Water leaking through floor below balcony

[Tusike]

Hi!

We have a balcony above our kitchen, and the tiles have been replaced about 7-8 years ago, with some sort of sealant added. However, due to the rain and more probably snow, water has somehow leaked through all that, and now the ceiling above the kitchen is starting to come down and is soaked with water (but water isn't dripping or anything, it's just soaked). It probably won't start crashing down, but still it's best to do something before that happens.
One of the ideas was to put a roof above the balcony, so not that much rain & snow would fall on it, and that would supposedly solve the problem. However, I as a kid don't want that to happen, because it's great to lay outside in the sun during summer, sleep outside, gaze at the stars etc... and the roof would ruin pretty much everything we do on the balcony. So, if anyone has any experience or ideas regarding this, please help me! I'm sure there's another affordable solution besides putting a roof over it.

Thanks for any advice,
-Tusike

 

[polymerou]

I don't understand exactly how the structure is. You said you have a balcony above your kitchen, you mean flat roof? When you say tiles you mean floor tiles not roof tiles, right? Can you upload a photo?

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Sounds like you need to take a hard look at drainage on the balcony and you'll need to do a better job of sealing it, possibly with a sealed pan.

 

[Tusike]

Hi! Sorry for the late reply, I got a bit sidetracked.

Anyway, it seems I was a bit unclear. What I meant was, imagine the roof (upside down V shaped, not flat) above a house, then suddenly it stops but the first level still continues, having a balcony or terrace or whatever you call it go out into the open. Below it on the ground floor is the kitchen.

Here's a picture of the outside of the balcony: http://www.mediafire.com/i/?0hrfg6ctjwfj4aj"

And the picture of the ceiling of the kitchen below what you can see: http://www.mediafire.com/i/?yljro19499dloja"

I'm told it was sealed and it seems pretty sealed to me... Although of course I'm no expert. So I guess that would be the most sensible solution.

 

[dawin]

How far elevated is the roof edge from the balcony? Even a crappy paint schematic would help here. Water will find a way to get in any opening, especially after a winter with a lot of snow and ice dams.

Are you confident the flashing is OK at the building/balcony interface? If this is insufficient, water is can get through these joints. Do you have gutters on the roof to divert water away from the balcony? Is there any drainage on the balcony itself?

Does the balcony have any pitch to allow run-off? Does the roof continue on the sides of the balcony (more joints)? What's the weather-sealing like underneath the tiles and the shingles of the roof surrounding the balcony -- I'm assuming it does not go beyond where the balcony begins, from your description?

A paint schematic or photo of the exterior would be helpful.