Cellar Tanking

[IAN999]

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice. I have a regular 3 storey town house - with the lowest level below ground floor. The lower floor is not totally below ground level, and there are small windows in both of the lower level rooms. Both rooms suffer from damp problems - assuming its beacuse it has not been tanked out.
I have had various specialist damp proof companies come in to give me quotes on the repairs - which is around £16k. They recommend a DPC injection in the wall particioning the two rooms, and tanking for all the walls and the stairways to the cellar.
Unfortunatley I cannot afford £16k at the moment and was thinking of doing the tanking by purcahsing the tanking slurry (premixed) and then getting a plasterer to plaster it. I have read up on how to do it, i.e. strip walls of plaster down to the origional brick work. Take down brick mortar by 1.5", then apply 3:1 sand & cenemt, followed by the tanking slurry (2 coats in recomended mixes, etc).
However, what I do not know is if I need to tank the whole wall down to floorboard level (or go further down under the floorboards), also how long I should leave the tanking to dry before skimming the whole place (is it 3 months?).

I would really appreciate any advice anyone could give on this. Thanks

 

[Atkin]

I have recently tanked my kitchen whitch is below grownd level. I used a plastic membrain from Isola Called 'Platon Stop'. It costs about £200 for a 20m by 2m role. I used a special plastic plug To attach it to the wall ( you do not need to remove any plaster or reder beforhand). I then dot and dabed insulated plaster (£35 120* 240) bourd to the plugs. If you are willing to do the work you will save yourself a lot of money. my kitchen has cost £300 all up thats with the bourds and skim.

I Have also istalled drainage chanels in the ground whith run into the main drain via a u bend

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[IAN999]

Thanks for that Atkin. I have also looked into this plastic membrane stuff - did you not need to fit in a pump? In terms of your drainage tunnel - are they just deep grooves in the ground?
How effective had this system been? does it stop the damp smell?

Also, do you still have the number for your membrane supplier - the prices I've been looking at are around £260 for 2m x 20m rolls.

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I am trying to get a full picture before I start.

Thanks for your advice

 

[Atkin]

Thanks for that Atkin. I have also looked into this plastic membrane stuff - did you not need to fit in a pump? In terms of your drainage tunnel - are they just deep grooves in the ground?
How effective had this system been? does it stop the damp smell?

Also, do you still have the number for your membrane supplier - the prices I've been looking at are around £260 for 2m x 20m rolls.

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I am trying to get a full picture before I start.

Thanks for your advice

I was able to avoid using a pump because i Had access to a drain. There is a type of guttering ( almost like a square downpipe with a lip (looks like a b) with holes along the bottom side, that face the wall) you dig into the ground about 6 inchs. (I actualy dug up the whole floor and re- leveled it as it steped in 2 places) The membrain slots in behind the lip, so that any water drips down into the drainage channel.
I have found this system absolutely brilliant in every way. I is very very easy to install. You can actually see the condensation building up on the membrain. the air feels dry and i dont have black patches on the walls from the damp
as long as the membrain is comletely seeled ( you can test it with a hose pipe ) you will have it smelling of roses.
As far as price gose I think I was lucky as i beat the inflation (Becouse of oil)
You will probabley have to have a ring around some damp proof companies and do a bit of sweet talking.
The chap that supplied my stuf was Dampproof and Timber Preservation Ltd in crediton Devon He is on a few websites