DPC DAMP AGAIN.............................................AND AGAIN.........And

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oasis

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ok wok at a damp basement that has been rendered out before but the floor was F*ucked and is just brick Base so its very wet and its made all the walls very wet to so iv taken along some1 wo is ment to know best on the job.

wot do you fink. he said (and i did know most of wot he said ;-))

take the bricks outa the floor and but a DCP and 4-5" slab of concrete in floor done.

roll the DCP up the wall to ceiling height..

but first take all the old damp render off the wall let it dry out and breath then re render and treat with anything you like i.e thero seal

then build a 2" block wall in front giving a cavity

and for the internal walls that wenrt as wet use the injection on them

how does that sound?
 
just tank it.. surly there is more 2 say.. dot like the idea if useing stud as plasterboard feels damp if there is not good air flow ect render and skim seems ta be the best way from wot iv read and just tankin over the crap cant be good can it?
 
Re: DPC DAMP AGAIN.............................................AND AGAIN........

sounds like this person 'wo is ment to know best' hasnt got a f**k**g clue what he's talking about...
if he thinks removing the bricks and laying concrete straight on the muck underneath is a good idea he's a c**t... membrane or no membrane..

if he thinks a basement (by that i take it you mean below ground) wall is just going to 'dry out' by removing the render he's a c**t...

if he thinks rolling the 'damp proof membrane' up the wall to ceiling height is a good idea he's a c**t..

I think you should get a basement conversion specialist in and leave the job alone to be totally honest..

sorry for the german words but that is the biggest load of bollox ive heard this year..
 
ok chris mate ,thanks 4 the reply, but why would theys things be wrong? he did say dig a test patch first check the water table first, do building a wall infront is still ok alsong as u cure the wall behind>
 
Re: DPC DAMP AGAIN.............................................AND AGAIN........

have to agree with chris on that one. the polythene idea is nuts, condensation comes to mind. sounds like it needs to dry out, then tank it, and new floor, concrete, then screed, could be a long ole job.
 
Re: DPC DAMP AGAIN.............................................AND AGAIN........

forget ordinary tanking if you want it to last....
tanking is ok up to a foot below ground level or so... below that you need something pretty heavy duty or another system..

im not trying to be funny mate, if anything im trying to save you from yourself... you are well out of your depth here.. (forgive the pun)...

have a look at this, Link Removed
read and understand, then go do lots and lots of research into basement conversion methods and dont take jobs like this on till youve got another 5 years minimum experience in similar work, preferably working for a specialist company cos belive me, this is a specialist job..

as for 'running the dpm up the wall'.. missing the point completely... if your gonna tank it, whats the point of the dpm?

tanking.. it will fail in a short space of time... unless youve got a specialist product and its on thick as f**k... there might be something you could use but again its a specialist thing..

floor... it wants digging RIGHT out, 100-150mm hardcore, insulating THEN mebrane, concrete and screed..
thats not even taking into consideration the depth of the house footings (if theyre not victorian step brick footings, which they probably are.. people have demolished houses this way..)
you could possibly forget the screed and use some other flooring construction method but the point is your trying to sink a room into what is essentially a swimming pool.. it just happens to be full of muck.

a cavity wall would help with insulation but thats about it... unless your gonna run a drainage channel in the bottom of the cavity to a sump which contains a 'float switch' pump which will pump the water to an above ground drain when a certain level is reached...

trust me mate, either be the 'main contractor' on the job and sub it out or just give them the number of a specialist company...

do some research into it if it interests you.. theres plenty of information on the web, im no expert but i wouldnt take this job on and ive got some experience dealing with below ground issues... this isnt really plastering mate, thats the smallest part of it...
 
Re: DPC DAMP AGAIN.............................................AND AGAIN........

just one more thing i think your not getting the grasp of mate...
if your basement is below ground and it consists of 4 walls below ground with ground the other side of them with no waterproofing system in place at the other side where it makes contact with the GROUND then the GROUND will be saturated with water pretty much all the time unless your in the sahara desert..
this then follows that there will be water constantly penetrating your wall because its BELOW GROUND so in other words...

it... never...will.... dry.... out.... :-X

you can leave it as long as you like... all you'll do is grow f**k**g mushrooms on it.. (in theory i reckon its perfectly possible..)

all that said, theres nothing wrong with obtaining a quote from a specialist company to do purely the waterproofing works only, leaving you with the plastering, painting, second fixing of whatever your gonna throw in there...
as long as you make money, your laffin... but please dont try and do the whole thing cos there will be tears...
 
This all sounds like excellent advice Oasis I'd definitely take it as I know as much about tanking as you do well maybe a bit less than you. :D
 
Re: DPC DAMP AGAIN.............................................AND AGAIN........

oasis, give us some pics, so we can see what your up against
 
oasis. all above excellent advise,in this instance take it,this particular area is one for experienced in that field not one to learn on.even viewing the web sites sovreign and such have all the membranes heydii k11 systems and pumps to drain cellars and the like but all need to be installed correctley by trained people.i realise job you wont but sometimes have to know when to ease away.
 
