Balcony Waterproofing in Sydney — questions and answers
Answers to the questions people actually ask before booking balcony waterproofing in Sydney.
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How much does balcony waterproofing cost in Sydney?
No figure is published on this site, and that is deliberate rather than evasive. A survey of the businesses ranking on Sydney's first page for this work found no published price on any of them, so any number here would be invented rather than sourced. A firm price comes from someone standing on the balcony. The costs page's Balcony waterproofing costs and rules check shows which NSW licence, contract, deposit and cooling-off rules apply at your job's value.
What actually drives the cost of a balcony job?
The size of the balcony, whether the tiles have to come off, how bad the falls are, and access. On an apartment building, access and staging are often the larger part of the difference rather than the membrane itself.
Balcony waterproofing in Sydney
Getting approval to re-waterproof a strata balcony
When an owner wants the balcony on their unit waterproofed again, NSW sets the order the approval runs in. These are the steps, each with the rule behind it.
Check who repairs it
Common property
repaired and paid for by the owners corporation, defects included
NSW guidance lists balconies and balcony doors with the owners corporation. Your strata plan and by-laws settle it for your building.
Source: NSW Government, strata repairs and maintenance · read
Treat it as a major renovation
Major renovation
any change that requires waterproofing, which only the owners corporation can approve
Cosmetic and minor work cannot involve waterproofing, so neither of those routes applies.
Source: NSW Government, strata renovation rules · read
Change the by-laws if common property is affected
Agreement in writing
from every owner affected by the change to common property
A by-law can also say who maintains that part of the common property from then on.
Source: NSW Government, strata renovation rules · read
Get it onto a general meeting
One meeting a year
the least a strata scheme must hold, so ask when the next one is
Approval may have to wait for that meeting, so the motion goes in early.
Source: NSW Government, strata renovation rules · read
Pass a special resolution
25%
of the value of votes cast is the most that can be against the work
The resolution must also say who maintains that common property afterwards: the owners corporation or the owner.
Source: NSW Government, strata renovation rules · read
Each step names its source and the date it was read. The NSW Government is changing strata laws and schemes add their own by-laws, so the strata manager confirms the rules for your building.
Process
What happens after I send an enquiry?
A licensed local waterproofer contacts you to establish what the building is and what the balcony is doing, then arranges to inspect it. Photographs are not enough to price the work.
How is a leak actually found?
Usually by flood testing — damming the doorway, blocking the outlet and holding water on the slab while the area below is watched. Moisture mapping and thermal imaging narrow the search before anything is opened up.
Timing
How quickly can someone get to me?
Enquiries are passed to a local waterproofer rather than into a lead pool, so the response comes from the person who would do the work. The number on this site is tracked so that can be held to.
When do most balcony leaks show up in Sydney?
In autumn. Sydney's mean rainfall peaks in March and again in June and falls to its lowest in September, and a failed membrane reveals itself under days of steady rain rather than under one storm.
Permits and approvals
Does balcony waterproofing in NSW need approval?
There is a state regime that applies to apartment buildings. The Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 names waterproofing as a building element and treats repair of a prescribed building as building work, with class 2 — apartment buildings — prescribed. Where it applies, a regulated design and a design compliance declaration from a registered design practitioner are required, with no dollar threshold. Council requirements are separate and should be confirmed with the council for the address.
Source: Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (NSW) s 6(1)(b), s 4(1)(c); Design and Building Practitioners Regulation 2021 (NSW) cl 12(1), cl 13(1)(b)
Service area
Which suburbs do you cover?
Nine Sydney suburbs across eight councils: Randwick, Ryde, Chatswood, Mascot, Kogarah, Macquarie Park, North Sydney, Lane Cove North and Dulwich Hill. Kogarah and Lane Cove North each sit across two council areas.
Who runs this site?
It is operated by a marketing company and connects you with a licensed local provider. It is not a waterproofing contractor itself, and it holds no licence, insurance or trade accreditation of its own.
Thanks — we have your enquiry. Someone will be in touch shortly. Prefer to talk now? Call (02) 9072 0567.
Last reviewed · Updated