Today I will share some practical insight related to working in old building basements.
When planning the future of your basement, especially in London, in addition to heritage and planning considerations, you will need to consider the environmental challenges you could encounter.
From vibration linked to the proximity to the tube to flood level considerations and even rising damp caused by the "winning combination" of an increase in rainfall (caused by climate change) and an obsolete drainage infrastructure that has been struggling for decades, there is a lot to consider before starting to pick the wallpaper.
Historically, many buildings addressed dampness by installing "impermeable" finishes such as wall tiles, concrete slabs and skirtings/plinth, or even plastic sheets extended to the edge of each room. All of those moved the problem elsewhere rather than address it.
Of course, it is tempting to imagine that by removing those and letting the walls and floor "breath" the problem may be addressed... after all, "when the buildings were first build they did not have dampness" unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, our environmental conditions have changed and hence we cannot use the original benchmark when looking at buildings in 2021.
Not only rainfall has increased but most homes no longer have their vents and fireplaces open. In fact, many councils do not support reinstating the latter on the grounds of air pollution.
These, combined with a lack of regular ventilation and the airtightness which sought out to keep the noise out, have created an optimum environment for the kind of natural habitats one does not want in their homes.
So, when approaching such environments, my advice would be for you to take expert advice and develop a well throughout lasting strategy rather than a patchwork .
Word of caution: the priorities of some of the statutory requirements are at odds. Heritage in particular has not caught up with the realities of the environmental challenges we are facing and hence the path may be tortuous. Be prepared
