Basement construction uk: How to Create a New Basement

How to Create a New Basement

(Image credit: Riach Architects)

While many countries include basement levels to their homes as standard, the UK seemingly lacks this ‘basement mentality’. However, where plot size is limited, or capacity for extending is limited, a basement really comes into its own. We are seeing more and more basements being added to homes, especially in urban areas where there is less scope to go wider, longer or higher with the existing building.

Basements are not only useful spaces for plant rooms or storage — they can be used for any residential purpose as long as your think about how to bring in natural light. A subterranean level is also the perfect way to work around potential issues of a sloping site .

This article looks at adding a basement level to an existing home, or adding one as part of a new build. Alternatively, find advice on converting an existing basement or cellar .

Can I add a Basement to my Home or New Build?

Start by finding out if your plot or property is suitable for a basement. Ground and site conditions can all mean that building a new basement is not possible. These conditions include:

a high water table
unsuitable bedrock
existing structures and services
archaeological finds.

Assessing and Managing Risks

Even if your site is viable, construction work in the ground carries risk, partly because you don’t know exactly what is below the surface. You can reduce the risks by:

Carrying out soil investigations.
Digging inspection pits to confirm the level of the water table before confirming the type and scope of works.
Confirming ground conditions and soil types . Chalky soil, for example, will drain much better than a clay-based soil.

In urban areas, the soil may contain traces of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic and other hazardous materials such as asbestos. The type of construction used will also have a bearing on the choice of basement route.

Going below ground also means that any service pipes or cables also need to be identified. This is where land searches are necessary. These will include searches for assets owned by utility providers, service providers such as BT Openreach, rail networks and more.

Expect your designers to advise on what tests they would expect to see for the scheme to assist them with their design work. All of these factors assist designers with the structure, after which the design can be worked up and priced.

Contractors used piled foundations for this basement in a Victorian property in Oxford, shown above and top, during construction. Due to the depth of the site below the water table, a contiguous piled wall was used. A concrete reinforced slab held the piled foundations in place while the lower basement was dug out beneath (Image credit: Simon Maxwell)

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Basement?

Generally, a contractor will price basement work according to four stages or components:

shell and core (the structure)
waterproofing (determined by the size of the basement space as well as the number of sump chambers and pumps needed)
fit out
maintenance (if a sump and pump are used).

Building a basement from scratch is likely to cost you anywhere from £2,000-£4,000/m2. Costs depend on the area, access and how easy it is to excavate and remove the soil from the site. Other site-specific factors, such as the need to divert drains, will increase costs.

The costs are almost double for a basement per m2 than for a loft conversion . This means that basements tend to make sense in high value areas, where the space you’re creating exceeds that cost of £2,000-£4,000/m2.

There are also annual maintenance costs that relate to pumps and the cleaning of the perimeter drainage channels. It is important to consider this at design phase to ensure that the design complies to BS 8102 and that it is accessible and maintainable.

Information on registered design specialists, including designers who are registered on the Waterproof Design Register, can be found on Property Care Association .

What Construction Methods are Best Suited to Basements?

The construction method tends to be decided by the budget, soil type and conditions of the site. Many basement specialists will offer a complete system including design, planning and manufacture, based around the site.

The method used will also depend on whether you are excavating and building underneath an existing structure, or building a new home. If you are building under an existing structure, it will be hard to use methods where prefabricated elements need craning into position.

Popular construction methods include:

Precast waterproof concrete panels, manufactured off-site and lifted into place (suited to new builds with basement levels where panels can be manoeuvred).
Brick and blockwork.
ICF (insulated concrete formwork) or shuttered concrete can be used anywhere you can allow access for concrete to be pumped on site.

How to Waterproof a Basement

Waterproofing/tanking is essential when creating a new basement. Any structure below ground that is used for residential space requires waterproofing. This ensure that there is a dry environment that can be controlled by domestic heating and ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) installations.

Below ground basement construction is generally of mass concrete underpinning and slab construction:

the concrete is mixed by a batching plant
arrives at a building site in a mixer lorry
is pumped into the site according to structural underpinning schedules.

While many people think that concrete is waterproof, it’s not unless it is treated with the application of additives. These additives must be mixed at the batching plant, monitored and certified to the designed specification to provide the level of protection required for the application (basements in this case). Bear in mind that this is just one step in the waterproofing process and is by no means suitable as a standalone solution. In any event, this process by itself would not receive Building Regulations approval.

Constructing the basement structure, referred to in the trade as ‘shell and core’, can be carried out by a main contractor or specialist basement contractors. The waterproofing must always be carried out by qualified/registered installers of the waterproofing systems and products.

Different Types of Waterproofing Protection

Type A: This refers to a waterproof material or membrane (often called tanking). This is applied to either the inside or outside of the basement structure and includes both walls and ground slab. These systems can include doubling up, i.e. both internal and external membrane protection.

Examples of this type of waterproofing are:

positive pressure membranes applied to the external face of the concrete such as Bentonite (a clay-based membrane)
a PVC sheet membrane (such as DualProof). This can either be applied using an adhesive or as part of the casting/shuttering process.

Type B: This refers to structurally integral protection where the structure of the basement must provide the waterproofing protection and reinforced water-resistant concrete is used. The monitoring of both materials and labour at the batching and construction stage is crucial to the success of the installation. Joints between concrete pours need to be carefully prepared and jointed to avoid water seepage through poor workmanship of cracking after construction.

