an even layer of mastic to the floor, walls and ceiling. Alternatively, use a spray bottle. It is important to make the first layer, then wait a few hours and apply the second layer, only across the slab. Before work, it is advisable to moisten the first layer a little.

Note! To prevent the coating from cracking during drying, it is recommended to moisten it for about 3 days.

As for rolled materials, they are laid overlapping each other and sealed with the same sealant. In the case where the cracks are large, it is better to foam them before laying the rolled material and treating with mastic.

Features of various balcony roofs

When planning to repair or modernize a balcony roof, it is necessary to take into account its design features in terms of roof type. It directly affects the volume of work, its cost and the cost of purchasing building materials:

metal roofing is considered the most durable structure, but it can quickly become unsuitable for further use due to corrosion, which can occur even with minor damage to the surface. Typically, the repair of such structures consists of replacing a sheet of metal damaged by corrosion;
A slate roof is considered durable and strong. In case of local damage, you can limit yourself to partial repairs, which include replacing a worn or mechanically damaged fragment and carefully sealing the seams with polyurethane foam;

If the canopy of a metal balcony roof is very worn, it is better to replace it completely. Source evrookna64.ru
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in roof repairs.

Polycarbonate roofing is the most inexpensive and easiest to install, but at the same time the most fragile and short-lived. It quickly becomes unusable due to wind load, snow and ice. As a rule, its repair requires replacing damaged polycarbonate sheets or the entire roof of them;
To repair a soft roof, it will be necessary to remove the entire area that has become unusable and re-lay a similar waterproofing material in a remote area. To ensure the tightness of the roof, finishing work should not be limited to a remote area, but extend to the edges of the surrounding undamaged part of the roof;
metal roofing is considered very reliable and rarely becomes unusable, but if corrosion is detected, the damaged sheet is completely replaced to ensure the required tightness of the structure.

To prevent a metal tile balcony roof from leaking, all joints must be almost completely sealed Source luchiefasady.ru

Selection of coating material

It is necessary to choose a roofing material taking into account its performance characteristics, so you need to know the advantages and disadvantages of the possible options.

To install a canopy frame, a coating is most often chosen from the following list:

Metal tiles. These are sheets of profiled steel or aluminum imitating a tiled roof with a protective decorative coating. The material is strong, durable, beautiful, and easy to install at an affordable price.
Profiled sheeting. Profiled sheets of galvanized steel, aluminum compositions or chromium-nickel alloys with a decorative protective coating of paintwork or PVC. A tough, durable material with good decorative characteristics, but noisy in the rain.
Read also: Review of balcony railings: the best materials and designs
Cellular polycarbonate. A transparent polymer coating, resistant to adverse environmental factors, protects against sunburn.
Ondulin. An innovative eco-friendly material reminiscent of slate, but without asbestos.
Ondulin is easy to install, has noise-proofing properties, is bio- and moisture-resistant, durable, but is inferior in strength to metal tiles and corrugated sheets.

Prices for roofing materials in Moscow

Name of material		Unit change	Price (RUB/unit)
Metal tiles		m2	265,0-730,0
Corrugated sheet		m2	234,0-1010,0
Cellular polycarbonate 2.1x6 m and 2.1x12 m	thickness 4 mm transparent and colored	sheet	from 1350.0
	thickness 6 mm transparent and colored		mm
	thickness 8 mm transparent and colored		from 2950.0
	thickness 10 mm transparent and colored		from 3450.0
Ondulin/onduvilla		m2/piece	from 29.0/111.0

When calculating the cost of a roof, you need to add the cost of special fasteners to its cost.

Features of balcony roof repair

The roof of the balcony on the top floor is most susceptible to all the negative effects of the surrounding atmosphere and ultraviolet radiation. A minimal roof defect is enough and a systematic fight against water leaks and dampness inside the space is ensured.

At the same time, even damage to the roof canopy extending beyond the boundaries of the loggia can bring trouble in the form of an unsightly appearance of the balcony and gradual damage to load-bearing walls and structures by precipitation.

In this regard, roof repairs must provide a simultaneous solution to all problems. Otherwise, the desired result - sealing the roof of the balcony of the last floor, ensuring comfortable humidity and temperature, a well-groomed external and internal appearance of the balcony, will not be achieved.

In general terms, the process of repairing the roof of a balcony on the top floor is as follows:

complete dismantling of damaged roofing;

When repairing a roof, they usually completely dismantle the roof covering down to its frame Source proroofer.ru

How much do repair work cost?

