Protecting an 18th Century Barn from penetrating damp damage

Warwickshire is home to rural, farming communities that date back to Anglo-Saxon times. Now days, many of the agricultural barns have been converted into homes, but converted historic buildings can have unforeseen property care issues.

Princethorpe, is one of the many rural communities, that may well be able to trace its development back to the Roman ‘Fosse Way’ which passes through the village. Among the many period building to be found in the area, is an 18th Century barn conversion which belonged to Mr Redman. He had noticed patches of damp forming on walls and wooden floors, within the lounge and ground floor bedroom. As these patched progressively worsened, he realised professional help was needed.

A Rentokil Property Care survey by our experts, revealed that the penetrating damp was a direct result of of a local field flooding. The flood water was penetrating through the stone walls and floor into the barn conversion.

The answer to the problem was to use a method of waterproofing the property, known as ‘Waterproof Tanking‘. This utilises a cavity drain membrane, that effectively seals the internal areas of the property against the ingress of the penetrating water.

Cavity drain membranes use a studded membrane to line the walls and floors of a building to provide a dry internal surface. The walls can then be dry lined or plastered, and the floors can be screeded or overlaid with wooden flooring. Sealed systems are then used in conjunction with drainage (or sump and pump) where there is active water ingress or flooding.

Mr Redman need no longer worry about the ingress of penetrating water, as the new membrane acts as a permanent barrier. The system needed no time to cure, so redecoration could be completed quickly.

Mr G Redman, owner of the barn conversion commented:“The reason we used Rentokil was because of their excellent reputation. Their surveyor knew what he was talking about, which gave us peace of mind knowing that the work would be completed properly.”

Our Waterproof Tanking carries a 10 year guarantee and complies with BS8102 – which is the code of practice relating to underground structures.