Full repair of wall in renovation row ‘not possible’

The strength of a modified loadbearing wall in a Tseung Kwan O flat may not be fully restored even if it fulfils legal standards, the head of the city’s buildings authority has warned over a renovation controversy in a private home.

Director of Buildings Clarice Yu Po-mei yesterday told a radio show her department was conducting a detailed assessment of the long-term impact of the case at The Capitol in Lohas Park while reassuring residents in the block there was no immediate danger.

“Our focus is whether the restoration work will match our standards … Our standards are safety standards,” she said.

“To restore something, how can it be 100 per cent back to the same condition it was in before any hole was made through that wall? Everyone can imagine this is not possible.”

Yu said the department would ensure that restoration work done to the structure in question would adhere to legal standards.

The director told another radio show that the long-term impact of the renovation had to be assessed in detail, and her department had already commenced a review.

The engineer employed by the flat owner was also required to look at the data and calculate the impact of modifying the wall on the entire block, she said.

The case is centred on a 681 sq ft flat in The Capitol, with internet users speculating illegal modifications had been done after a video showing the interior of the home surfaced on the internet.

Authorities subsequently uncovered code violations in the renovation work at the flat.

Yu clarified that not all modifications made to load-bearing walls would be rejected by authorities, although such work required a lot of justification. “They will be subject to detailed discussion. There could be a chance of approval if the flat is located on the highest floor or the unit size is small … It will depend on the building’s design and the locations of the homes,” she said.

Hong Kong Institution of Engineers president Aaron Bok Kwok-ming said rectifying the modified wall would not be easy as steel bars had been cut away.

He said the initial modification meant other walls in the building had to bear more load and this could result in cracks, with water seepage that could cause the steel bars to rust, compromising structural integrity.

“If the issue is identified in the early stage, flat owners can remove the rust on the steel bars and apply rust-preventive materials, then fill in the cracks to prevent water from going in. It can be solved,” Bok said.

Yu, meanwhile, also revealed the department had gathered some information on the contractor behind the project, but she added she could not say more amid an investigation.

She said the department was collecting evidence and would seek legal advice on whether to prosecute the flat owner.

The renovation saga came to light on Saturday after the video showing renovations to the home aroused suspicions among viewers that parts of a load-bearing wall between the bedroom and living room had been removed.

The department confirmed the unauthorised removal of a 72cm-by-215cm section of the 20cm-thick structural wall to install a door. The owner has installed temporary supports in the doorway, the department said.

A preliminary assessment and on-site observation of flats nearby showed the missing section accounted for 6 per cent of the load-bearing wall and 1 per cent of that of the whole floor, but there was no risk to the overall building structure.

The department said it would approve a restoration proposal “within days”, adding the owner had to start the work in 15 days and complete it within 30.

Joseph Cheung Chi-tung, former chairman of the owners’ subcommittee of The Capitol, told a radio show on Tuesday that residents had signed an online petition demanding follow-up actions from the government and the MTR Corporation, which manages the complex.

In a Facebook group for Lohas Park residents, a post lamenting a possible drop in house prices attracted 70 comments echoing the sentiment. “When this Block Six gets rented out or sold, the fact is that prices will be pushed down. It’s a matter of how much,” one user commented.

But Leo Cheung Sing-din, a professor in real estate at the University of Hong Kong, said the impact on the price of the modified flat would be small, while other homes would not be affected because the structural safety had not been harmed.