Rise Projects ordered to fix 29 ‘serious’ defects at 27 John St, St Marys

The developer behind a townhouse complex in Sydney’s west has been ordered to fix dozens of “serious” defects, including concrete “honeycombing”, structural degradation and “undue dampness”.

27 John St, St Marys, is a townhouse complex with 10 dwellings. Picture: realestate.com.au

The developer behind a townhouse complex in Sydney’s west has been ordered to fix dozens of “serious” defects, including some that are causing “unhealthy or dangerous conditions”.

On Monday, the building watchdog made rectification orders requiring developer Rise Projects to fix what it described as 29 serious defects at 27 John St, St Marys.

According to the orders, the development completed in 2018 has a host of defects related to water and fireproofing systems and structural integrity.

Almost half of the defects outlined in the order relate to fire safety, with issues including inadequate fireproof sealing and unprotected penetrations having been flagged in the basement.

An inspector’s report said “failure to adequately protect openings” could lead to “fire or smoke spreading in an uncontrolled manner through the building”.

The development was completed in 2018.

A fire safety exit was also found to have part of a handrail missing, a defect which “could impede safe evacuation in the case of an emergency”.

Inspectors observed “honeycombing” and deteriorating concrete inside the basement carpark, which, if untreated, could reduce the building’s lifespan through the accelerated erosion of reinforcements, the orders stated.

The walls of the basement carpark were also observed to have been inadequately filled, a failure which could “compromise the structural integrity and load carrying capacity” of the building.

Insufficient waterproofing also proved to be a widespread issue across the building flagged at numerous locations in both common areas and inside individual apartments.

The bathrooms are subject to defect orders regarding waterproofing.

The inspector said when they stepped on some outside tiles, they witnessed “water coming out from cracks in the grout” and white chalky deposits indicating an excess of moisture and condensation.

One man complained the inadequate waterproofing of his ensuite shower had caused “water to pond and the shower to leak”, causing water damage to the floorboards of the adjoining bedroom and the ceiling of the kitchen below.

Ponding was also observed outside the building, with water failing to drain from a common outdoor tiled area following rainfall.

The inspector’s report stated the waterproofing failures could cause “water ingress”, with water making its way into the building resulting in “unhealthy or dangerous conditions” and “undue dampness or deterioration of building elements.”

NSW Building Commission acting director Yin Man, who issued the order earlier this week, has required all defects to be fixed within four months to ensure the building meets compliance standards.

Ms Man said she had “considered all of the circumstances” and that while “considerable further building works were required”, which were “likely to be costly”, such costs “must be balanced against the benefit to the buildings’ owners and occupiers”.

Rise Projects was approached for comment.