Ratanui, Mermaid Beach

• Location: Gold Coast, QLD
• Scope: Full façade remediation, covering windows, balustrades, concrete repairs and a full repaint
• Duration: Design & Construct contract, approx. 7 months on site to Practical Completion

The Challenge

Ratanui’s ageing façade had reached the point where patching was no longer a viable option. Water was seeping through the original windows, concrete on the balconies had begun to spall, and the balustrades no longer met current Australian Standards. Left alone, the building faced further structural deterioration as corrosion took hold behind the concrete, an ongoing safety and compliance risk from the balustrades, and residents were living with constant water leaks and general repair issues.

Our Approach

Delivered as a Design and Construct contract, we replaced every window with upgraded waterproofing, new subsills and weep holes to bring drainage up to current standards. We engineered a new glass and aluminium balustrade system, certified by an RPEQ to meet today’s Australian Standards. Concrete spalling and render damage were repaired throughout; the building received a full repaint, and the old mansard roof came off entirely, with the wall beneath rendered and repainted for a cleaner, more modern look. As the contract required us to secure Building Approval ourselves, we worked with a Principal’s Agent monitoring compliance against the National Construction Code from start to finish.

Delivering this inside a fully occupied building meant staging every unit’s access in advance, with resident notices issued ahead of each phase, and weekly progress reports and fortnightly meetings to keep the Body Corporate informed throughout. Once works were underway, we uncovered a series of latent conditions, additional concrete spalling, lintel repairs, asbestos requiring removal, and a stairwell roof that had failed, and managed more than thirty variations along the way without losing momentum on site. A mix of scaffold, boom lifts and scissor lifts, combined with exclusion zones and pedestrian management, kept the building safe and fully operational the whole time.

The Outcome

Ratanui now has fully replaced windows with upgraded waterproofing, compliant balustrades, a repaired and repainted façade, and a rebuilt stairwell roof, with the mansard roof gone in favour of a cleaner rendered finish. Practical Completion was reached in March 2026, the balustrade and access systems achieved Forms 12 and 15 certification, and the coating system now carries a 10-year Dulux material warranty. Any remaining items are being closed out under the standard 12-month Defects Liability Period.

Facing a challenge like this with your building? Get in touch with Urban Reach to talk through your project.