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…

Safeguard Europe has won the Sustainability Award at the PCA 2019 Best Practice awards for Oldroyd XV Eco White cavity drainage membrane.

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…

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.

Introducing the new range of Oldroyd Xv 20 high-profile cavity drainage membranes.

In radon-risk areas basements can be found to contain particularly high concentrations of radon.  This is because radon gas is heavier than air and will therefore have a tendency to accumulate at the lowest level of a building.

In most cases piled retaining walls do not provide adequate resistance to water in their own right so a waterproofing system will need to be applied on top.

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 (Vandex Expaseal) or hydrophilic strips. Kickers, usually cast as part of the slab, should be used to form the joint between floors and walls (NHBC Chapter 5.4).

Basements are susceptible to the ingress of moisture and contaminants from the ground. For this reason, a waterproofing system will usually be required. Guidance on the requirements for basement waterproofing systems is given in BS 8102:2022 “Code of practice for protection of below-ground structures against water from the ground”.

After a flood has occurred, many things need to be established prior to remedial works taking place. Firstly, what caused the flood? For example, the way in which you approach remedial works will be different depending on whether the flood was caused by a failed sewage system, or was due to a river overflowing. The possibility that the water may…

Converting a damp cellar or basement can be a surprisingly inexpensive way of increasing living space and can substantially increase the value of a property. 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…

When constructing a new basement, it is possible to apply the waterproofing system to the internal (negative) or external (positive) side of the basement wall. In many cases, combined systems are specified to provide enhanced protection and these are encouraged in the latest NHBC guidance (NHBC Chapter 5.4). Examples of new-build basement waterproofing options can be found on our CAD…

The construction of basements underneath existing houses has been growing in popularity since the late 1990s driven by increasing property prices and demand for increased living space in city centres. The trend was originally limited to the most desirable parts of London, however, rising property prices mean that “dig out” basements can now be cost effective in most areas of…

Tunnels can vary in size from small service ducts to water pipelines to the large-bore tunnels used for road and rail. Waterproofing methods will vary depending on factors such as the construction method used to build the tunnel, the type of ground through which the tunnel is built, and the level of dryness required inside the tunnel. The Drybase range…

The use of contiguous / secant piling and diaphragm wall construction techniques to construct retaining walls is common in large commercial basement projects and often an efficient and cost-effective solution. The nature of these construction techniques is such that the only practical option is to apply waterproofing systems to the internal face of the retaining wall in order to reduce…

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

Old tunnels and arches can suffer from dampness and water ingress because of a failure of the original waterproofing system, or, in the case of the many Victorian railway arches found in the UK, because they were never designed to be occupied. For practical reasons it is usually preferable to apply a new waterproofing system to the inside of the…

Rising land prices and rising car ownership are leading to an acute shortage of parking spaces in the UK. One solution is to build car parks below ground. Choosing to build car parks underground brings a number of benefits.