A homeowner in Woodend, Victoria 3442, contacted us because they wanted to turn the space beneath their house into a habitable room. There was one major problem: the space kept filling with water.

The builders had cut a pit into the concrete slab, installed a pump and used it to remove the water that kept coming in. The homeowner wanted a more lasting solution.

We inspected the space, reviewed the engineer’s recommendations and proposed a range of waterproofing measures. Once we had discussed the details with the homeowner, we started work.

The ground outside the house slopes , and the floor slab inside the space sits lower than the footing of the external wall. We excavated a trench along the outside wall, ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 metres deep. The ground was rocky, so we used a large, powerful excavator with a 900 mm bucket.

After excavation, we pressure washed the wall and concrete footing. This removed soil stuck to the wall and exposed the cracks, holes and voids.

This is what the wall looked like after washing. It was easy to see how water could get through.

We removed the excess mortar left behind during construction and filled all the voids, gaps and holes.

Part of the wall had previously been coated with a bitumen membrane. We had to remove it with a grinder because it was not compatible with the polyurethane membrane we use.

Once the wall was fully prepared, we applied the waterproofing membrane. We then installed plastic protection boards to protect it from damage when the trench was backfilled.

We laid an AGI drainage pipe at the bottom of the trench with a fall of 10 mm per metre. We also installed two inspection openings so the pipe can be checked and flushed if needed.

Inside the room, we installed our signature Triple Protection system. You can read more about this system elsewhere on our blog.

We applied three coats of fibre reinforced waterproofing membrane to the walls and concrete slab. This membrane is suitable for areas exposed to negative water pressure.

We gave the homeowner a warranty certificate. If any leaks occur during the warranty period, we will repair them under warranty at no charge.