Gallery & Case Studies
Basement in the Thames with a HRH visit
Details
We had the pleasure in being awarded the waterproofing contract on the exquisite island in the middle of the River Thames.
The background story on this 2-acre plot could be a novel in its own right and the full story can be fully read here www.doylycarteisland.com
We were originally contacted by an Architect that we had worked with on other contracts and we were asked to provide a specification to waterproof the basement of the property.
Due to the obvious possibility of water ingress from the River Thames it was important that the solution would provide an impermeable structure for the Client.
The Sika 1 pre batched waterproof system, which consists of a render system for use on walls as well as a waterproof screed to the floor including Sikadur Combiflex waterproof expansion joint at wall/floor junction was specified for the project due to its proven track record and BBA certification which also provides an aesthetically pleasing finish.
Since the property is in the middle of the River Thames and there is only a narrow footbridge to access the island the load out of the materials and the clearing of the rubbish was a task on its own. With 400 bags of Sika pre bag to take one way and bags of rubbish to be brought back it was certainly a workout for our staff but necessary as the environment demanded.
As part of the project, initial surface preparation was required that took approximately four days. The groundwork included bush hammering, jet washing and hoovering of all of the surfaces.
We then installed Sikadur Combiflex® SG around the perimeter wall and floor junction, whilst appropriate seals were completed to all service penetrations.
The Sika pre bagged system which comprises of layers of Spritz, Render & Finish was applied to the walls following the exact specification and a Sika-1 Spritz and Bonding Mortar coat was laid onto the floor as well as a final Sika-1 Screed Mortar coat. Ultimately, the waterproofing process took approximately 10 days.
During our works we were advised by the client that HRH Princess Anne would be visiting the island to plant a new tree and recognise the hard work they had all put in in bringing the island back to life. We was asked if we would like to attend and we jumped at the opportunity and had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to HRH which was an amazing experience.
Terry Blackabee, director at Renderseal Ltd, commented: "The basement in the middle of the River Thames is a perfect demonstration of the Sika-1 Pre-bagged Waterproofing System, which provides a high-quality performance in a very wet environment, especially when carried out by an experienced contractor.”
The works were completed on time and the client was provided with a 10 year Company Guarantee and a Sika Manufacturers warranty
The Client said “Terry and his team were terrific, and I would recommend them to anyone. They embrace the challenges of the property being on an island in the middle of the Thames, and their professionalism was such that it was the least we could do to ask them meet HRH, with the rest of the brilliant team working on the renovation.”
