New Build Basement Remediation

Summary

• 

  MJ Rooney swept in to recover the failed attempt of the previous contractors.

• 

  Newton Waterproofing systems were installed to the basement of this home to protect from unwanted water ingress.

• 

  The Interior space is protected by the failsafe Newton CDM System.

Fed up with renting in London, Joe and Lina decided to build their own on a tiny 38m² plot of land in East London. With a budget of just under £200k they set about delivering Joe’s innovative concept for a six half-floor house with floating concrete slab, designed to maximise the space into an 83m² home, all whilst being filmed by Channel 4’s Grand Designs. However, things soon went south…

The Project

Within weeks of the project beginning in October 2015, rogue contractors had performed a disastrous basement excavation attempt contrary to the Structural Engineer’s instructions. This left unsupported banks of earth falling in beneath the street and shutters bursting inwards under the weight of the concrete.

This first attempt, described as “spectacularly shambolic” by Kevin McCloud, more than doubled Joe and Lina’s budget for the excavation from £48k to £100k. It also caused months of delays in order to get the project back on track.

The Solution

After contacting Newton Waterproofing Systems to discuss the poor workmanship, Joe and Newton quickly concluded that he would need a specialist contractor who actively communicated, collaborated, and listened to him as both engineer and client to save his home and get it out of the ground.

MJ Rooney Construction came on board as contractors in November 2015, and following discussions to determine exactly what was required, modelled the entire project in 4D to ensure that all potential difficulties were solved before work began.

With the right lines of communication in place, work recommenced in late January 2016. The first challenge was to make safe a 3.5 metre high bank of unsupported earth with sheet piles. This was prior to creating a new and waterproof structural shell of reinforced concrete.

The Result

With the shell of the structure in place, Newton and MJ Rooney’s next challenge was a much more welcome one, as they created a bespoke waterproofing solution to accommodate Joe’s ingenious design for a suspended reinforced slab that acted as both a floor and a prop force against the lateral pressure from the basement walls.

This entire slab rested on brackets designed by Joe and his structural engineer, insulating it from the external walls by ensuring minimal contact, and only making contact through insulated blocks with enough compressive strength to take the vertical loading. The design also creates a cavity around the slab that allows full insulation. This enables the building to use the slab as thermal mass without insulating the entire external envelope.

Working closely with Joe, the team devised a solution that maintained the continuity of the waterproofing behind the brackets. They also managed to not compromise the structural design.