Horsham · West Sussex
Concrete repairs in Horsham
Where flats and houses in Horsham and across West Sussex have concrete balconies, canopies or lintels several decades old, carbonation has had time to reach the reinforcement. That is when spalling and straight-line cracking tend to appear.
Guide price from£95per m² inc VAT
- Postcodes
- RH12
- Population
- about 51,000
- Area
- West Sussex
- Pricing region
- South East
What is the ground like in West Sussex?
Postcode districts RH12 cover Horsham, a West Sussex town of about 51,000 people. If you are just outside Horsham, we also cover Crawley (7 miles), Horley (11 miles) and Haywards Heath (11 miles).
Much of West Sussex sits on clay that shrinks in dry summers and swells in wet winters. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Typical buildings in West Sussex: Wealden cottages, 1930s semis and bungalows on the coast, and new-town estates in Crawley.
What to look for before calling about concrete repairs
- Damp patches, white deposits or drips on a balcony or canopy underside
- Exposed steel bars showing where concrete has fallen away
- Fine cracks running in straight lines along the line of the reinforcement
Concrete repairs prices in Horsham
Guide prices below are for homes in Horsham, on South East rates and including VAT. A survey or good photos let us turn them into a fixed written price.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete patch repair | £95 – £200 | per m² |
| Crack injection | £200 – £540 | per metre |
| Small jobs (minimum visit)est. | £505 – £1,000 | per visit |
How we usually approach concrete repairs
Protective coatings and sealing
After repair, an anti-carbonation coating, a waterproof deck membrane on a balcony, or a penetrating sealer slows the return of moisture and carbon dioxide. Restoring drips, upstands and falls so water drains away is as important as the coating itself.
Best for: Extending the life of repaired balconies and canopies
Recasting or strengthening
Where steel has lost much of its section, or a lintel or canopy is too far gone to patch, the element is propped and rebuilt, replaced or strengthened to an engineer’s design. It is less common, but sometimes the more lasting option for small canopies and old precast lintels.
Best for: Badly corroded lintels, canopies and balcony edges
What happens during concrete repairs, step by step?
Photos and a description
Send photos of the damage close up and from a distance, plus the whole balcony, canopy or elevation. Tell us roughly how old the building is and whether anything has fallen, so we can judge whether to make it safe first.
Survey and tapping test
On site we tap the surface to find hollow areas, check the steel where it is exposed and note drainage. Where the extent is unclear, a cover meter, carbonation test or chloride test may be advised before repair.
Break out, repair, protect
Damaged concrete is cut back to sound material, steel cleaned and primed, and the section rebuilt and cured. Cracks are injected, then the surface is coated and drainage details put right so water runs off rather than sitting.
Rules for concrete repairs in England
Like-for-like repairs such as crack stitching and repointing do not usually need building control approval in England, but anything that changes or strengthens the structure, such as underpinning or rebuilding a wall, does. If the work touches a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
Questions about concrete repairs in Horsham
How much will concrete repairs cost in Horsham?
Guide prices for concrete repairs in Horsham start from about £95 per m², including VAT, on South East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you cover Horsham?
We do. Horsham and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Crawley and Horley. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Is the ground in West Sussex prone to subsidence?
North West Sussex around Crawley and Horsham sits on Weald Clay, the South Downs are chalk, and the coastal plain has brickearth and gravels. The Weald Clay is prone to shrink-swell movement near trees. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Is spalling concrete dangerous?
It can be, mainly because pieces may fall from balconies, canopies and soffits above doors or paths. It also means the steel is losing strength over time. Fence off the area below any loose concrete, keep people off a balcony that is badly affected, and have it assessed soon.
Do you repair concrete on blocks of flats?
Yes, we repair concrete on houses, flats and small commercial buildings, including balconies, walkway edges, canopies and lintels. For flats, the freeholder, managing agent or owners’ association normally instructs the work. We can price to an engineer’s schedule where one has been prepared.
Other structural repairs in Horsham
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Underpinning
- Chimney stack repairs
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
- Extension pulling away repairs
Concrete repairs near Horsham
Managing a block in Horsham with tired concrete balconies? Send photos or an engineer’s schedule, and we will price the repairs balcony by balcony.