Scheduled visit
Damp basement or lower-ground wall
A wall below ground level in a basement, cinema room or lower-ground floor stays damp, shows tide marks or salt deposits, and smells musty. Paint bubbles and skirting may swell.
Waterproofing
Active ingress during rain is prioritised. Tracing and permanent repair are scheduled once the source is identified.
Call nowRequest damp survey on WhatsApp01LIKELY CAUSES
What usually sits behind this symptom, and what tells one cause from another.
Failed external tanking
Moisture readings highest low on the wall, consistent across the area.
Irrigation or drainage near the wall
Damp tracks with watering times or a nearby drain.
Condensation in a cool, unventilated room
Surface moisture with a dry substrate.
02BEFORE ANYONE VISITS
What you can safely check.
- Note whether damp changes with irrigation or rain.
- Improve ventilation if the room is closed up.
- Move stored items away from the wall.
- Check for leaks from pipes in the room.
03WHAT WE MEASURE
We map moisture over the wall, compare surface and substrate readings, and check external features — planters, irrigation, drains — on the other side. That separates ground moisture from condensation.
04IN A VILLA
Some villas have basements or lower-ground rooms below garden level, where irrigation keeps the soil moist against the wall all year. Tanking can be damaged by later landscaping.
05THE FIX
Which repair, and when.
Persistent damp damages finishes, causes mould and affects stored items.
Reduce water at the outside face
Irrigation or drainage is the source.
Internal tanking system
External access is impractical.
Ventilation and dehumidification
Condensation is the cause.
06Typical villa waterproofing work
Quoted after survey — always
Cost is driven almost entirely by what the tracing finds and how much has to be lifted to reach it. We do not price waterproofing over the phone, because a number given before the source is located is a guess.
07QUESTIONS
- Can basement walls be waterproofed from inside?
- Yes, with suitable internal tanking systems.
- Does irrigation affect it?
- Often, if beds sit against the wall.
- Is a dehumidifier enough?
- Only for condensation, not for water coming through.
- Will paint stop it?
- No; it will bubble and peel.