Sagging Downtown Condo Balcony Gets Straightened Out - Sort Of

A sagging third-story balcony at the busy corner of Main Street at 11 Mile Road in downtown Royal Oak got a lift this week, while architects, structural engineers and builders continue to try to straighten out things in court.

New stanchions, shims and a tension wire seem to be working as a temporary fix to level a balcony at the 22-unit North Main Lofts. The balcony has been a problem since 2009.

Jason Craig, Royal Oak's chief building official, said he has received multiple calls over the years on the sagging balcony, many from architects who notice it while driving through town. Last summer, a single stanchion or post was placed on the second-level balcony beneath the sagging balcony to help support it.

Craig and Interim City Engineer Matt Callahan say no permits have been pulled to do work on the site.

"We allow homeowners to add bracing without pulling any permits," said Craig. "But that is not the permanent fix."

A complaint filed in July 2009 by Main Street Lofts Condominium Association in Oakland County Circuit Court shows the brick masonry/metal clad Main Street Lofts at 111 N. Main were constructed in 2004 and 2005. AZD Associates, of Bloomfield Hills, and L & A Structural Engineers, of Farmington Hills, prepared the working drawings for constructing the building. 

The condominium association took action against the architect, engineer and developer, Farmington Hills-based R.S.W Development, over the defective balcony.

Public documents show the condo association brought in a third party to review the working drawings.

A building structure appraisal report was completed in July 2010. The report prepared by Structure Tec, a Farmington Hills-based consultant specializing in evaluating building integrity, alleges AZD's "drawings were deficient" and provided "little to no information about the support and connection of the overhang.”

Structure Tec also alleges Sachse Construction, of Birmingham, “installed a wood column instead of a steel column, without approval from the design team” in the southeast corner the building. The bottom of the wood column was allegedly crushed, causing the column to shorten and contribute to the sagging of the balcony, according to Structure Tec's report.

After about two years in court, the original complaint against the architect and engineer was dismissed on July 29, 2011.

That same month, the condo association filed a demand for arbitration with Sachse, according to public documents.

"We have arbitration going on against the builder," said Alan Silver of Condominium Management Associates, which manages the property for the homeowners. "It is rather involved."

In the meantime, Silver said, a contractor put in the balcony bracing Wednesday. "It's the smart thing to do because people are walking under it all day long," Silver said. "We don't want anyone to get hurt."

Calls to Sachse Construction were not immediately returned.