Right job - Wrong solution

You can get help to solve the problem - but is it the right solution?

11.09.2023

I was discussing with a friend over a BBQ (or braai - he has lived in South Africa for 30 years) and a beer about his roof terrace and how he was pleased the floor had been completed on time and looked great but the way it was resolved was not right and it was bothering him.

The flat was being re-worked and decorated to use as an AirBnB for the summer rental months and the roof terrace was a key part as it had a great view, a small kitchen area and a gas BBQ. Which meant it would be a popular area to hang out and enjoy for those on holiday. Plus my friend would wish to do the same during the out of season months.

The floor was functional but because it was an outside space the weather had worn parts and it needed to be updated / re-skimmed / painted. The workers helping on the project resolved this professionally and the solution looked good. It was also done under time pressure and my friend was especially grateful for this.

Now, summer where we are is mostly just sunshine and any guests would not even notice the slight issue that can make the floor a problem, or at the least an annoyance. When the weather changes it can be quite dramatic and a lot of water can fall, being a roof terrace there was a hole in the wall where the rainwater would drain off and it had done this fine for many years. But the floor would now puddle in areas that are difficult to get too and would need helping to make it to the drain area, a mop or a squeegee (who knew how to spell that!) would be needed.

I do not know if the builders / workers had overlooked this, or perhaps thought it would already be built in or had to resolve too quickly that they did not check the run-off, but it doesn't function as it should and this is now causing an annoying issue.

We discussed how to "fix" the issue but that was not the point, it had just been done and any patching to fix would not look good, it would need to be done again, maybe by a specialist, and then the issue would just go away. Like the water.

We may not be able to fix everything in the original project in every detail but we can if the relationship is on-going and the whole picture is understood.

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