Type C: This incorporates a water management system and is common in many modern basements. The system allows the ground water to penetrate the structure and drain behind the membrane at both wall and floor. The water diverts into a controlled drainage sump chamber where a pump takes it away from the building into either mains drainage or an attenuation tank.

Often, independent insurers such as NHBC or CRL that are guaranteeing new build basements will insist on two forms of waterproofing to comply with their own requirements. This can be a combination of two of the above to provide a waterproof environment.

What Can Go Wrong?

The most common waterproofing system is Type C. If the membrane is compromised during construction it is likely that the water will damage the internal finishes of the basement room. Repairing a membrane to a finished space is intrusive. It could also be costly if the precise location of a compromise can’t be found easily.
Service penetrations through basement walls are also common. These services need to be appropriately sealed, so specialists may need to return to the site to upgrade services after the shell structure has been built.
Construction work should be monitored. If a breach of the membrane is found, the specialists will make a repair which maintains the installation and product warranties.

Many things can go wrong with waterproofing — from the design phase, through to construction and final fit out. Repairing failures after fit out can be costly.

Common problems include:

contractors installing the membranes incorrectly
renders applied over existing finishes that have not bonded to the substrate
fixings applied through waterproof render.

Warranties for Basements

Both product warranty and installation warranty is important and a specialist will ensure that it is provided to the correct standards and without compromise. Although not a regulatory requirement, in many cases it is a necessity for structural warranty insurance. This is required for all new build properties and the conversion of properties to new units.

To obtain a structural warranty, a basement must be correctly waterproofed, as well as meeting the Building Regulations for all other works.

Bringing Light in

Artificial light is fine for storage uses, but if you are planning on spending considerable time down there, natural light is best. Sun tunnels/solar pipes are an easy way to bring light in and fairly affordable. However, where the design allows, use a lightwell or sunken courtyard which sits past the rear elevation of the property.

Of course, the whole basement does not have to be below ground. Where the ceiling is above ground level, you can include a row of clerestory windows to bring natural light in from the top of the room.

If you are building on a sloping site, you effectively create a semi-basement, with light coming from the front or back and perhaps also the sides. Anywhere that does not receive natural light can be reserved for use as utility rooms, maybe a home cinema, a plant room or even a bathroom.

Michael is Homebuilding & Renovating’s Director of Content, Vice Chair of the self build industry body, the National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA ), presenter of multiple property TV shows and author of Renovating for Profit (Ebury). He also runs an architectural and interior design practice, offering design and project management services. He is one of the country’s leading property experts and has undertaken over 30 building projects including two self-builds and the renovation of a Grade-II listed farmhouse.

Michael has presented over 150 property shows for BBC, ITV1, Channel 5, UK TV Style, and Discovery RealTime, including I Own Britain’s Best Home; Don’t Move Improve; Trading Up; Good Bid, Good Buy; Build, Buy or Restore?; How to Build A House; and Hard Sell.

Michael is also a regular expert at the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows. He has written for leading British newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times, Daily Express and The Independent and has appeared on news programmes such as BBC Breakfast.

Basement.

I help you build a new basement structure waterproof from the concrete alone.

No basement I built or helped build since 2013 has ever had a drop of water leak through the structure.

Since April 2022 the British Standard has been re-written to make preventing water getting through the structure the new priority.

Internal drainage to pump all the leak water away is all but forbidden now.

Please note. I don’t go underneath anything already there.

I will help you understand whether your basement is viable.

I will explain advice you get elsewhere and help you accept or reject that advice.

I will tell you how I think your basement should be built, and explain why.

I will train you or your team to build your basement not to leak.

I will supervise all your concreting and make sure it is waterproof.

I will be exhibiting at Build It Live: Kent Event Centre: 4-5 Feb 2023.

BS8102 : 2022 is a complete U turn from its predecessor written in 2009.

This web site has been re-written to reflect the changes.

The reasons I succeed where no one else succeeded have been included in the new release of BS 8102 : 2022. Protection of below ground structures against water ingress – Code of practice.

You should have a Waterproofing Specialist with relevant experience of building a basement structure to be waterproof talking to your design team; and a Supervisor on site to stop mistakes being made or corners cut.

I have been doing both these roles for years. I am the expert you need to build your basement to be dry and to BS 8102 : 2022.

I have a page explaining my suitability to be your Waterproofing Specialist to BS 8102 : 2022. Click on this image to go straight there.

You can click on the Menu Page button above to access all 45 pages.

You can read to the end of any page and click on the Next Page button.

I also have some products that I sourced when I built my own basements because they are much better or just as good yet cheaper. I no longer build basements for other people, I still provide expertise and products that will help you. I still provide training and supervision and I can still guarantee that your basement will have no visible leak.

My clients employ me to give them sensible advice, to train them where required and to supervise the most important stages which are the concrete pours. If you follow my advice, training and supervision throughout, I guarantee that your basement will be dry from the reinforced concrete alone. Or else I will fix all leaks free of charge.

All I really do differently to contractors is supervise to make sure the methods employed will work and all the workmanship is Right First Time. Right First Time saves a great deal of money and worry.

Right First Time might be the only way you can afford your basement.

After the Grenfell Inquiry we all now know that the construction industry is rotten to the core. No one listens when problems are reported. No one looks after the client’s best interests. Except me. Looking after clients’ best interests is exactly what I do.

I consistently save my clients 30% compared to the cost of an experienced contractor.

Even more if they do some of the work themselves, which many do because I show them how.

And my clients don’t have the expensive problems common when experienced contractors did the work.

I’m told that I have been referenced in over 400 academic papers. I was very influential in a Yorkshire Water report about improving their poor record of leaks through their reinforced concrete water tanks at treatment works.

