An extra chapter has been added to the technical standards for waterproofing basements following widespread problems…
The National House Building Council (NHBC) has added a new section to the 2016 edition of the NHBC Standards pertaining to basements.
Leaky basements are becoming a significant problem in new homes, with the issue now widespread. As a result, the NHBC has added a new chapter to the technical standards to cover this.
The NHBC has provided technical guidance for builders for more than 80 years. The firm is also the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK.
Standards Manager Paul Cribbens said: “The new guidance in Chapter 5.4 ‘Waterproofing of basements and other below ground structures’ is the culmination of a two-year NHBC campaign responding to a spate of serious issues with leaky substructures; this cost us £21m in claims between 2005 and 2013.
“We are confident that these changes will help bring down costly claims, with new technical guidance and benchmarks where the structure is required to resist the ingress of water from the ground and ultimately improve construction quality.”
