Before the Conversion

After the conversion

Background:

A Victorian property with an existing basement converted in to a playroom by the previous owner. Unfortunately there had been no attempt made to waterproof the area so when the new owner viewed the property there was 600mm of water present in the basement rendering it unusable. The new owner wanted to convert the area into a dry and usable area to be used as a television lounge with a separate utility room incorporating a photographic dark room.

The Work Required:

In order that the basement could be used as residential accommodation, which is, classed as a Grade 3 area in accordance with BS8102.

It was decided to use a Cavity Drain Membrane System for the water proofing. One of the main advantages of the cavity drain membrane system over cementitious systems is that they do not stop water at the point of entry,

so hydrostatic pressure is not increased any more than it would be without a waterproofing system.

This means the building does not suffer from additional stresses, which could cause movement or structural failure. The use of the Delta system is normally welcomed by the Local Authority Conservation Officers as in principal it makes few changes to the structure of the building and if ever removed the building "as was" would be revealed, which is an advantage when working in listed buildings.

The Schedule of work:

A new concrete floor was laid and a sump pump was installed. The purpose of the sump pump was to pump out water entering the basement laterally below ground level, and also to carry waste from the washing machine outlet in the utility room to the drainage system.

A standby pump that would become active if the duty pump failed was installed to provide extra backup. An Alarm to sound in the event of an excessively high water level was fitted to the sump.

The property was know to suffer frequently from power cuts, so to prevent flooding to the completed conversion in the event of power failure a battery back up unit was fitted, together with the provision of a generator which the client would be able to store separately but move and connect easily in the event of a sustained power failure. Delta cavity drain membrane was supplied and fixed to the walls and floors by qualified and experienced technicians.

A new chipboard floor was to be laid and a plasterboard and skim finish applied to the walls.
Imagery by Elspeth Twist