Basement built by a farmer in the West Country.

This basement below was begun with Sika products that failed – the wall on the left, then continued my way including the roof over the top.

Your self build basement will only succeed if you do the right things correctly.

Basements in the UK tend to leak because the work is done badly – and that applies to all the fancy products and leak repairs as well. A lot of money is spent dealing with leaks when the basement needn’t have leaked had someone taken a bit of care.

Many basements in the USA and Canada leak because they don’t have enough reinforcing steel and their concrete is too wet. They seem to save a lot of money and do the work very quickly, but after a while their concrete cracks and their basements flood when the snow melts every year.

In Britain, the ground around your basement can be sodden at any time of year, so it is much more important in Britain to build your basement to be waterproof.

But British workmanship is usually by specialist contractor following specialist contractor – none of whom care twopence about the problems they leave for others to sort out, including leaking concrete, leaking waterproof membranes, leaking pump plumbing and so on.

The solution is to have someone on your side who stops everything going wrong so your basement doesn’t have any leaks to worry about.

Me watching everything.

You don’t have to struggle. You don’t have to waste money. I can show you how, supervise your concrete pours and guarantee you have no leaks.

I have about 30 years of varied basement construction experience on big commercial projects such as office blocks and shopping centres to the smallest domestic basement. I have a lot of experience of traditional formwork, hired in systems and ICFs. For self builders and builders who haven’t built a basement before, my fusion of all the above is the best.

My clients choose the timber based upon what they can best use in the house they build. That way, the formwork is very cheap. My way is simple. You can always add more screws (which is the obvious downfall of all ICFs), my formwork is very strong and my concrete structures completely waterproof.
I began building domestic basements with probably 100 times your relevant experience yet I still learned many lessons the hard way.

This is me on the concrete pump.

Someone following with my poker

and the same wall a year later with no other waterproofing against the concrete you see poured above.

You can see the slope in the top of the wall below, and the additional timber to create that sloping top in the photo above.

If you used either a hired-in formwork system or ICF you would find that sloping top difficult and prone to bursting.

When this client sent me this photo, he was providing me with a reference for another prospective client, and this is some of what he said

“we are very proud of the work Phil did for us and how he pulled the project together. The finished result is outstanding.
Phil has extensive experience and all of the civil engineering people we had on our development held Phil and his experience in high regard.

Phil has a very direct manner and gets things done.

Phil always without questions works in your favour.

Phil will save you a lot of money.

As you can see, I can’t speak highly enough of Phil and the work he does. He made such a difference on our development and we have been delighted with the end product. Our development actually sits in water so we needed every confidence we would have NO leaks. I have taken a picture of it today and attached it here. You can’t see the underground elements too well as they are below the water line

I have another house build on our current site that involves concrete near water and Phil will be doing that job too – he does not know this yet but he does now.”

This is the same basement viewed the other way when I returned to pour the concrete ground floor on the steel frame.

Every basement build is different with its own special problems that only come to light as you do the work. Success requires experience. I am the experience you need without making a fortune out of you.

I live near Epping in Essex and I am happy to travel anywhere in the Home Counties, down to Southampton and North to Nottingham and Derby.

Call me, Phil Sacre:

Email me:

I am not registered for VAT

New dwellings can get all the VAT back from building costs but not from design, management or hire costs.

I will bill you personally for everything you get from me, free of VAT.

Unlimited basement advice by email. £125.

Waterproofing Specialist working as a part of your design team to meet BS 8102 : 2022. £500.

A powerful plasticiser to make a stiff yet waterproof mix of concrete flow. £34 per m³ treated.

Site training and site supervision of concrete pours. £300 a visit,

3 visits would be usual.

FRP threaded rods and nuts. For wall formwork and for slab levelling. Rods £3.50 per 1m rod, Nuts £2.00 each.

Steel waler plate supplies. £1.00 each first 4 weeks including delivery and collection. Then £0.10p per week or part week.

External drainage membrane, tough enough to be backfilled against. £75 a 10m roll.

Vibrating poker hire. If I supervise your concreting I guarantee it is waterproof, so I need to be sure you use the best poker and that you have a spare on site. £40 for each poker you use.

At the foot of every page you will find this image. Click it to go to our menu page where every page is listed.

Clicking the banner at the top will return you to the home page.

This is how clients usually become clients for the first time

The Page After That

Home Page – Beautiful Basements

Creating space for life

Beautiful Basements is a specialist basement contractor providing a complete range of basement construction and waterproofing services for both the residential and commercial sectors. We have a wealth of specialist experience – so if your project is underground we’ve probably already built or waterproofed one just like it! Please take a look at our gallery to see some examples of our work.

Residential Projects

For residential projects we’re the region’s specialist basement contractor for new build basements, basement underpinning, retro-fit basements and for underground waterproofing.

Whether you are a homeowner or a main contractor we can help with your new build basement project or specialist heavy-side basement works. If you’re planning a new basement, we can help. Remember, all we do is basements!

Commercial Projects

Whether you are a developer looking for a specialist sub-contract basement builder or a design professional with a new build basement that needs costing or design progression, we can help. We are not only a specialist basement contractor, but also designer and installer of all types of waterproofing.

We build basements across the Midlands and work nationally on commercial projects involving structural waterproofing design, remedial waterproofing design and structural waterproofing installations.

Welcome to our world of Beautiful Basements!

The Midland’s Most Recommended Basement Specialist

GET A QUOTE

Why Choose Us?

