Waterproofing a Converted Basement Storage Area from the Inside

This basement areas of this townhouse were originally constructed as a garage/storage area only, and as a result, the external walls were not waterproofed as part of the original construction in the mid 80’s. The owners wished to convert the area to a granny flat, therefore the rooms were required to be completely dry and suitable as a Grade 3 habitable space.

Project Description 

This townhouse was originally built without the external walls being waterproofed. It was also found during works that the existing blockwork walls had not been core filled with concrete, but had in fact been filled with sand and soil that had collapsed into the cavities over the last 35 years or so.  Rising and penetrating damp had affected most of the blockwork walls, with the owners reporting active water leaks during rain.

Converting the basement areas into a fully lined, habitable space meant that all moisture and damp issues had to be rectified for the health and safety of future occupants.

Our Repair Solution

Dryspace Solutions specified a two-part process to rectify:

1. Grout injection of suitable concrete grouts to the hollow blockwork
2. Installation of a cavity drain membrane system – Newton System 500 – to the internal walls.

These systems were selected as they required the least amount of surface preparation works, and they could be completed internally. Hard landscaping on the external basement walls meant that internal solutions were required.

Waterproofing works were completed on time and on budget with reinstatement works were completed by the Clients’ own builder.