💧 What Is a Drip Edge and Why Your Balcony Needs One

If you're part of a strata committee, a property manager, or a unit owner on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, you’ve likely dealt with leaking or deteriorating balconies. One often overlooked feature that plays a crucial role in protecting these balconies is a drip edge.

But what exactly is a drip edge, and why is it essential in the construction and remedial repair of apartment balconies?

At Plan A Builders, we help strata and residential property owners solve persistent balcony issues with practical, code-compliant solutions. Let’s break it down.

🔍 What Is a Drip Edge?

A drip edge is a small, aluminium strip installed along the edge of a balcony, roof, or ledge. Its purpose is to redirect water away from the building structure to prevent it from running back underneath and causing damage.

Instead of letting water cling to the underside of your balcony slab (where it can seep into render, concrete, or the structure itself), the drip edge ensures that rainwater "drips off" cleanly, protecting the underlying components.

🛠️ Why Drip Edges Matter for Apartment Buildings

Here on the Northern Beaches, harsh coastal conditions and driving rain can do serious damage to aging balconies. We see it all the time: watermarks on soffits, bubbling paint, spalling concrete, or worse—water ingress into units below.

Drip edges help prevent:

• Water penetration into balcony soffits and walls

• Render cracking and delamination

• Concrete spalling due to moisture seepage

• Corrosion of reinforcement steel (rebar)

• Costly repairs to internal ceilings or wall linings

Without a proper drip edge, even a new waterproof membrane can be compromised if water backflows under the tile finish.

📍 Perfect for Northern Beaches Buildings

Many older unit blocks in suburbs like Narrabeen, Manly, Freshwater, Dee Why, and Collaroy were built without modern waterproofing practices. As a result, their balconies are vulnerable.

Installing or upgrading a drip edge as part of your balcony repair project is a low-cost, high-value way to extend the life of your remedial works.

🧱 How We Install Drip Edges

As part of a full balcony remediation, Plan A Builders typically:

1. Demolishes the existing tile finish and balustrade

2. Remove and replace doors if required

3. Replace waterproofing membrane (using sheet membrane )

4. Installs new balcony edge angles and drip edges

5. Re-tile using suitable slip-rated tiles

6. install new balustrade system

7. Rendering and painting if required

   
   

We use compliant materials, tested for longevity, and suited for marine environments like Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

🔍 Signs You May Need a Drip Edge

• Visible water stains on the underside of balconies

• Peeling paint or render delamination

• Water dripping against building walls instead of falling clear

• Frequent leaks or pooling around balcony perimeters

• Existing edges without a visible overhang or groove

✅ Why Work With Plan A Builders?

✔ Licensed, HBCF-approved builders✔ Based on the Northern Beaches – we know local building types✔ Experts in balcony repairs, drip edge installation, and membrane systems✔ We work with engineers, strata managers, and unit owners✔ Proven results with long-lasting warranties

📞 Talk to the Balcony Experts

Is your apartment block dealing with leaking or deteriorating balconies? Let us assess your current drainage and waterproofing setup, and recommend a modern drip edge solution that lasts.

Contact Plan A Builders today for a site assessment:

📲 Craig Chamberlin – 0429 030 851📧 craig@planabuilders.com.au🌐 www.planabuilders.com.au

Plan A Builders – Trusted Remedial Builders on the Northern Beaches