Tanking a cellar advice please

[anifab]

My boyf and I want to convert our cellar into a music room. It's about 12X12ft and just over 6ft head height. Have heard horror stories about the costs involved and were hoping to do most of the job ourselves.

Are we crazy? Is it possible to do a good DIY tanking job if you get some professional advice first? All the websites I've seen say 'this is a job for the professionals'

Surely if we took our time and used the correct materials and techniques we could do a good job?

If anyone has done this or knows how much it costs and what kind of work is involved, I'd really love to hear from you!

 

[xposis]

if you DIY it wont be THAT expensive but if you pay someone yes it will. VERY expensive.

Best thing you can do with a cellar is leave it alone for beer wine imports

 

[Fluffster]

What is the current state of the cellar walls flooring material etc, are you prone to flooding in your area is the water table high/low?
How old is the property what type of soil is it built on?
Need more info to guesstimate.
Pete

 

[anifab]

Hello

Cellar is in pretty good condition. The survey we got done on the house said there was slight damp in one corner but other than that, it's dry. The floor is concrete and walls are brick. Loks like someone has painted them with white stuff that the people selling the house told us was some kind of waterproofing. The house is about 100 years old. It is in a slightly elevated position in relation to a nearby reservoir (+10m maybe) around 200m away. I guess the soil is sandy(?) as I believe the entire area lies on sandstone. Would be interested in hearing some realistic cost estimates!

 

[dano1779]

Hello

there are various tanking options yet best bet is a cementicious one. to do the job properly you should really use a registered damp proof company which normally gives you a guarantee of 20 years if the jobs not done properly it will fail. if you get in touch with triton chemical plant they can advise you on your best option and advise you the cheapest way as this company advises a large amount of dampproof companies

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Essentially there are two ways of keeping damp out:

The first (pressurized) is a physical barrier such as an applied membrane or render, advantages of this are that they may work out cheaper but (for the diy'er) may be more difficult to install as you only need a very slight error anywhere in the process which may lead to leaks. This is because they're effectively stuck to your wall and rely on excellent workmanship to work. Refer to System 1 on the link bellow.

The second (un-pressurized)is a system that does not rely on an applied membrane or render but allows any moisture/damp to get through the wall and run down the face of the wall into a drain where it is collected and can be pumped away. The advantage of this system, because it does not rely on an applied membrane or render are that its installation can be a lot more forgiving making it (in my opinion) more suitable for the diy'er. I've specified this system several times and can say it works very well. Builders I've worked with have all been quite happy to install it. Refer to System 2 on the link bellow.

http://www.safeguardeurope.com/applications/basement_waterproofing.php

In commercial building the trend these days is slowly moving towards these un-pressurized systems more and more. Although they may be more expensive to install they're generally accepted as being more reliable, the cost of putting a pressurized system right after its leaked can be staggering.

Regarding costs they have a cost sheet on their website but it'd be quicker just to ring them up.

How much damp/water do get through the walls/floor?