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Wednesday, March 05 2025 / Published in Aluminum Balconies, Balcony Safety, Balcony System, Bolt On Balcony

What is the Safest Balcony System?

A Self Supporting Balcony System is the Safest Balcony System

Self supporting balcony systems, or bolt-on balconies, are the safest balcony systems over wooden cantilever balconies. The reason self supporting balcony systems are safer is exemplified by the Berkeley, CA cantilever balcony tragedy. The tragedy demonstrates how hidden wood cantilever joists hide dangerous structural rotting conditions, whereas self supporting balcony systems have visible building connections to maintain life safety.

The recent tragedy of the wood balcony system in Berkeley, CA raises awareness for the potential catastrophic failure of wooden cantilever balconies. The engineers who inspected the site said there were clear signs the wood beams supporting the deck had rotted due to water exposure.

Deadly Berkeley balcony collapse lawsuit settled

The lawsuits filed in November 2015 had alleged that the main contractor, Segue Construction, used inferior composite wood rather than pressure-treated wood to construct the balcony that collapsed. The company, which employed subcontractors, also allowed the balcony to be saturated by rain before enclosing it.

VS

Visual Inspections are Important for Balcony Safety

Anyone can do a basic visual inspection for ensured and continual safety of a bolt-on balcony. The most difficult challenge of a cantilever balcony is maintaining a weather tight joint where the joists pass through the wall. Joists will move with changes in moisture and temperature, as the result of expansion and contraction. The result is unseen rot and water damage, with a great safety risk. Caulk is often the weather sealant from water damage, and caulk wears quickly in outdoor elements. The repair of an unsafe wooden balcony often requires: rebuild, repair to the inside joists, drywall removal, and interior fixes. These fixes can be lengthy and costly.

A Safer Balcony Option

Bolt-on balconies are self supporting to the building, which make them a safer balcony choice. No joists exist behind the interior structure. Installation is two to three times faster than a wooden cantilever balcony (if prefabricated and shipped complete by Midwest Stairs & Iron.) Longevity is enhanced with secure connections, aluminum metal construction, and powder coating. Typically, a bolt-on balcony is made out of aluminum or steel, with options of glass railing, acrylic railing, cable railing, etc. The steel or aluminum can be powder coated with a wide spectrum of colors. Aluminum balconies are growing fast in popularity for their durability and enhanced resistance to the weather elements. One of the best things about bolt-on balconies is the ability to easily remove and reinstall whether you want a new color, new style, or for some reason someone took a sledgehammer and did some damage. Tenants like the visual safety and aesthetics. Architects like the vast design possibilities. Property developers like the cost value and life safety enhancement.

How to test your current wooden balcony for safety?

Call an expert. An expert will inspect methods that may include using a ladder to examine the exterior and interior wood cantilevered joists. The typical safety test uses a screwdriver or awl to probe the joists, look for gaps, and to punch a small hole for a rot check. The inside of the building may show signs of water damage, such as a bump in the floor. A weak frame is a life safety hazard, and is a constant problem in traditional wooden cantilever construction at low-rise apartments and condominium complexes.

Choosing a balcony system is important to life safety. Bolt-on balconies and diligent inspections can greatly minimize the risk of becoming a news story.

If you have a question about your current cantilever balconies, or want to know more about bolt on balconies, call Midwest Stairs & Iron. We are retrofitting bolt on balconies to replace cantilever balconies, and identifying life safety issues of cantilever balconies across the country.

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Tagged under: balcony system, cantilevel balconies

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Project Coordinator

Personality Traits

  • Must love spreadsheets, systems, planning, and sitting at a desk most of the time
  • Level-headed
  • Personable
  • Ability to balance stressful conditions, stress tolerance
  • Strong communication skills (phone, email, in person)
  • Adaptability
  • Whatever it takes, get it done
  • Strong emotional intelligence

Key Abilities

  • Project Coordinating
  • Problem Management
  • Flexible to Change
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Manage Frequent Interruptions
  • Critical thinking and problem solving skills
  • Planning and organizing
  • Conflict management
  • Strong construction or manufacturing intelligence

Job Responsibilities General Summary

  • Run multiple projects
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Project Manager

Personality Traits

  • Must love spreadsheets, systems, planning, and sitting at a desk most of the time
  • Level-headed
  • Personable
  • Ability to balance stressful conditions, stress tolerance
  • Strong communication skills (phone, email, in person) Adaptability Whatever it takes, get it done
  • Manager of chaos
  • Strong emotional intelligence

