Residents warned off balconies due to dry rot

Residents of a development in Co Meath have been told not to use balconies in their apartments because of dangers due to wood rot.

Mon, 29 Jun, 2015 - 01:00

Mick Clifford

In a scenario that has disturbing echoes of the Berkeley tragedy, a building firm doing remedial work has warned residents that it would be “unsafe to allow occupants of the apartments to use these balconies until they have been remediated”.

The Riverwalk Court development — which the Irish Examiner reported earlier this month has major fire safety deficiencies — consists of a three-storey block of apartments and duplexes. Following the discovery of structural flaws an insurance company retained a building firm to do major remedial work, which began in March.

Last week, residents were sent an email outlining that, during the work, it had been noted there was “significant damage to the timber structure of the parapet walls of the balconies in the form of wood rot”.

“Accordingly I am advising you that it would be unsafe to allow the occupants to use these balconies until they have been remediated,” the email read.

Mark Fitzmaurice, spokesman for the residents, said this latest news was met with “utter dread” as it confirmed how dangerous a situation the residents had been living in.

“It makes me sick to the pit of my stomach to think what could have happened, especially in light of the awful Berkeley tragedy,” he said.

“Even the visuals of the dry rot on the Berkeley balcony resonated with everyone in Riverwalk.

“To think that somebody, and especially a child, could have leaned on the damaged walls. It doesn’t bear thinking about.”

The email to residents pointed out that no dangers of rot had been found in the balcony floor as of yet, but the concern for safety was based on what had been discovered in the parapet walls.

This latest revelation about the discovery of flaws in timber frame structures will add to the growing disquiet in some architect and engineer circles about the use of timber frame construction during the years of the building boom.

The method of prefabricated construction was popular due to the speed at which developments could be put together. However, the high level of precision required for installation, along with questions over design standards, has led to major questions being raised as flaws begin to emerge in the years after construction.

In March, a terrace of six timber frame houses in Newbridge, Co Kildare burned to the ground in half an hour, prompting the local authority to commission a report which ultimately warned residents that their homes were potentially fire traps.

Timber frame construction was also a feature of the Riverwalk Court in Ratoath.

Meanwhile, Meath County Council is refusing to carry out a full fire safety inspection, despite being furnished with a series of engineers’ reports warning that the block is a fire hazard.