At beautiful basements we have over 30 years of specialist basement waterproofing experience! Our surveyors are CSSW qualified which enables us to design waterproofing systems for NHBC and Premier construction guarantees; and the company is registered with the Property Care Association as a specialist basement contractor.

If you want the very best for your basement conversion or new build basement then we can deliver some exceptional results. Take a look at our gallery to see some of our amazing basement restoration projects – we go beyond the purely functional and throw time and passion into creating something beautiful.

Our new build basements are also a work of passion. We love building them – and it just has to be done properly with all the necessary risk abatement measures. After all we’re building the foundations for your next 30 years and we want you to sleep at night without worrying!

We insist upon quality all of the time. No “if’s” or “but’s” or cutting a corner! If its not quality its not ours. We spend hours on every project looking at quality, learning and improving from the smallest detail and then training our staff so everyone gets it. Its one of our core principles.

Although we’re a small team we’re all experts or working towards being an expert in some aspect of basement construction. We’re truly driven to do a great job and learn more about every aspect of this specialist form of construction. Even our labourers are sent on management courses so that they understand “why” they are doing things rather then just “what” they are doing.

Testimonials

It was very good to find a company that could provide a solution to our problem. Several others told us it could not be done, you proved them all wrong!

Very good, very professional. Excellent service. Provided ideas for lighting, tiling etc. We are really pleased with everything you have done and keen to recommend you when we can

I can’t recommend anyone higher than Beautiful Basements! So glad we discovered you on the net. You chose to do things differently at times to make a better job for it

The most professional building/services company we have ever dealt with – and we’ve used many! Very impressed – excellent service

We were kept involved in the process at all times. The whole site was kept very clean and tidy. Beautiful Basements score highly in professionalism, quality and value for money

Very good value for money and disruption was minimal

Very satisfied. Disruption was minimal, very professional operatives and very good value for money

We were both very impressed with the planning management and execution of the work. Your business is extremely professional and helped give us peace of mind and confidence that our house was in safe hands. Brilliant ‘customer contact’ thoughtfully minimising disruption for our neighbours and a friendly, hard working team. So different from our previous experience with builders completing the work!

Superb value for money, very professional and likeable workers. Would not hesitate to, and have recommended Beautiful Basements

A very good job, very clear/tidy working area. We have never known such tidy and self-sufficient builders! We would recommend you to anyone

It was very good to find a company that could provide a solution to our problem. Several others told us it could not be done, you proved them all wrong!

Very pleased with final job

Good standard of workmanship, very professional operatives, disruption was minimal

Superb value for money, very professional & likeable workers. Would recommend Beautiful Basements

Very pleased with end result

Beautiful Basements were the only company to consider the project from all angles

Very professional, kept us informed & very good quality

Very satisfied. Disruption minimal, very professional operatives and very good value for money

Overall a good experience and we would recommend Beautiful Basements to others

We are now enjoying a lovely cellar conversion. Thank you

Professional planning & efficient time-keeping. Well managed, thank you

The Old Post Office “I was very pleased. Very professional with little disruption

We’re really pleased with everything and happily recommend you

Professional operatives kept us fully informed of progress and involved in the decision making process

Very good quality & value for money, professional workers ensured minimum disruption

Very good value for money & disruption was minimal

We were very impressed with the planning, management & execution – so different from previous experiences with builders!

Our Clients

At Beautiful Basements we are very happy to have worked with some of the best property developers from around the Midlands, from very large commercial projects to small, boutique design & builds.

Take a look below at some of our property development partners and some of the projects we have worked together on.

“Inspirational design….aspirational living”

Langton Homes is a family run business based in Oakham, Rutland. Each project is designed to the last detail to deliver bespoke houses with stunning finishes.

We have worked together on several projects since 2010. Check out the links below to see our projects with Langton Homes:

New build basement, Market Harborough.

New build basement with piled foundations, Market Harborough.

Costwold Oak create bespoke houses across the West Midlands. Some of their projects are completely unique in ambition and build style, as a property developer there is no “normal way” of construction, only the right way.

We are proud to have worked with a developer with whom we share a basic philosophy. Below you can find some of the projects we worked together on.

House underpin & new build basement – Lapworth, West Midlands

Waterproof concrete basement – Birmingham

Storey Homes Ltd are a family run property developer based in Milton Keynes. They offer well designed, exceptionally built properties across the Northern Home Counties.

We have worked together on several projects, from traditional, very large internal waterproofing projects to unique waterproofing projects such as bicycle storage and carpark decks. Take a look below at some of the projects we have worked on with Storey Homes Ltd.

Carpark deck waterproofing with dry storage below

Waterproofing 6 new houses, Apmthill Beds

Waterproofing very large basement, Ampthill Beds

East Coast Homes Ltd. is a family run business based in Suffolk. It began with the building in a family home and expanded from there. Since that time they have developed some of the best homes in the region.

We have worked together on some very complex projects including an extension to a very large stone built house with a new basement underneath, a process called retro-fitting.

Vidi Construction Ltd. is a large Midlands based multi-discipline construction company. At present they employ over 200 skilled tradespeople in the commercial, residential and industrial build & renovation sectors.

We have worked with Vidi Construction Ltd. on a very large redevelopment of the old Copperworks building in central Birmingham, converting a disused and abandoned factory into a series of luxury, bespoke build homes.

Mercia Design & Build Ltd are a premier provider of high-end, luxurious construction services for some of the most exclusive residence in and around the Midlands.

