The Saint Paul Condo Blog

A while back (maybe even a previous blog software) I wrote about how River Park Lofts installed Trex Decking on their balconies only to have them removed after they failed City inspection (even though they were green lighted by a different department).  Well, River Park Lofts basically threw away $70,000 worth of decking and replaced it with aluminum.  The other option they had was to add frost proof sprinkler heads to all of the balconies, a far more expensive option.  The reason the City is so against Trex (or wood for that matter) is of the combustible nature of the material.  Trex decking may not catch fire, but that's not to say it won't melt.  Losing its load capacity quickly!

Well Trex reared its ugly head again!  This time, the problem was caught in time.  Bonnie Jean Flats just finished hanging their balconies to the back of the building and were picking the Trex color options when it was brought to their attention of River Park's fiasco.  Now they too are looking at the aluminum option.

There are not of a lot of examples of hanging balconies in Saint Paul, so I guess this leads to the problem.  Buildings like the Pointe, City Walk, Gallery Tower, and others all have concrete balconies that were poured as part of the whole floor of the building, making them a little more impervious to fire.

Ah, the joys of being a developer!  I'm glad I'm a Realtor ;)