In a new tower flat the list is short and predictable: mosquito mesh, balcony glazing or grilles, a mirror, and whatever the builder left not quite working. On a high floor the balcony is the part worth thinking about properly, because the decisions there are harder to undo than anything inside.
Glazing a high-floor balcony, and what it changes
Glazing a balcony in a tower gains a room and loses an open balcony, and people are sometimes surprised by the second part.
Fully sliding panels keep the choice: open in winter, closed in summer or during dust. Fixed glazing is cheaper and permanent.
There is also the building to consider. Many societies have a rule about what balcony glazing may look like from outside, and it is worth checking before ordering rather than after fitting. We ask about it at the survey.
Mesh on a high floor is about wind, not insects
On an upper floor the mesh has to survive wind as much as keep insects out, and standard mesh fixed to the window will not.
Wind gets behind a loose mesh and works it free at the corner, and once a corner has gone the rest follows quickly.
So we fit mesh in a rigid frame that seats into the window, rather than a mesh stretched across and fixed at the edges. It costs a little more and on a high floor it is the difference between a season and several years.
The builder's list, done once
Nearly every new flat has three or four small things not quite right: a window that needs force to lock, a balcony door that catches, a seal standing proud, a mirror fixed off level.
Individually none is worth a visit and together they are a morning.
So it is worth writing them down over the first few weeks rather than calling about each. We will also tell you which are the builder's to put right under the handover period, because those should not be paid for twice.
How the job works
- Tell us about the jobSend a few photos, rough sizes and what you need. Use WhatsApp or the form. For a repair, a short video of the door moving helps a lot.
- We call you back in about 2 minutesWe confirm what you need and a time to visit. Where we can, we give you a rough price on the call.
- We come and measureWe measure the opening and check the walls, floor and ceiling around it. Anything made to size is made to these measurements, so they must be right.
- You get a written priceIt lists each item, with GST as its own line. If anything about the job changes, we tell you before we go ahead.
- We fit itYou approve the price and pay the advance. Our own team fits the work, checks that every door and window opens and closes properly, and clears up. Most jobs are done in 3 to 4 days.