We have worked with Mercia Design & Build Ltd on several projects in the Birmingham and West Midlands, ranging from full design & build to specialised waterproofing projects.

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<<<home – homes with basements

The provision of basements or cellars to new housing can
dramatically improve land utilisation, improve energy consumption and provide homes capable
of coping with changes in lifestyle.

Polarwall offers a quick & effective
construction with excellent structural and energy performance.

High land prices make it is sensible
&
feasible to increase the living space within the house without
extending its footprint.

A basement can change your home from merely being a place to live, into a lifestyle home with any number of different below ground rooms for a whole host of different
uses, such as:

Gym/fitness suite

Wine cellar

Swimming pool

Home cinema

Basement car parking

Office or play room

Difficult sites

There are more and more building plots available where
developing
the site is made more difficult, for instance by a sloping site. Whilst
the land can be cheaper the cost of development may be more than you
expect. By a building a basement, the extra cost in the foundation work
can be offset by creating extra living space.

By introducing a basement into the build, this can not only
utilize
the slope to its maximum, but also stabilize the site and provide the
foundations for the house above.

Polarwall has supplied numerous developments where the owners
have
done exactly this. The results can provide a practical and beautiful
way to increase the living space and create a lifestyle home..

Planning gain

Although most planning authorities will wish to see a planning
application for a basement, because it is generally hidden, the visual
impact can be reduced. Planning permission can therefore be easier to
obtain if you need the extra living space, but can’t build higher
because of planning restriction.

Building costs

New
basement technologies, such as Polarwall, have quickened the build time
and reduced the cost of basement construction. One of the major costs
of basement construction is the removal from site of the soil, and
though this can sometimes be “lost” on larger
sites, for
compact sites it can be expensive. However, basements do not have to be
fully immersed and basement construction that is partly below ground
and partly above ground can save money and let in natural light.
Sloping sites make for great basements, as one side can be opened to
create a “walk out”, providing lots of natural
light.

Waterproofing

A modern basement should always be dry. There are so many ways
to
keep the moisture out, (we would always advocate a belt and braces
approach). Each basement project needs to be treated in its own right
as site conditions will normally dictate the level of protection
required. We have undertaken extensive research into various methods
of waterproofing, and have access to professionals who can advise on
the correct waterproofing methods, please click here to read more.

Warranty

We work with structural waterproofing companies who provide full warrantys on their work. Further cover on a property based insurnace policy can also be arranged. This will guarantee a dry
basement from day one. Developers no longer have to worry about the cost of putting a leaky basement right!

Polarwall and basement construction

Polarwall
is ideal for any basement and retaining wall construction. The wall
core can be 200mm, 250mm or 300mm depending upon the structural loading
and the soil pressures. A brick corbel can be formed at the top of the wall to any width which might be required.

Polarwall has advantages over any other ICF system in basements for the
following reasons:

The formwork is made of Extruded Polystyrene
– the most moisture resistant of any insulating board

The reinforcement can be welded wire mesh – this
saves a lot of construction time over the placing and tying of ordinary
reinforcement bar

Wide formwork and low profile ties ensures excellent
concrete compaction

Constructing with Polarwall

We are able to offer contact to one of the Polarwall basement
specialists in your area to construct your project and to design your waterproofing solution.

For more information on
please click here or contact us on

0845
8382181

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Basement Construction Guide – Performance Foundations Limited

Here’s our guide to what’s involved in a basement construction project.

Performance Foundations has been creating basements for over ten years to the highest construction standards and in many different types of building and site locations.

It’s important to realise that just because a builder is proficient at work above ground, it doesn’t mean they have the specialist skills and experience to build below ground. Basement projects can go horribly wrong.

We pride ourselves on being basement specialists, and we have a long track record in rock-solid construction projects built to stand the test of time.

Why build a basement?

Basement projects create more space in a home or commercial building, and add value to a property. Basements are particularly appealing for owners in urban areas where space is limited, and we have worked on a growing number of projects in London, Brighton and as well as basements in Surrey, Kent and Hampshire.

The reasons for building a basement are similar to those for investing in a normal extension, but instead of building on the same level, our expertise is in building below the surface. There is long list of possible uses for a basement including:

Gym
Games room
Indoor cinema
Playroom
Swimming pool
Sauna
Utility room
Library
Wine cellar
Music room
Secure room
Garaging

At Performance Foundations we have successfully completed projects on basements for existing buildings and on basements for new builds. We have worked on one storey and two storey basements, as well as basements under gardens.

Why do basements need a team of experts?

Basement projects involve a range of specialist skills. Construction projects are invariably a team effort, and we pride ourselves on working successfully in partnership with building professionals, including main contractors appointed by the client to take overall responsibility for the project.

We work with architects who provide the design and architectural drawings for the project and an estimate of costs. Where planning permission is required it is always advisable to use an architect with knowledge of local planning constraints.

We work with structural engineers who take the plans and undertake the load-bearing structural design after ground surveys and site investigations. The design needs to meet the strict building control standards required by your local authority.

Once approved, Performance Foundations will take the final plans, provide detailed costs, and undertake the below ground piling and construction work.

Once the piling, foundations and other below ground work is completed and signed off, we will hand over to the above ground contractor.

How many people are needed for a basement project?

The reality of most domestic basement projects is that there is only adequate space for three or four people on site at any one time. Our groundworking team will start the project with excavation. They then hand over to the piling team which includes our grout operators responsible for managing cement and grout pumping and filling equipment.

All members of our team are trained and certified in site safety. They always work to Health and Safety Guidelines and we undertake full site risk assessments. We operate with full insurance cover for public and professional liability.