Key Abilities

  • Budget Management
  • Project Coordinating
  • Problem Management
  • Flexible to Change
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Manage Frequent Interruptions
  • Critical thinking and problem solving skills
  • Planning and organizing
  • Decision-making Influencing and leading
  • Delegation
  • Strong construction or manufacturing intelligence

Job Responsibilities General Summary

  • Run multiple projects
  • Serve as customer liaison
  • Responsible for the overall direction, coordination, implementation, execution, control and completion of specific projects ensuring consistency with company strategy, commitments and goals
  • Plan for and resolve unexpected delays, production issues or schedule recovery options
  • Supply production capabilities and labor estimates to aid in bids and customer proposals
  • Provide project direction; generate product design changes and workspace layout modification to existing production standards to achieve optimum quality and efficiency
  • Facilitate the definition of project scope, goals and deliverables
  • Define project tasks and resource requirements
  • Develop full scale project plans
  • Assemble and coordinate project staff
  • Manage project budget
  • Manage project resource allocation
  • Plan and schedule project timelines
  • Provide direction and support to project team
  • Constantly monitor and report on progress of the project to all stakeholders
  • Present reports defining project progress, problems and solutions Implement and manage project changes and interventions to achieve project outputs

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Estimator

The Estimator is part of the Sales Department. The Estimator is responsible for providing accurate pricing, and forward-thinking of projects.

Key Abilities

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  • Experience with metal shapes and sizes

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  • Review architectural drawings for items that need pricing
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Communications

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  • Professional relationship building is key
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Job Description: Be a TEKLA Software Drafter / Detailer for Midwest Stairs & Iron, a rapidly growing company. You get to be part of the design process with architects and engineers. Be involved in all facets from submittal drawings to fabrication drawings. You get to forward think about how things work with the finished result and with how the finished piece will impact other construction trades.

Job Purpose: Basically, make heads and tails to fabricate what the architect wants, what constructing the building needs, and what the engineer needs us to calc out. It’s more than just lines, it requires thinking backwards and forwards.

Duties:

  • Plans mechanical drawings by reviewing sketches, descriptions, specifications, and supporting documents; conferring with engineers and architects.
  • Prepares mechanical sketches and drawings by rendering sectional, auxiliary, and multiviews, sub-assemblies, pictorials, dimensions, and developments; producing two- and three-dimensional orthographic projections using computer aided design (CAD) and pictorial techniques; producing three-dimensional (3-D) models including 3-D and spherical coordinates.
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  • Documents work by recording data and drawings; updating databases.
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  • Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading technical publications.
  • Accomplishes organization goals by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

Skills/Qualifications: TEKLA Software, Drafting, Drafting Tools, Design Skills, Conceptual Skills, Presentation Skills, Functional and Technical Skills, Thoroughness, Analyzing Information

Benefits: Pay goes with experience…ability to jump right in, gets you more. Insurance Vacation 401K

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Steel Welder

Job duties and training will include:

  • Join steel metal pieces together with the use of MIG welding techniques
  • Learn different welding types and what works best for the application, and what makes for a quality weld in looks and safety
  • Study shop blueprints and learn how to translate what is drawn to the fabricated piece
  • Be able to coordinate working space with the working space of others
  • Stand up to 10 hours a day Be able to lift at least 50 lbs Good vision to keep a steady eye on the weld
  • Tape measuring skills for accurate measure of material, know the importance of waste prevention
  • Know the limits of the machine Understand average time requirements for production and learn skills to get to that point
  • Grow to an advanced point of working with little to no supervision

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Aluminum Welder

Job duties and training will include:

  • Join aluminum metal pieces together with the use of MIG welding techniques
  • Learn different welding types and what works best for the application, and what makes for a quality weld in looks and safety
  • Study shop blueprints and learn how to translate what is drawn to the fabricated piece
  • Be able to coordinate working space with the working space of others
  • Stand up to 10 hours a day Be able to lift at least 50 lbs
  • Good vision to keep a steady eye on the weld
  • Tape measuring skills for accurate measure of material, know the importance of waste prevention
  • Know the limits of the machine Understand average time requirements for production and learn skills to get to that point
  • Grow to an advanced point of working with little to no supervision

Apply Now