Aluminum Railings for Condominiums

Restoring a spalled slab edge means removing the railing posts embedded in it. Where the existing guards were grandfathered at 36 inches, the replacement generally has to meet the current Florida Building Code — 42 inches for a condominium guard, with baluster spacing that rejects a 4-inch sphere and loads the engineer specifies. Engineers advise boards to price that possibility into the Phase 2 scope upfront rather than discover it mid-project. We price it as its own line so the board sees it. Milestone and SIRS repair scopes.

Balcony guards in picket, horizontal and glass-ready configurations; walkway and catwalk guards; stair handrails and guards; pool deck fencing and self-closing gates; ADA-compliant handrails at ramps and entries. Powder-coated aluminum, anchored into restored concrete with the engineer’s specified fastening, with the post base detail that keeps water out of the slab edge — the failure point that corroded the old rail in the first place.

Concrete repair, waterproofing, railing installation and repaint have to happen in that order, and on an occupied building the gaps between trades are where schedules slip and residents lose their balconies for months. Because First Service self-performs all four, the railing crew follows the concrete crew floor by floor under one project manager. Condominium concrete restoration · Balcony, walkway and garage restoration.

Line-item pricing tied to the engineer’s report items. Shop drawings for the railing system. Certificate of insurance and license verification (CGC 1521074). Phasing options by floor or elevation. References from completed condominium projects on request.

Can we keep our existing railings?
Sometimes. If the posts can be removed and reinstalled without damage and the guard meets the code it was built under, the engineer may allow reuse. Where slab-edge restoration or code triggers require it, replacement is the safer answer. Your engineer decides; we price both.

Do the railings have to be 42 inches?
New guards on a condominium balcony generally must meet the current code height of 42 inches. Existing grandfathered guards may remain until work triggers replacement. Confirm with your engineer and the local building department.

How is this coordinated with the concrete work?
Same contract, same project manager. The railing crew follows the concrete and waterproofing crews so each balcony is returned to residents once, not three times.

What do you need to bid?
The engineer’s Phase 2 or SIRS report, the property address and a management contact. We walk the building and return a written, line-item proposal.

First Service CGC, Inc. · Florida Certified General Contractor CGC 1521074 · Certified Roofing Contractor CCC 1330957 · Veteran-owned · Serving Marco Island to Bradenton since 1994 · (239) 652-5784, Monday–Friday 8 AM–5 PM.