Chris W said:
just one more thing i think your not getting the grasp of mate...
if your basement is below ground and it consists of 4 walls below ground with ground the other side of them with no waterproofing system in place at the other side where it makes contact with the GROUND then the GROUND will be saturated with water pretty much all the time unless your in the sahara desert..
this then follows that there will be water constantly penetrating your wall because its BELOW GROUND so in other words...

it... never...will.... dry.... out.... :-X

you can leave it as long as you like... all you'll do is grow (french word)ing mushrooms on it.. (in theory i reckon its perfectly possible..)

all that said, theres nothing wrong with obtaining a quote from a specialist company to do purely the waterproofing works only, leaving you with the plastering, painting, second fixing of whatever your gonna throw in there...
as long as you make money, your laffin... but please dont try and do the whole thing cos there will be tears...

excellent advise which if i was you oasis i would take but to be honest i wouldnt touch the plastering, decor or second fix coz this is what they want you to do and that is nul the guarantee and pass you the blame. Youve asked quite a few questions on damp issues recently and have been given good advise and i dont think youve taken on the right answer a few times im not having a go but do your research on damp it is interesting and is one of the most misdiagnosed problems on properties in my opinion you seem to be doing well in your business and want to learn but it comes with time and experience and doing a bad job can set you back.
 
Re: DPC DAMP AGAIN.............................................AND AGAIN........

there are 2 types of tanking ( not products mind types of tanking) there is positive and negative tanking.Positive tanking is swimming pools ponds etc are fairly easy way..cause the water is pushing onto substate and thus pushing onto your tanking ...then there is negative tanking...ie water or damo permiating thru substate ie soil thru bricks etc and trying to push your tanking system off the wall. Obviously negative tanking is the tricky one. There are lots of tanking systems out there to choose from sika, sovergein chemicals hydei system, hydromat...laytex etc , and quite a few types of tanking ie paint , special render . With a basement with damp remove all render if there back to brick....some system rewquire anti salting agents to stop salts coming thru some donyt as they are already in the pre mix product. All walls and floor need to be treated . There are renders from germany that can be used below dpc...or bichimins ( which rarely work, on negative tanking jobs,,) also separate atmosphere systems and stop temp change and damp with use of plastic insulation then new blockwork as was stated by matey. There is alot to learn....and many systems which are appropriate in different situations. I have done a few of them now and used a few methods , but you really need to do homework on it....it certainly aint as simple as render with waterproofer skim and lay a new screed with plastic running thru it...think what chris and a few others have said is good advice
 
essexandy said:
Crikey more sense whats going on tonight.
this is what this place is all about! if youre struggling to get hold of silka/sovereign additives you could always dab it with moisture resistant board green side facing the wall which should keep out any water and give the other side a skim coat of render
 
Thanks again iv been keen ta ask as the people who the jobs im getting are all customers of my'n. and the jobs are all my'n at and good price if i want them so iv just find it hard 2 turn away work that seems possible but maybe its more than i fink,i guess just applying the tanking kit and studding out walls ect are all easy work but there is much more to this. thanks for all the advice i shall get a pic on wednesday for you all to look at as im skimmin the bedrooms out.
 
Get a proper quote for a total tank, listen to Chris, after the proper quote they will probably scrap the idea anyway,your into serious dosh,and for the right reason.I`ve tanked a few houses in Devon, built into hill sides.There is no cutting corners here.
 
they fort it would be around £5k ivery small. that was with basic materials being £1200 just a ruff add up and they were happy to spend that
 
I used to do GARAGE conversions for 4-5k...
thats a brick up with a footing installed.. 1 pvc window.. a knockthrough... 1 internal grade door..
1 radiator.. 2 double sockets.. 1 centre light and switch.. 50 - 75mm cellotex on the floor then 18mm chipboard... studded and cellotexed outside wall... board the lot and skim it... bit of skirting and architrave.. painted by customer.. 7-10 days max.. possibly replace consumer unit (350 quid)

ill bet your looking at 10k though if you did it yourself (if you knew what you were doing) you could prolly make it pay at 6k..
 
I have been working for damp companies for year and take it from me, your looking at easy 10k.
Please please follow wot Chris is saying he couldn't be more right. If your still not deterred goggle cavity drain lamebrain systems. BS8102 is dedicated to waterproofing structures below ground and worth a read.
A good supplyer of a cavity drain membrane is :https://www.triton-chemicals.co.uk/prod1.php.
Hope this all helps but don't get kidding yourself its very specialist.
 
thanks again,just seems like every builder in town has ago a basements.. ill have 2 tell them all its 2 much of a risk
 
???
basement conversions are not plastering jobs in the same way a garage conversion or a newbuild house is not a plastering job...
yes there will be some plastering involved but you wouldnt ask a plasterer to build you an extension.. youd go to a general builder...
are you saying that virtually every builder in town is approaching you to do their basement conversions when THEY are set up as builders and probably have been for a lot longer than youve been a plasterer?
have you been telling people you can do basement conversions on the cheap? these people have probably already gone and got quotes from basement specialists.. maybe they think you know something they dont?
calm down mate... if thats whats happening your gonna end up looking like a plank!

dont tell them anything, just tell them youll do the plastering work no problem but the waterproofing work is down to them... no comebacks then..
unless of course theyre gonna stick a sheet of dpm on the floor, wrap it up the wall, or just "waterproof" the walls with bitumen or somesuch... then i'd steer well clear..

a good tip is to always follow the specification of the company carrying out any damp control or waterproofing works to the letter using their recommended products...
if theyre asking YOU for a specification then they havent got a clue and shouldnt be doing the job in the first place...
 
Even more sense, some jobs could end up costing you far more if not done correctly than could ever to earned from them in the first place. Not to mention that you can't buy a good reputation, so if that matters to you think carefully.
 
nah iv not said a work just get people asking me to take alook at theys jobs

sorted now got a builder in to tank i will render and skim,that way ill make money on the lead and on the plastering :)
 
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