Balcony & walkway repair
Structural repair of exterior elevated elements — joists, ledgers, decking and guardrails — to current code.
SB 721 & SB 326 · Los Angeles
Balcony repairs that close out your SB 721 file.
Licensed Los Angeles general contractor. If your inspection report came back with findings, you have 120 days to pull a permit and 120 more to complete the work — we handle the repair, the permit and the documentation. Free site visit and written estimate.
Why repairs fail twice
Patch the surface and you'll be paying for it again in two years.
Almost every balcony we open up failed because water was never given a way out. We rebuild the whole assembly — framing, membrane, flashing and drainage — so the next inspection is a formality.
Beyond compliance
While the balcony is open, make it somewhere people want to sit.
New railings, decking, planting and lighting cost a fraction now versus later — and a balcony tenants actually use shows up on the rent roll. We also build driveways, patios and outdoor living across LA.
Licensed & insured · CSLB #1078852
Serving Los Angeles County
Free written estimate
SB 721 covers apartment buildings with 3+ units. SB 326 covers condos and HOAs. Both are on recurring cycles.
Check which applies to your building →
Watch the process
Deteriorated. Drawn. Rebuilt.
Ten seconds around one balcony — from the condition that fails an inspection,
through the repair scope, to the finished assembly.
An illustration of a typical LA balcony, not footage of a specific project.
Existing condition
Repair scope
Rebuild
Complete
1078852
CSLB licensed
& insured
& insured
0
Business day
to hear back
to hear back
$0
Site visit &
written estimate
written estimate
LA
County-wide
service area
service area
What we do
Compliance work, done by builders — not inspectors
An inspection tells you what is wrong. We are the licensed contractor who fixes it, documents it, and gets your building back into compliance.
Waterproofing
New membrane, flashing and drainage — the layer that decides whether the repair lasts nine years or two.
Hardscape & paving
Driveways, patios, pavers, walkways, BBQ and outdoor living builds for homeowners across LA.
Renovation
Full balcony, patio and exterior renovation — from compliance repair to a space worth using.
Why inspections fail
The damage is almost never on the surface
By the time a balcony looks bad, the problem is usually years old. Water enters at the ledger — where the balcony attaches to the building — and rots the framing from the inside while the deck above still looks sound.
That is precisely why the statute requires inspectors to open up the structure rather than simply look at it. It is also why repair scope written by a contractor who has actually opened these assemblies tends to hold up.
- Cracked or bubbling deck coating
- Water stains on the ceiling or wall below
- Soft or bouncy spots underfoot
- Rust streaks, or a guardrail that moves
- Peeling paint where the balcony meets the wall
Typical condition
Drawing set · Sheet A-01
Anatomy of a compliant balcony
A balcony is not a slab — it is a layered assembly, and every layer has a job. When one fails, the ones below it start rotting quietly. This is what we open up, inspect and rebuild on an SB 721 repair.
01
Guardrail
42" minimum height, load-tested connections. Rust at the base is the tell.
02
Deck surface
The only layer anyone sees — and the last one we install.
03
Slab edge & fascia
Cracking and rust streaks here mean water is already inside the assembly.
04
Baluster spacing
4-inch maximum gap. A routine failure on rails built before the current code.
05
Waterproof membrane
Hidden below the deck. Decides whether this repair lasts nine years or two.
06
Framing & joists
The structure carrying the load. Dry rot here is why inspections fail.
- Guardrail42" minimum height, load-tested connections.
- Deck surfaceThe only layer anyone sees — installed last.
- Slab edge & fasciaCracks and rust streaks mean water is already inside.
- Baluster spacing4-inch maximum gap — a routine failure on older rails.
- Waterproof membraneHidden below the deck; decides how long the repair lasts.
- Framing & joistsThe structure carrying the load; dry rot here fails inspections.
Interactive
Turn it around yourself
The same assembly in three dimensions — drag to spin it, and see how the guardrail, slab, ledger and joists actually fit together. Structural members are picked out in orange.
The other half of the job
We don't just make it legal. We make it worth stepping onto.
Compliance is the reason you call us. A balcony people actually use is the reason tenants renew and owners recommend you. While the assembly is open, upgrading the finish costs a fraction of doing it later.
