What to Expect During Your Building’s Facade Remediation Works

Your building is undergoing facade remediation. This page covers what’s happening, how it affects your daily life, and what you need to do.

3–6 mths

Duration

Depending on building size and scope. Works are staged by elevation so the full building isn’t affected at once. Weather delays are common.

7am – 5pm

Working Hours

Monday to Friday. Saturdays (8am–1pm) only if required for catch-up. No work Sundays or public holidays.

Loudest periods: scaffold erection and demolition.

Scaffold erection involves steel-on-steel clanging, anchor drilling, and material handling — typically 1–3 weeks. Facade demolition (removing render, cladding, or brickwork) generates heavy grinding, cutting, and jackhammering. These are the two noisiest phases. Rendering, coating, and sealing are significantly quieter.

Impact on You

What changes during the works.

This is what you’ll actually notice.

🏗️

Scaffolding

Wraps part or all of the building for months. Reduces natural light, changes appearance. Anchor tie marks patched on removal.

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Noise & Vibration

Grinding, cutting, drilling during demolition and scaffold erection. Rendering and coating phases are quieter. Vibration felt inside units.

👷

Workers Outside Your Windows

Tradespeople on scaffolding directly outside for extended periods — weeks, not days. May need unit access for window works or inspections.

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Window & Door Works

Windows or doors may be removed, replaced, or resealed. Temporary hoarding installed if removed. Advance notice with specific dates.

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Dust & Debris

Render and cladding removal generates significant dust. Debris screens on scaffold, but some will reach your windows during demolition.

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Exclusion Zones

Footpaths, driveways, and entries below scaffold may be closed or rerouted. Overhead protection installed. Pedestrian access maintained.

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Parking & Access

Car spaces adjacent to scaffold temporarily unavailable. Driveways may close during crane lifts. Loading zones used for materials and skips.

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Pets

Keep pets away from scaffold zones. Falling debris and noise can distress animals. Secure pets during any window changeover.

☀️

Reduced Natural Light

Scaffold sheeting and debris screens reduce light to your windows. Most noticeable on lower levels and south-facing units. Temporary.

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Services

External AC units, exhaust vents, antennas on the facade may be temporarily disconnected or relocated. Notified in advance.

⚠ Scaffold & Building Wrap

Your building will be wrapped for the duration.

Full or partial scaffolding is the most visible and longest-lasting impact of facade works. Erected before demolition begins, stays up until finishes are complete on that elevation.

What to expect: reduced natural light, scaffold workers outside your unit during work hours, anchor holes drilled into the facade (patched on removal), debris netting blocking views. The scaffold is a construction zone — do not hang items from it, place anything on decks, or attempt to access it.

The Process

High-level overview.

The specific scope is detailed in your project’s engineering specification. This is the general sequence.

1

Scaffold Erection

Scaffolding erected on affected elevations for safe working access. Steel-on-steel assembly, anchor drilling, debris netting and sheeting. Entries and footpaths below protected with overhead hoarding.

2

Strip & Demolition

Existing facade finishes — render, cladding, brickwork, or coatings — removed to expose the underlying structure. Defective materials stripped to sound substrate. Loudest phase after scaffold erection.

3

Structural Repairs

Cracking, spalling, corroded reinforcement, or failed brick ties repaired. Lintels, sills, and structural connections assessed and remediated per specification.

4

Window & Door Works

If in scope, windows or doors removed and replaced or resealed. Temporary hoarding installed in any opening. New units fitted once surrounding facade work is complete.

5

New Facade System

New facade finish applied — render, cladding, brickwork, or combination per specification. Base coats, reinforcing mesh, top coats, sealant joints, and flashing details. Multi-week stage with curing between coats.

6

Coatings & Sealants

Final protective coatings, anti-carbonation systems, or paint finishes applied. All sealant joints around windows, doors, penetrations, and movement joints completed. Weather-dependent.

7

Scaffold Down & Handover

Scaffold dismantled, tie anchor holes patched. Exclusion zones removed, footpaths and entries restored. Defects liability period begins — if anything needs attention, we come back at no additional cost.

Common Questions

What residents usually ask.

No. You stay throughout. Main impacts are noise during demolition, reduced light from scaffolding, and workers outside your windows.

For the full duration on that elevation — typically 3–6 months. Comes down progressively as each elevation completes.

Workers are on scaffold during work hours only (7am–5pm). You can use blinds, curtains, or privacy film. Scaffold is dismantled once that elevation is finished.

Only if in the engineer’s specification. You’ll receive specific advance notice. Temporary hoarding installed while new window is fabricated.

We complete a dilapidation report before starting. If vibration or works cause damage, report it to the site supervisor with a photo. We make good any damage caused.

The engineer specifies the finished appearance. In many cases the facade looks better — new render, fresh coatings, consistent colour. Changes approved by committee before works begin.

Funded through the owners corporation — capital works fund or special levy. Individual owners aren’t separately invoiced unless private lot areas are involved.

Call the site supervisor — number in your pre-start letter and posted in the lobby. Same-day response.

Question not covered here?

Contact your strata manager, or for urgent site issues call the supervisor number in your pre-start letter.