What are the steps in a basement project?

Step 1: Excavation

Creating a new basement begins with digging – a lot of digging! Our groundwork team will get to work with mechanical diggers (aided if necessary by physical manual digging). We encounter all sorts of soil from lighter sandy soil to heavy clay, but whatever the material it is loaded into dump trucks, sometimes using conveyors and chutes, and taken away by lorry.

We always approach projects with full knowledge about any party wall issues, ground conditions, neighbours, trees, other buildings.

Step 2: Underpinning and Piling

Excavating below ground weakens support for the upper part of a building, so has to be undertaken with extreme care. As piling experts, our approach will always leave adequate support in place when we remove soil. We underpin buildings with piling to strengthen and stabilise the site.

Piling involves boring holes in various ways, and filling the cavities with concrete to provide a strong, permanent support for walls, blocks and beams. For efficiency, we use auger bored piling which continuously drills and excavates soil. Our mini piling rigs can operate in limited spaces, forming mini piles to create a strong and stable foundation.

If deep foundations are not possible, we use bottom driven piling based on a drop hammer driving a dry concrete mix into steel lining tubes. Rotary piling is used for larger piles. A large auger screw is repeatedly lifted with the soil and rubble being removed each time.

Step 3: Retaining Walls

To hold back the soil we build retaining walls of various kinds. The type of wall depends on each specific site.

If there is enough access, we construct reinforced concrete retaining walls, with the concrete pumped over reinforcing steel frames from concrete lorries. For level sites, pre-formed concrete blocks are used to form gravity retaining walls. If access is restricted, we use mini-piling machines to build contiguous piled walls, with piles drilled close together to form a very strong retaining and supporting structure. For large or wet sites and quick installation, we use sheet piling walls consisting of interlocking steel sheets.

We then get to work with levelling and compacting equipment to allow for floor construction.

Step 4: Waterproofing

Experience shows that one of the most important elements in basement projects is waterproofing. At Performance Foundations we work with leading waterproofing specialists to ensure that our basements stay dry and can withstand potential long term damage from water.

Our basements usually feature cavity drain membrane systems. Polyurethane plastic sheets with dimples are fixed to the walls to create a cavity between the substrate and internal wall. Any water seeping through the wall is collected and drained away, if necessary with the help of pump systems in the floor structure. Alternative waterproofing techniques are cement-based tanking of internal walls, and the use of damp proof membranes on external walls where they are accessible.

Step 5: Flooring

To create a level, permanent basement floor we generally use poured concrete. Alternatively we use steel grids as a base material, as well as block and beam construction. Further options include installing underfloor heating and drainage work for basement toilets and washing facilities.

When does a Performance Foundation project finish?

In essence, what we sign off is completion of a waterproof content box. We complete accurate, fully documented pile logs, and ensure that building control approves our work and that the main contractor and client are fully satisfied.

Next steps for your basement project

We work on basement construction with homeowners, national builders, architects and civil engineers.

Get in touch now to discuss your basement project.

Performance Foundations

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Civic Trust 2021 Award-Winner – Case Study
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London Basement Conversion & Construction specialists

Abtech – London Basement Conversion & Construction specialists
site creation software

Retrofit Basement

A specialist basement company offering construction and waterproofing of below ground structures for the public and commercial environment.

Structural Waterproofing

Our waterproofing department specialise in providing effective solutions for modern day expectations of a dry environment using modern products and techniques.

Basement Structure

A specialist basement company offering construction and waterproofing of below ground structures for the public and commercial environment.

New Build Basement

Providing basements structures for new housing including piling, excavation, drainage, pumping systems and the reinforced concrete structure ready for your house to be built over.

Basement Conversions in London

Here at Abtech Basements we offer our expert services in the construction and waterproofing of new or existing basements. With over 45 years in industry, we are a well-known basement conversion company in London and Oxford. All of our staff are highly skilled and fully trained so you can have peace of mind that your property is in safe hands.

London & Oxford

Basement Conversions

Specialising in basement structures and conversions;
waterproofing of new build and existing basements and cellars.

Create extra living space in your home, whether it be a new build or retrofit project.

Working throughout the South of England, including North London, South London and Oxford, plus many projects in West London, Fulham, Chiswick and Chelsea.

Reputable, experienced, professional and trustworthy, Abtech offers an expert service in all areas of basement construction.

Retrofit Basement

Retro Fit basements or cellar conversions

Our wealth of experience in underpinning, temporary works and excavation within an existing property, allows us to provide a comprehensive package for your planned basement.

New level for design stage of a new build

Providing basements structures for new housing including piling, excavation, drainage, pumping systems and the reinforced concrete structure ready for your house to be built over.

Basement waterproofing/cellar conversion

Our waterproofing department specialise in providing effective solutions for modern day expectations of a dry environment using modern products and techniques.

Geobond

Our sister company,
constructing our piled solutions

Considerate Constructors Scheme

Proud to be members and award winners

Delta

Certified Delta waterproofing installed

CGS

Providing insurance backed
guarantees for peace of mind

CHAS

Our trusted advisor on
health & safety compliance

Chelsea Life Magazine – 2019

Abtech Basements have been featured in the March 2019 edition of Chelsea Life Magazine.

ABTECH (UK) Ltd have moved to new premises!

We continue to be based in Farnborough, Hampshire but in more spacious and modern offices to compliment the company’s continuing success.

Find Out More

Products and Technology

Here at Abtech Basement Systems we use a number of top end products as standard. Find out more about products we use.

