Children are "struggling to breath" in a tower block which has been a building site for more than a year.
Work to install balconies means families can't open their windows while retro-fitting sprinklers in the wake of the Grenfell fire tragedy has damaged walls and tiles in newly decorates homes, residents claim.
Flats in Loweswater House, King's Norton, have been called "death traps" and "everyone wants out".
Residents also say they have suffered with leaks and mould, BirminghamLive reports.
The fuming residents said: "You've got no circulation, the kids have got no air in the bedrooms".
One mum on the ground floor described her flat as a "death trap" as she said there would be nowhere to flee in the event of a fire.
Other parents told how they were keeping curtains shut amid a "lack of privacy" with builders able to see into their homes from the outside scaffolding.
Some said they believed the works, which started in April 2021, would be completed within a year and would have no impact on their lives, they said.
But now, 14 months on, they have been told they will "endure" another eight weeks of disruption.
Issues began when balconies were placed back on the high rise.
Some locals claim that works caused water leaks in their flats.
"This is my ceiling, there's a piece coming down now," says Amy Moore, gesturing to a swollen, cracked kitchen ceiling with chips of plaster falling off.
"It's hanging on, just about. But this crack came after the builders had turned up, it started to swell.
"As you can see there's water that comes through the light, you can see it on the bulb. It looks like the ceiling is coming down around the light."
The leak also runs down into a gas cupboard housing electrical plugs, she explained.
She said: "There's now black mould growing between the pipes. Water has also began pooling on the toilet floor.
"It's leaking through and every now and again, I'll see a puddle come through the skirting board. There's no point spending more money redecorating to have it wasted."
The black mould in her room and her nine-year-old daughter's bedroom has worsened as the works have been ongoing, she claims.
Brown liquid has been leaking through her windows "because they're not secure", she adds.
"I'm asthmatic. I'm not sleeping. I'm getting about two-three hours, just up struggling to breathe or coughing," Amy said.
"We sit in her living room, where a blanket has been put up to block out the window to give her privacy as builders can see in."
Gesturing at the balcony ceiling, she added: "You can see the ceiling is falling down up there as well. I can't get out to open any of the windows.
"It's so warm out there because it's so enclosed. It's quite muggy in here because I haven't got a proper air flow.
"It's not good. There were infestations of flies out there inside the actual balcony, they were getting in through little gaps."
Water also has been leaking through the bottom of the balcony door every time it rains, she claims.
Heading back out into the hallway, Amy, who has fibromyalgia, explains the "struggle" of having to use the stairs for almost a week when the lift was broken amid the construction works.
Her daughter also has physical health issues.
She added: "I've been in so much pain I've not been sleeping.
"By the time she gets to the top floor, she's in that much pain, she's curling up in bed and not wanting to move for the rest of the day."
Birmingham City Council said the lift was now operating again.
The floor, coated in dust from the works, "all gets trod in" to their homes.
The mums gesture to broken glass in a door in the hallway, which was allegedly left shattered on the floor before it was cleared up - a danger to their young children.
Another large window in the hallway, looking out to Kings Norton, was boarded up with birds stuck inside, leading to an infestation, Amy claims.
She adds: "There was an infestation of flies, maggots, ladybirds, the lot. There were three dead birds behind there because they hadn't checked it.
"We mentioned it to them, we said they'd let an infestation in somehow. They wouldn't listen until they pulled that down and saw it."
She added that she has complained multiple times to their liaison officer about the string of problems, but she "isn't listening to us".
"I suffer with bad mental health anyway," she continued.
"So living in this flat is just depressing me even more. I'm trying to get out, which is a struggle in itself, and they're making our home worse.
"It's making me come to the point where I just want to leave and not come back. I was under the impression it would be done within under a year. They said it wouldn't cause any issues on our lives - and it has."
Mum-of-two Toni O'Connor said her youngest has also "come down with asthma" amid the lack of "fresh air" in the block.
She explains: "She was coughing her guts up, I had to walk her up the stairs because the lift wasn't working and I didn't know what else to do, it's stagnant, I need fresh air.
"You're not allowed out onto the balcony. You've got no circulation, the kids have got no air in the bedrooms. I really think it's the dust on her chest.
"Every kid in this block is poorly - how? Every woman I speak to, I ask them how's their child, and they say they're on antibiotics.
"This never used to happen before. My kids have never been poorly, it's only been this year since all the dust, all the mess out there. It's horrendous."
She also claims "orange seep" has been coming through cracks in her walls, with her having to wipe it every day.
She added: "I've spent a lot of money in my flat. I've really tried to make my flat look nice, I try my best.
"I tried to redecorate last year, they came and did that as soon as it was done. They did this to my tiles.
"I decorated all my own kitchen and they decided to come in and knock my wall off."
She too had leaks and says the builders have left a vent in her cupboard open, with rocks dropping into her washing basket from outside.
Fed up with the prospect of the works continuing for eight more weeks, she said: "Everyone wants out, everyone wants their homes and privacy back. Everyone was happy and fine before the works."
Mum-of-three Kerrie Bigg, 27, told how she could get no air into her baby's room.
Her little one, who had a rash of red spots on her face, also has a cold that won't shift since the building work, she claimed.
Speaking from her ground floor flat, she said: "I can open the handles, I push the windows and they doesn't move because the scaffolding is right up against the window. I can't get any air, none in the baby's room.
"Look at my poor baby's face. She's got a cold she can't shift, it's been happening two three months now at least. There's something not right with her; there's something in the air."
Being on the ground floor is "like being in a jail", she says. "There's no fresh air, nothing. If there's ever a fire, and you can't get out the front door, I'm stuck in here.
"I can't get out the windows, can't get out the balcony, I wouldn't be able to push the scaffolding out. It's a death trap, it literally is," Kerrie adds.
Her wallpaper has been scratched by builders coming through and expanding foam has been left on her new wallpaper.
She said: "I've not long redecorated and I haven't even finished it off. I can't be a**** anymore."
Birmingham City Council apologised for the "disruption and inconvenience" as it vowed to look at each individual complaint and ensure issues are resolved.
A statement from the authority read: "We apologise for the disruption and inconvenience caused by the ongoing remedial works to the external roof and balconies of the tower.
"All balconies including doors and windows have been locked off for safety reasons until all the works to the outside have been completed.
"We appreciate that this is uncomfortable during this hot weather but it is necessary to ensure the safety of the climbers carrying out the works. The lifts have been reinstated and are now operating.
"In terms of the individual complaints by tenants each one of these will be looked into and we will ensure that the contractor’s liaison officer works with the tenant to resolve any issues.
"Any further remedial works which are needed to the properties will be carried out after the main works have been completed."
