Background

A 17-bedroom hotel located adjacent to the promenade had an unused basement extending under the entire footprint of the building. The basement was damp, smelly, and virtually unusable despite a previous attempt to "dry line" the walls. It is likely that the basement area was originally used as a bakery as an oven was uncovered during the conversion works which extended under the hotel car park.

The hotelier wanted to make use of the basement space to provide a new location for the hotel bar, and provide two private bedrooms.

The Basement Conversion

The initial work involved clearing the site of existing hardboard and timber battens which had been used to hide underlying damp problems. The project was carried out in stages to enable the owners to use parts of the basement while the conversion was in progress.

Waterproofing was achived using the Oldroyd Xv Clear cavity drainage system. An Aquadrain perimeter drainage channel leading to a sump chamber and pump was first installed around the perimeter of the basement to provide additional drainage capacity at the wall-floor junction. Oldroyd Xv membrane was then fixed to the walls using special self-sealing fixing plugs. Joins between sheets of membrane were sealed using special sealing tape. Oldroyd Xv membrane was then laid across the floor ensuring an overlap with the membrane already fixed to the walls. This system was chosen for a number of reasons:

1. No wet trades involved - allowing basement to remain in use while works in progress.
2. Allows waterproofing to be carried out in stages - allowing areas of the basement to continue to be used during the conversion.
3. Suitable for application directly onto brick walls with no surface preparation

After the Oldroyd Xv membrane had been installed, wooden battens were screwed into the fixing plugs used to secure the membrane to the wall. Plasterboard was then fixed to these battens, providing a smooth finish for decorating. The gap between the plasterboard and the membrane allowed electrical and plumbing services to be hidden.

The Finished Basement

The relocation of the hotel bar to the basement provided a huge increase in dining capacity and an improvement in bar facilities.

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Basement conversion project at a Victorian house near Manchester, UK

The basement to be converted was in a two-story Victorian double-fronted property, built circa 1860. The basement consisted of two basement rooms and a wide hall.

The owner wished to use this space to create a playroom, a guest bedroom, and a wet room.

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Cellar conversion project with lightwell at a mid-terraced house in Lytham St Annes, UK

The property in question is a 7-bedroom, mid-terraced property close to the centre of Lytham St Annes in Lancashire . The damp, musty cellar was virtually unused except for storage. The owners wanted to use the cellar to create an additonal living-space accessible from the ground floor.

The main requirement was for an adults "chill-out" room with an adjacent wet room and sauna.

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