8 Costs to Consider when Constructing or Converting a Basement

Many costs need to be considered when you looking into basement construction or a conversion. We have listed 8 items you need to consider.

Read Full Article

Abtech awards ceremony 2017 finalist – Technical Innovation

Here at Abtech we are very proud to be invited this year to the Ground Engineering Awards 2017. We were short listed as finalists in the Technical Innovations award.

Read Full Article on geplus.co.uk

Make do and extend: It’s time to build up, down or out

David Hilton Director at Abtech Basement System is quoted:

“Basement extensions are now widespread and there is no basement that can’t be dug out if you can afford to pay for it. “

In the current climate there’s no doubt that it’s easier to extend than to move and if you’ve got some unused space, it’s worthwhile thinking about building into it to create that extra room. Adding another room is usually the most reliable way to add value to a property so if you can combine the selling power of a fabulous new kitchen in a new, and/or larger, space then you should be onto a winner….

Read Full Article on independent.co.uk

It’s all about the basement

“Caroline’s greatest challenge she said, was some less than accurate estimates of pipework that lay in the basement — though Abtech was able to find solutions. Her delight in her new home, however, is palpable. ‘It’s such a fabulous space to hold parties,’ she confesses, with a smile. Two of her daughters also now regularly come to stay — she suspects because the property is so appealing.”

Read Full Article on metro.news

The London Mews House

Ian Hogarth and Claire Farrow took the bold step of starting to build their home in Kensington, West London, well before getting planning permission. It was a massive gamble, but one that paid off, leaving them with their own pocket of paradise in the heart of the city

Parents build £1m home complete with nightclub

Claire Farrow and Ian Hogarth from West Kensington invested more than £1m to create their ‘dream home’ complete with a state-of-the-art discotheque.

Abtech were involved in the basement conversion of this project.

It’s all about the basement

CAROLINE WYLD has never shied away from a challenge. The Scottish born mother of three, a former cook and ‘hobby’ property developer, has converted three barns, run a bed and breakfast, and even recently qualified as a Nordic walking instructor.

So, when she bought a 500sq ft, one-bedroom flat with a small cellar in a leafy road in London’s Wimbledon Park in 2014, she was undeterred by the idea of making big changes….

Abtech were involved in the basement conversion of this project.

Read Full Article on Metro. news

People often ask: do British houses have cellars?

In addition to the UK, Australia and New Zealand, wineries are popular in most Western countries. In the UK, Virtually all 1960s new buildings do not have a basement or cellar. due to the additional cost of digging deeper and the need for deeper foundations and impervious deposits.

Do English houses have cellars?

Cellars, garages, cellars and warehouses. In the UK, it is not uncommon for houses to have basements such as a TV room or office, and the buildings that do exist, especially in cities, are often subdivided into flats.

What do the British call a basement?

In British English, the floor of a building at street level is called the first floor. The top floor is the ground floor and the floor below is called the basement. However, in American English, the floor at street level is usually referred to as the first floor.

Why do houses in New England have a basement?

Because building codes generally require foundations to be placed at or below the frost line, buildings in areas with colder winters are more likely to use a basement to achieve the required depth. In New England, 78% of single-family homes opened in 2014 had basements.

Are there wineries in London?

Newcastle University researchers found that one part of seven West London blocks (out of 32 London boroughs) allowed 2017 basements in the decade to 4,650. Stacked on top of each other, they will make 50 pieces on the ground.

Why are British houses so bad?

Experts say that the rush to build houses amid a chronic housing shortage in the UK and the dominance of large construction companies hiring many subcontractors are also responsible for poor building standards. How does the construction process in the UK compare to other countries?

Why are UK houses so small?

How we live today: what do they need and what do people expect from their home bigger rooms and higher ceilings; and the possibility of “private rooms” for individual family members. ”

What floor is the UK ground floor on?

In British English, the floor level of a building is called the ground floor. The top floor is called the first floor, the top floor is called the second floor, and so on.

Why do the British say “land” and not “land”?

Centuries ago “soil” was an archaic word for “soil”. And, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “land” was used in cricket to refer to land (but that must be an unusual usage as it is not currently used in any standard British dictionary).

What is an apartment in British English?

In British English, an apartment is a collection of living quarters that are usually on the same floor of a large building. In American English, a set of similar rooms is often referred to as an apartment. The word is also used instead of flat in British English to convey the impression of luxury.

Why is there no basement in Texas?

Phil Crone, executive director of the Dallas Builders Association, said basements are less common in Texas because the frost line, the depth of ground where the ground doesn’t freeze in winter, is much shallower in Texas than up north.

Why doesn’t California have a basement?

Basements are rare in California due to the way houses were built after World War II. There was a massive real estate boom in California at the time, which led to rapid housing construction.

Why do most American homes have basements?

While some homes are best built without basements due to moisture problems, millions of basements still need help. The reason we even have basements is because many years ago people needed ice-free spaces before heating systems constantly froze houses.

What is the largest winery in the world?

Popular worldwide solution when space is limited. Construction costs typically limit underground parking to four or five floors. However, the Sydney Opera House car park is 12 floors high. At a height of 120 feet (or 37 meters), it is considered the deepest basement in the world.

What are iceberg houses?

In his motion, Robinson asked the city council to “instruct the master planner” to “report on impact management strategies for developments known as iceberg homes,” which are “single-family homes with multi-story basements protruding far above the surface.” . – It concerns the construction plan.

What is iceberg winery?