Of course, given that the end result is important, the most appropriate solution is to order loggia roof repairs from a specialized company. If you look at their offers on the market, the owner of a private house will need to pay for standard work (including materials):

installation of a new roof with waterproofing - from 43 thousand rubles;
installation of a new roof without waterproofing - from 32 thousand rubles;
roof waterproofing – from 18 thousand rubles;
waterproofing and insulation - from 28 thousand rubles;
repair and replacement of roofing – from 18 thousand rubles (work only);
canopy sealing – from 350 rubles per linear meter.

Sealing the balcony roof canopy will prevent water leaks after rain or ice melting Source master-alpinist.ru

What to do, if

If the concrete canopy of the loggia roof is leaking, then it is necessary to examine the interpanel seams of the structure for damage. If such problems are detected, the interpanel seams should be sealed. If previously the concrete roof did not have a soft roof covering, then this procedure must be done before installing a soft roof. Since its installation before sealing the seams may not give the desired result - no leaks.

If a corrugated roof is leaking at the point where the roof comes into contact with the wall of the cottage. In this situation, it is necessary to install a special flashing at the junction of the roof canopy and the wall of the house. Or the seam needs to be sealed using exterior sealant (if it was not done or was done with cheap polyurethane foam).

If the roof is leaking above the window frames of the balcony, then to eliminate the leak you may need:

installation of a longer ebb , since too short an ebb most likely does not remove water from the frames, especially when the rain is accompanied by strong winds;

Too short ebb of the balcony roof can cause water leakage over its glazing frames Source sam-postroj.su

installation of round vertical drains under ebb tides to prevent water from entering the balcony structures due to the wind;
filling the cavities with polyurethane foam to replace the old low-quality one, which became unusable under the influence of time and temperatures;
additional filling of cavities with polyurethane foam;
change in the angle of inclination of the ebb , so due to the incorrect inclination, the water flowing from it ends up on the balcony structure;
replacing conventional silicone sealing material with a special façade sealant;
improving the thermal insulation of the roof and loggia as a whole, if the leak is caused not by external waters, but by the formation of condensation.

Poor thermal insulation of the top floor balcony and its roof is the cause of condensation Source tktplus.com

Choosing a sealant

The most flexible polyurethane sealant
If the balcony is leaking, you need to fix the leak urgently. There is a wide range of sealants on the market, so how can you avoid making a mistake when choosing.

Characteristics of sealants:

acrylic is destroyed by sudden changes in temperature, it is not plastic, seams treated with this composition will begin to leak over time;
silicone is not flexible enough, cannot withstand heavy loads, and is not recommended for outdoor use;
thiokol is made from two components, but is inferior in strength to silicone;
polyurethane is very plastic; when purchasing, you need to pay attention to the brand of sealant that can withstand exposure to ultraviolet rays.

Polyurethane sealant is the most suitable for sealing balconies.

Final conclusion

As can be seen from the article, repair of the balcony roof may be necessary in case of wear or mechanical damage, or in a situation where the owner of the house wants to improve the comfort inside the loggia. Repair technologies depend on the type of roof and the desired result; they are all quite simple.

But considering that all this work is done at height, for which you need to strictly follow safety rules and have a certain skill, it is better to contact specialized companies to carry them out. In addition, even a small mistake during repairs can lead to the roof leaking.

Options for solving the problem

A little higher, we tried together with you to figure out the answer to the question “Who is to blame?”, and now it’s time to talk about “What to do?” Let us clarify that in this section you will not find detailed, step-by-step instructions, but rather a short list of possible solutions. This is done so that you can first fundamentally decide on further actions, and not collect useful information throughout the text.

What to do if the ceiling on the balcony is leaking

Do the repairs yourself

. We have already partially discussed this option. If you have experience, tools, free time, equipment for mining and self-confidence, you can try it. In all other cases it is better not to think about it.

Contact the Housing Office

. It would seem that the most correct option. After all, the cost of repairing a roof or replacing a waterproofing layer largely consists of the price of the work itself, and utility companies will do it “for free.” But now no one will work “for nothing” (and it doesn’t matter whether it’s official or not), and it won’t be easy to “catch” the right specialist.

Find a smart performer on the side

. The most correct option, especially if the financial issue is not critical. Ask your friends, look for a master on specialized forums, study advertisements in your city. But before you make your final decision, make sure you are not dealing with a scammer.