Services · 06
Basement & Cellar Conversions
Dry out the cellar and you've found a room you already owned
A cellar is the only space in a house where you can gain a room without gaining a footprint. The reason most stay full of paint tins is water: solid walls below ground take moisture from the surrounding soil, and paint or render alone won't hold it back for long. The fix is a proper waterproofing system, designed for that cellar, rather than a coat of something optimistic.
We convert existing cellars and basements into dry, usable rooms, and we refurbish basement flats. We're honest about what's achievable in an existing cellar without excavation: head height, natural light and access are usually the three limits, and it's better to know which of them applies to yours before any money is spent.
Getting it dry, and keeping it dry
We start with where the water is actually coming from — ground moisture through the walls, a leaking drain or gutter outside, or condensation. External drainage and rainwater goods get fixed first, because no internal system should be asked to hold back a problem you could have cured outside. Inside, either a cementitious tanking render or a cavity drain membrane system with a perimeter channel, taken to a sump and pump where there's no gravity outlet, and always with a way to inspect and maintain it.
Making it a room, not a cellar
Head height and floor build-up assessed honestly at the quote stage. Insulation where the build-up allows, then dry lining independent of the membrane, screed or a floating floor, and stairs and access brought up to standard. Mechanical ventilation, because a below-ground room needs air changes that a window can't give it. Then lighting designed for a space with little daylight, power and data, heating, and decorating — and any building control application the change of use needs.
What's included
- Cellar and basement conversions to usable rooms
- External drainage and rainwater faults cured first
- Tanking render or cavity drain membrane systems
- Sump, pump and perimeter drainage where needed
- Mechanical ventilation, insulation and dry lining
- Basement flat refurbishment, flooring and decorating
MHP Building Contractors Ltd · company no. 10994297 · established 2017 · serving Pembury, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & the surrounding Kent and Sussex villages. Free, no-obligation quotes.
From the project gallery
Related work, from our own photographs.
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