Bromic Heating is one of the nation’s leading outdoor heating manufacturers and designers. If you’ve taken an outside table at your favourite establishment during winter there’s a good chance that Bromic kept you warm.
In 2016 their new national headquarters was constructed in Ingleburn, on Sydney’s southwest. Soon after construction was complete however, signs began developing of water ingress. Somewhere, somehow, water was seeping in and making its way inside the internal structure of the building, during even mild weather. The only evidence of this was bubbling paint on interior plasterboard walls.
There were a number of poor construction practices from the initial build that had resulted in the current predicament. Bromic dealt with the issues for many years with no luck in sourcing the right contractor to rectify the issues. Only a thorough investigation by PRR’s Tom Matanovic revealed the extent of the damage as well as the major underlying issues.
Tom learned that the entry point was where the upstairs tiled external terrace met a typical aluminium framed glass facade system.
Firstly, the internal facade subseal was installed lower than the external terrace floor tiles. To complicate the matter further, the subseal was placed directly on the slab with no waterproofing membrane in place. All of this provided a direct route for water to enter the building during prolonged wet weather and/or external cleaning.
Secondly, the terrace screed was 100mm thick and was also constructed with no waterproofing membrane, hence water continually sitting in the screed finding its way out at the lowest point and through capillary action below the subseal and into the building. Lastly, due to the external terrace floor level being so high, the tile & facade junction was not a completed detail, as the tile level was higher than the subseal the tiles could never be sealed against the facade properly.
After site visits from many other remedial contractors, Perfect Remediation and Refurbishment won the project with their can-do ‘yes we can‘ attitude, with works beginning in a week of rare sunshine in late April 2022.
The program began with the removal of the entire aluminium facade including separation of glazing from the frame. It was placed aside on site for reuse. A section of the external tiling and screed was removed. The internal glass balustrade had to be removed to allow the damaged plasterboard internally to be removed and replaced. Electrical work was checked and found satisfactory.
With the deconstruction complete and all damage laid bare, rebuilding began. Where the aluminium facade met the slab, a new raised packing sill was installed. This meant the facade had to be modified to suit and was subsequently shortened. Prior to the facades installation a new subseal was installed with the terrace waterproofing membrane wrapped up over the new raised sill but below the new subseal. The Glazing facade system was then reinstated ready for the terrace tiling works to be completed.
Terrace tiling & grouting was reinstated and caulking finalised the external works. Render repairs were also completed to the terrace where water runoff caused staining on the rendered facade.
Internal framing was replaced along with new plasterboard and fittings installed.
The first test was merely a week later, with prolonged heavy rains during May 2022 and wind battering the facade and terrace. Bromic is happy to report that there have been no leaks, even during the wildest weather. Previously this would have caused a literal internal flood.
Perfect Remediation and Refurbishment is proud to have successfully completed and resolved the clients remedial leak issues which caused them years of pain.
We Get It Done.
Perfect Remediation and Refurbishment acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isander people as Traditional Custodians of the country on which we live and work. We pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians and Elders past, present and future, and honour their connection to the land and ongoing contribution to society.