BuildRight
CONTRACTING
(212) 555-0188

Waterproofing
Treat the Cause, Not the Stain.

Damp, leaks and water ingress diagnosed properly and dealt with at source, from tanking and drainage to the failed details letting water into the building.
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  • Diagnosis Before Treatment
  • Tanking and Membranes
  • Drainage and Ground Levels
  • Ventilation Assessed

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Tell us what you need repaired, renovated, improved, or built, and we’ll help you determine the right next step for your project..
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Damp Has a Cause. We Find It.

Damp is a symptom with at least four common causes, and they need completely different treatments. Water coming up, water coming in, water leaking from a service, and water condensing out of the air all produce marks on a wall that can look broadly similar.
We diagnose before we treat. That means checking ground levels and drainage, looking at the external detailing, testing where appropriate and assessing ventilation, so the work you pay for addresses the water that is actually causing the problem.
  • Tanking to Basements and Wet Areas
  • External Drainage and Ground Levels
  • Failed Details and Flashings Corrected
  • Ventilation and Condensation Advice

Basement &
Cellar Tanking

Rising &
Penetrating Damp

External Drainage
& Levels

Wet Areas &
Balconies

12+
Years Experience
350+
Projects Completed
98%
Client Satisfaction
100%
Quality Workmanship

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Bathrooms tanked, tiled and sealed properly so water stays where it belongs.
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Guttering, external timber and the small failures that let water into a building.
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The Right Diagnosis
Saves the Most Money.

The most expensive damp work we see is the treatment that was applied to the wrong cause and had to be done again.
More About Us

Diagnosed, Not Assumed

We identify which of the four common causes you are dealing with before quoting a treatment.

Levels Checked

Ground and path levels bridging a damp proof course are a common and cheap fix.

Drainage First

Gutters, downpipes and gullies are checked before anything is applied to a wall.

Proper Systems

Tanking and membranes installed as designed systems with correct detailing at every junction.

Ventilation Considered

Where the problem is condensation, we say so rather than selling you a treatment that will not help.

Honest About Limits

If a problem needs a specialist survey or a different trade, we will tell you that plainly.

Diagnosis to Dry.

Five stages that put the investigation before the treatment, where it belongs.
1

Survey & Diagnose

Internal and external inspection to establish where the water is actually coming from.

2

Specify & Quote

A written specification naming the system and addressing the identified cause.

3

Deal With the Source

Drainage, levels, flashings or failed details corrected before internal work starts.

4

Apply the System

Tanking, membranes or damp proofing installed with correct detailing at junctions.

5

Reinstate & Advise

Replastering and making good, plus written advice on drying time and ventilation.

Outside before inside

Most damp is solved on the exterior, not the wall you can see.

Four Kinds of Damp, Four Different Answers

A damp patch on a wall is a symptom, and treating symptoms is how people end up paying two or three times for the same problem. The single most valuable thing in this work is an accurate diagnosis, and it usually costs a fraction of the treatment.

Penetrating damp

Water coming in horizontally through the building fabric: through failed pointing, a cracked render, a defective flashing, a blocked gutter overflowing down a wall, or a bridged cavity. It usually appears as a patch on one area rather than a band, and it often gets noticeably worse after driving rain from a particular direction.
The treatment is almost always external. Repair the pointing, correct the flashing, clear the gutter, remove the bridge. Applying a coating to the inside face of a wall that is being soaked from the outside moves the problem rather than solving it.

Rising damp and bridged damp courses

Genuine rising damp is less common than the number of treatments sold for it would suggest. It shows as a band at the base of a wall with a fairly level tide line. Very often the actual cause is a damp proof course that has been bridged: a raised path or patio, a flower bed, or render taken down past the damp course.
Where that is the case, lowering the external level or forming a proper margin solves the problem for a small fraction of what an injected treatment costs. We check for it before recommending anything else, and we will tell you when that simple fix is all you need.

Condensation, which is not really damp at all

Condensation is moisture from inside the building settling on cold surfaces. It shows up in corners, behind furniture on external walls, around window reveals, and it usually comes with black mould. It is a ventilation and heat problem, not a water ingress one.
No waterproofing treatment will fix it. The answer is extraction where moisture is produced, background ventilation, and reducing cold surfaces through insulation. We would rather tell you that than sell you a tanking system that leaves the mould exactly where it was.

Tanking, and where it genuinely belongs

Tanking is the right answer where a structure is below ground or permanently exposed to water: basements, cellars, retaining structures and wet rooms. It works by holding water back or managing it into a drainage path, and it has to be a continuous system detailed correctly at every junction, penetration and corner.
It is not a general purpose damp cure. A tanking system applied to a wall that is wet because of a leaking gutter will hide the symptom while the timber behind it continues to rot. We use it where it is the correct solution and say so where it is not.

How we price waterproofing work

Diagnosis is quoted separately and honestly, because it is the part that determines everything else. Once we know the cause, the treatment is priced against a written specification naming the system, the extent and the reinstatement.
Where the correct answer turns out to be cheap, such as lowering a path or clearing a drain, we will tell you that even though it is a much smaller job. It costs us a large invoice and saves you paying for a treatment you never needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions we are asked most often about damp, leaks and waterproofing.

How do I know what kind of damp I have?

The pattern is a strong clue. A patch that worsens after driving rain suggests penetrating damp. A level band at the base of a wall suggests rising damp or a bridged damp course. Mould in corners and behind furniture is usually condensation. We confirm it by inspecting inside and out rather than from the marks alone.
Often not. Injected treatments are sold far more frequently than they are genuinely needed. A very common cause is a damp proof course bridged by a raised path, a flower bed or render carried down too far, and correcting that costs a fraction of a chemical treatment.
Only if the cause is water pressing against a below-ground or permanently wet structure. Tanking a wall that is wet from a leaking gutter hides the stain while the problem continues behind it. We use tanking where it is correct and tell you plainly when it is not.
Almost always condensation rather than water entering the building. The fix is ventilation, extraction and reducing cold surfaces, not a waterproofing treatment. We will say so rather than selling you work that will not help.
Longer than most people expect. Masonry that has been wet for years can take several months to dry, and replastering too early traps moisture and causes the new finish to fail. We advise on timing and will not rush reinstatement to finish a job faster.
Yes. That is one of the places tanking genuinely belongs. It has to be installed as a continuous system with correct detailing at every corner, junction and service penetration, and where a drained system is more appropriate than a barrier one we will explain why.
The initial assessment is free. Where a proper diagnosis needs testing or opening up, we quote that separately and tell you the cost first, because an accurate diagnosis is what stops you paying for the wrong treatment.
Bright white kitchen with large island and stainless appliances

Still Have Questions? Let’s Talk.

Speak to the person who will actually diagnose the problem, not a call centre. We’ll talk it through and give you a straight answer.

Call Us
(212) 555-0188
Email Us
[email protected]
Office
123 Construction Way,
New York, NY 10001
Request a Quote

Request a Free Estimate

Tell us what you need repaired, renovated, improved, or built, and we’ll help you determine the right next step for your project..
  • Your information is secure and never shared.
(212) 555-0188