01
Steel rail, wood cap
Code-compliant guardrail that doesn't look like a code requirement.
02
Porcelain decking
Wood-look, UV-stable, laid over the new membrane — not instead of it.
03
Lighting & power
Outdoor-rated sconces and circuits roughed in while the assembly is already open.
04
Built-in planting
Planters with drainage designed in, so greenery never sits on the membrane.
05
Usable floor area
Detailed so a table and chairs actually fit — the difference between a ledge and a room.
- Steel rail, wood capCode-compliant guardrail that doesn't look like one.
- Porcelain deckingWood-look and UV-stable, laid over the new membrane.
- Lighting & powerOutdoor-rated sconces and circuits roughed in during the repair.
- Built-in plantingPlanters with drainage designed in.
- Usable floor areaDetailed so a table and chairs actually fit.
Greenery that doesn't cause the next failure
Planters sitting directly on a deck trap water and rot it out. We build drainage into the planter, not around it.
Built for Los Angeles conditions
Relentless UV, coastal salt air, and rain that arrives all at once. Materials get specified for what actually happens here.
Value that shows on the rent roll
A balcony people want to sit on is a leasing asset. Compliance work you have to do anyway can pay you back.
How it works
From inspection report to compliance file
Most owners come to us holding a report full of findings and a deadline. Here is exactly what happens next.
Free site visit
We walk the property, review your inspector's findings, and confirm the true extent of the work.
Written, itemized estimate
A clear scope and price per elevated element — no vague lump sums for a board to argue over.
Scheduling & permits
We sequence the work around tenants and coordinate the permitting required for the repair.
Repair & waterproofing
Structural repair, new membrane and flashing, guardrail replacement, finishes restored.
Documentation & closeout
Photo record and completion documentation for your compliance file and next inspection cycle.
The numbers that matter
What California's balcony law actually requires
3+Units — buildings covered by SB 721
6 ftHeight above ground that triggers inspection
120Days to apply for a permit after findings
$500Per day maximum civil penalty ($100 min)
SB 721 applies to apartment buildings; SB 326 covers condominium and HOA properties on a nine-year cycle. Read the full breakdown →
Recent work
Before, during, after
Every project documented from existing condition through completion.
Illustrative renderings of a typical LA balcony assembly. See project photographs →
Free, no obligation
Request a site visit & written estimate
Tell us about the property and we will call you within one business day to schedule. If you already have an inspection report, bring it — we will price directly against the findings.
Have a report with open items?
We price line by line against your inspector's findings so your board or owner sees exactly what each item costs.
Not inspected yet?
We will tell you honestly whether your building falls under SB 721 or SB 326 — and what the realistic timeline looks like.
Prefer to talk now?
Call (818) 877-3886 — you will reach a person, not a queue.
Inspection & estimate request
Takes about 60 seconds. Fields marked * are required.
Questions we get every week
Balcony compliance, answered plainly
SB 721 applies to apartment buildings with three or more units that have wood-framed exterior elevated elements — balconies, walkways, stairways, landings — more than six feet above ground. The first inspection deadline was January 1, 2026, then every six years.
Under Health & Safety Code §17973, where a finding does not pose an immediate threat you have 120 days from receiving the report to apply for a permit, then a further 120 days from permit approval to complete the work. Extensions may be granted by the local enforcement agency. Civil penalties of $100–$500 per day can apply where required repairs are not completed within the statutory window. Immediate-threat findings must be addressed straight away.
SB 721 covers apartment buildings (3+ units) and repeats every six years. SB 326 covers condominium and HOA-governed buildings, with inspections every nine years, aligned to the reserve study.
It depends on how far the dry rot has travelled, how many elevated elements are affected, and whether structural framing must be replaced. A surface re-coat and a full structural rebuild are very different numbers. We give you a free site visit and an itemized written estimate so you can see exactly where the money goes.
We coordinate permitting for the repair work and provide photo records plus completion documentation for your compliance file. Under our contract terms the property owner remains responsible for obtaining required permits and approvals.
Yes — most of our work is on occupied buildings. We sequence by stack or elevation, give tenants notice, and keep access disruption to the minimum the work allows.
Bring the inspection report. We'll bring the construction discipline.
Free site visit and written estimate anywhere in Los Angeles County.