The Star in Soho is a popular and long established eatery and bar with a vaulted basement meeting room. During the day, it is a bustling traditional café, with a relaxed pre-war aesthetic. Once the evening begins, however, the Star Café becomes The London Gin Club, a stylish table-service gin bar. Both of the Star’s different guises are very well…

The Greyfriars Extra Care Housing Scheme is a partnership between Housing 21, North Yorkshire Council, Richmondshire District Council, and main contractors Frank Haslam Milan (FHM). The development overlooks the medieval town of Richmond, North Yorkshire and consists of 39 two-bedroom apartments for older people with a range of care and support needs.

The basement, a retail space in Nottingham’s central Listergate shopping area, had suffered from problems with water ingress. As part of a £2.4 million refurbishment of the building, property consultants, King Sturge, and architects, Chapman Taylor, approached Safeguard to discuss the design of a suitable waterproofing system to upgrade the basement to a level of dryness suitable for a retail…

This was a classic barn conversion project. The new owners wished to renovate the barn, upgrading it to provide a high standard of residential accommodation. The barn dates back to the late 18th Century and had previously been used for a number of agricultural purposes, including grain drying / storage and as a milking parlour. The barn was once part…

These can result in delays and cancellations to the rail services using the tunnel. The situation at the Balcombe tunnel typifies such a water penetration problem. Historically metal sheets were fitted to divert the penetrating water. However the variance in air pressure created by the passage of trains sometimes resulted in the metal sheets being torn from the structure, creating…

We are pleased to announce that Oldroyd have increased the minimum recycled content of some of the main cavity drainage membranes in their product range – as shown in the table below:MembranePrevious minimum recycled contentNew minimum recycled contentOldroyd Xv Black40%56%Oldroyd Xs40%56%Oldroyd Xv 2040%49%Oldroyd Green Range (Green Roofs)40%49%Oldroyd Gtx Range40%49% It should be noted that these are minimum recycled contents and…

The latest version of Oldroyd’s Interior Walls and Basements brochure is now available for download. The new brochure reflects recent developments in the Oldroyd range such as the introduction of the Oldroyd Xv 20 large-stud cavity drain membrane, the inclusion of multi-layer technology across the Oldroyd range, and Oldroyd’s new 50-year product guarantee. One of the most popular uses for…

Oldroyd have produced a product life cycle assessment for their range of waterproofing and drainage membranes.

Depending on the type of piles used, reinforced concrete or sprayed reinforced concrete will need to be applied on top of the piles to consolidate them and provide a suitable surface for the waterproofing system. The waterproofing system used could be a cavity drainage system (Oldroyd Xv 20), a crystalline active water-proofer (Drybase Crystalline Active Tanking Slurry), or preferably a…

Construction joints are a particular weak points in basement structures through which water can penetrate. Therefore, joints between components, including day work joints, should be durable and watertight and include appropriate waterstops (Drybase Quellmax Plus Waterbar) or hydrophilic strips. Kickers, usually cast as part of the slab, should be used to form the joint between floors and walls (NHBC Chapter…

According to BS 8102:2022, basement waterproofing system materials fall into 3 main categories (referred to as ‘Types’). Safeguard Basement Systems are combination Type A and C waterproofing systems. This means that there are multiple barriers to water ingress. In the unlikely event that one system should fail, there is always a supporting system to prevent water ingress.

It should be quickly established if any contamination may have occurred, as this will strongly affect how the whole flood remediation process is handled. It should be noted that although flood water may not contain contaminants from its source, it may have picked up contaminating materials during the flood period.

Waterproofed cellars and basements can be converted into kitchens, bathrooms, wine cellars, living rooms, studies, or even recording studios. You are limited only by your imagination. In commercial premises, common uses for basements include, extra storage / retail space, car parks, bars / nightclubs, and restaurants.Safeguard offers two main types of system for waterproofing existing cellars and basements. By offering…

When waterproofing basements externally, we would normally suggest the use of a “dual-layer” system. This consists of a primary waterproofing system (e.g. Drybase Elasticised Tanking Slurry or Drybase Tanking Slurry) protected by a secondary drainage layer (provided by a geotextile drainage membrane such as Oldroyd Gtx). This secondary layer protects the primary waterproofing system from damage during backfilling. It also…

Habitable space underneath an existing property is created using a technique known as “underpinning”. This involves increasing the depth of the existing foundations to allow earth to be safely removed from underneath the building in order to create the new basement space. Underpinning relies on the ability of a wall to span unsupported for a short length. This allows a…

The Drybase range of cementitious waterproofing products and the Oldroyd range of cavity drainage membranes both have tunnel waterproofing applications. Solutions are also available for the refurbishment of existing tunnels.

Safeguard offers a choice of systems for waterproofing Type C waterproofed basement retaining wall. These are: Oldroyd cavity drainage systemDrybase Tanking RangeA combination of these two systems Choosing which system to use will depend on a number of factors including site conditions, drainage options, and personal preference. Typical waterproofing methods using both systems are described on this page.

Typically, barns are constructed using a wide range of materials and techniques including cob, brick, and various types of stone.

Dampness may affect old tunnels and arches due to a waterproofing system failure or because they were not designed to be occupied.

Underground car-parks range from a single space below a house to large municipal car-parks. However, like all underground structures, they need to be protected from water-ingress. Because concrete is the favoured construction material for underground car-parks, Drybase Crystalline Active Tanking Slurry usually offers the most cost-effective water-proofing solution, however, Drybase Tanking Slurry can also be used. On floor areas, Drybase…