How to fix balcony leaking? The water is coming through the ceiling
The house was built in 1978. During an exceptionally severe thunderstorm last week, it became apparent that water was leaking through the balcony and seeping through the ceiling into the room below. After inspection by two craftsmen, there are now two different pieces of advice on how to proceed.
First opinion: seal the open space with silicone or something waterproof and put a metal sheet over it.
The 2nd opinion: replace the entire window because it is too high and protrudes too deeply into the floor -> install shorter windows and replace the balcony covering and possibly install additional drainage in front of the window.
Since both opinions differ considerably in cost, we, as "home amateurs" are naturally unsure of which would be the right one. It should also be said that the problem only occurs during heavy downpours, since during normal rainfall the balcony is very well protected by the roof.
Answer
Of course, I can only assess the situation from the picture.
The surface waterproofing should be stretched to a height of 15 cm vertically. This is not possible in the observed situation, so a drainage channel would have to be installed in front of the window or door front.
However, this alone will not solve the problem!
Water from precipitation must be diverted away from the facade front, and a leak in the existing surface seal can be assumed. Removing a door or window is a drastic measure. And would only make sense if everything was leaking all the time!
So remove the first two rows of panels and see what the open structure looks like in terms of sealing.
