By Victoria Femia
Susan Hisch grips a makeshift balcony railing made of 2-by-4s. As she gives it a shake, it wobbles noticeably.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 safe,鈥 she said.
In 2021, Hisch, like every other homeowner at Burtch Estates in Kelowna, B.C., was told she needed to pay a special levy of $66,000. The funds were supposed to go toward a full envelope restoration of the aging building 鈥 a major construction project intended to upgrade the exterior, fix balconies, and improve safety.
Hisch paid her share, but three years later, much of the work remains unfinished.
鈥淓ach owner had to come up with that money to redo the full envelope of the building,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd still 鈥 nothing鈥檚 done.鈥
Hisch says that while many residents paid the levy to the strata, progress stalled a year after construction began. The contractor, Team Construction, walked off the job. Then, she says, their strata management company, Lifestyles, also abandoned the project.
鈥淗ere we are, stuck with nothing done,鈥 Hisch said. 鈥淭he siding wasn鈥檛 finished. The balconies weren鈥檛 done. Winter was coming.鈥
Team Construction told Global News they were forced to stop work after the strata council and their consultant, GTA, allegedly stopped making payments. In a statement, the company said, 鈥淲e filed a lien, initiating a two-year dispute that resulted in the Strata Council finally accepting responsibility. It鈥檚 unfortunate the membership wasn鈥檛 kept informed.鈥
Now, Hisch鈥檚 home is surrounded by signs of incomplete work: cracked balcony foundations, temporary wood supports in place of real railings, a second balcony without a railing, and siding that was never installed.
The situation hasn鈥檛 just affected Hisch鈥檚 safety, it鈥檚 changed her quality of life.
鈥淏alconies are our outdoor living space. And we haven鈥檛 been able to go out there,鈥 she said 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 had company over. I鈥檝e been working seven days a week just to pay off that $66,000.鈥
In a phone call with Global News, the strata said construction could restart 鈥 if owners vote in favour of continuing the project. But Hisch isn鈥檛 optimistic.
鈥淚 call it a stalling tactic,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to be a glass-half-full kind of person, but at this point, I no longer have faith.鈥
For now, Hisch is left with no railing, no repairs and no end in sight.