Waterproofing a leaky basement in Hebden Bridge
Basement waterproofing wasn’t something which those who established Hebden, back in 1510 often thought about.
Hebden Bridge was merely a river crossing for pack horses laden with cloth, salt and food. Initially a wooden bridge, then a stone one and eventually the robust bridge seen now was built in 1510. Hebden’s name comes from ‘hep dene’ or ‘rose valley.’ The valley sides are steep, but as a centre for roads and canal, the town grew prosperous as spinning and weaving took off in big way, with water power available in abundance. By the late 1800’s the town underwent a population boom; almost all of today’s central Hebden Bridge appeared then.
The steep valley sides required some ingenuity, to accommodate all the new workers, which included the peculiar and distinctive “top and bottom houses”. These are an architectural curiosity almost unique to Hebden. They look very grand; towering high and superbly constructed from local stone. This is where now, years later, basement waterproofing is often needed.
It’s due to this remarkable layout of these houses; the front entrance to the lower terrace leads to the bottom of two houses, which occupies the lower two floors. The high floors and the attic are another separate house, with another entrance on the up-hill side of each terrace (see above). The ground slopes up to the rear, allowing ground floor access, often a full 6 metres higher than the lower living space.
On occasion, ground water can eventually seep into the lower of the dwellings – this had been a problem at Eiffle Building for years and despite previous attempts to stop it, water came in quite often – particularly after heavy rain. Our client bought the house and then that’s where Brick-Tie Preservation’s part in the tale starts…
Brick-Tie Preservation provided a solution to water seepage problems to the lower dwellings of the Eifell Buildings, Hebden Bridge.
After investigation and in competition with other specialists, we specified a combination of waterproofing methods, designed to dry the basement, permanently and as quickly as possible, so our client could move into his new home.
For reliability, speed and warmth too, Safeguard’s Oldroyd cavity drain system was chosen for the bulk of the walls. However, the flow rate of the water was also reduced and separate ‘stepped’ floor levels were tackled using the Vandex cementitious system. The products used to successfully achieve a dry basement included: Oldroyd XV, XP and Safeguard Aquadrain. The type A works included Vandex Unimortar 1 and Vandex BB75.
The work was completed with a DryZone chemical DPC to the none ground bearing walls and an insulated dry-lining system completed the finish.
Our client was pleased and here is his testimonial as it appeared on Google…
‘I like Brick-Tie’ – by earthoddity – 4 Sep 2010
Brick-Tie came all the way from Leeds to damp-proof my new house in Hebden Bridge and they did a first-rate job. Bryan, the owner/managing director, is a splendid bloke – knowledgeable, straightforward, enthusiastic, reliable – and his crew are professional and accomplished and they left me with a set of beautifully finished plaster-skimmed walls and, most importantly, a dry ground floor. My house required pretty big, expensive work and I was a bit anxious about exactly what sort of work was needed, since I am a laymen in matters of water penetration, but what I got from Brick-Tie was peace of mind and a high-quality job.
Thank you…