Iceberg houses are houses with large hidden cellars that can be much larger than the house that appears on the surface. These basements can be up to four stories deep—huge underground bunkers that often contain luxurious add-ons like swimming pools, spas, gyms, bowling alleys, and movie theaters.

Basement wars. How London is experiencing an underground development boom

Another conflict is developing in London around underground development, a trend popular among residents of prestigious areas, which has repeatedly led to scandals and litigation. The reason this time was the plans of 62-year-old billionaire John Hunt, who decided to dig a basement several floors deep under his mansion – with a swimming pool, a tennis court and a car museum with a small Ferris wheel.

Pictured: Kensington Palace Gardens, London

The nearby French embassy opposed the project. Diplomats, not wanting to put up with large-scale construction in the neighborhood, went to court. Last November, the court rejected the complaint, but the embassy intends to defend it in the appellate instance.

The Hunt Mansion, a four-storey 19th-century building that briefly housed the Russian consulate, is located on Kensington Palace Gardens, the most expensive street in London. There is the property of Roman Abramovich, the founder of Mittal Steel, Lakshmi Mittal, and an entrepreneur from the USSR, Leonid Blavatnik. The average price of a mansion on Kensington Palace Gardens – billionaires’ boulevard – is several tens of millions of pounds.

Hunt, the founder of real estate agency Foxconn, who was worth more than £1.1bn in 2015, got permission from local authorities in the late 2000s to build a huge basement. However, he met with strong resistance from his neighbors. Initially, French diplomats applied to the court, later they were supported by colleagues from other embassies located on the same street, including those from Russia, India and Saudi Arabia.

Diplomats said that digging a cellar next door would interfere with their work. They referred to Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations: it obliges the host country to provide “all measures to protect the premises of the mission from any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or insult to its dignity. ”

The conflict is typical of London, which has experienced a boom in underground construction in recent years. According to the BBC for 2015, over the past ten years, about two thousand basements have been built in the central part of the city alone. The number of annual requests for permits for underground construction more than doubled between 2005 and 2015. In 2013, 450 applications were filed in the central Kensington and Chelsea area alone – almost 50% more than a year earlier and five times more than ten years ago.

These are mostly rather modest buildings. Grandiose projects – with swimming pools, saunas, gyms and so on – make up a small part of the total. However, it is because of them, as a rule, loud scandals flare up.

Demand for cellars, on the one hand, is due to objective reasons. Housing prices in London, including in prestigious areas, are rising. In 2015, the growth was about 14%, real estate there is on average three times more expensive than in other parts of the country (UBS in last year’s survey called London property the most overvalued in Europe). In some areas, prices rose even more: in Camden – by 19%, in Hackney (both in the central part of the city) – by 27%. As of February 2016, in the Mayfair area, which is part of Westminster, they reached 2.8 thousand pounds per square foot (about 0.1 square meters).

Possibilities for extending mansions by building additional floors are limited (the rules provide, in particular, for the preservation of the façade of buildings built in the 18th-19th centuries). For those who do not have enough space, it is possible to sell the house and buy a larger one, but this can turn into a big additional cost: if you buy property over £1.5 million, you will have to pay 12% of its value as stamp duty. When it comes to mansions worth tens of millions of pounds, building a basement will cost less than replacing one house with another.

Such projects can also be a way to increase the value of a house. In a basement, one square foot of extra floor space is estimated by London Basement to cost £400-500. In prestigious areas of London, average property prices can be several times higher.

On the other hand, cellar construction has become a kind of fashion in recent years. “It’s like Ebola,” says Amanda Frame, a resident of central London. As soon as someone digs a basement, others, she says, begin to rush about with this idea too. “For the super-rich, these [luxury basements] are toys,” said Ed Mead, head of Douglas & Gordon real estate agency. I don’t think they use them often. They just want to show off their wealth.”

At the same time, many owners of mansions, being foreigners, practically do not use their property as a place of residence. As of 2014, in the prestigious areas of Camden and Westminster in central London, the share of empty houses (in which no one has lived for more than six months) was about 1.5% – against the national average of 1%. In Kensington and Chelsea – about 2%.

This only increases the annoyance of the neighbors, who have to endure the inconvenience associated with digging a basement in the nearest mansion (above all constant noise), where, perhaps, even no one will live. Especially if construction is going on in several places at the same time. So, at the end of last year it became known that only on one small street in the center of London, six people can do cellar digging at once.

Building regulations stipulate that the project must be discussed with neighbors. You can build without their consent, although they have the opportunity to go to court. So, for example, businessman, founder of the hedge fund TT International, Tim Thaci, did when his neighbor, VR Capital president Richard Dietz, decided to build a basement with a swimming pool, sauna and gym under his London mansion. Citing that the project threatened nearby buildings, Thaci hired lawyers from two London-based firms, initiated legal proceedings, and ensured that construction was halted.

Among those who spoke out against large-scale underground development in the center of London were actress Joan Collins, who played in the TV series Dynasty, Queen guitarist Brian May and other celebrities. “I like the idea of underground construction,” cellist Julian Lloyd Weber, brother of composer Andrew Lloyd Weber, noted a couple of years ago. “But for those who live in the neighborhood, it brings great inconvenience. Life turns into chaos: noise, garbage, blocked roads. I don’t think it’s acceptable for a lot of people to suffer because of expensive projects.”

Construction can turn into more serious troubles. A few years ago, digging a basement in the London mansion of Goldman Sachs top manager Christoph Stanger led to the fact that cracks appeared in the walls of nearby houses. In November 2015, former Phones4u chief executive David Cussler’s £3.8m mansion collapsed while a basement for a cinema, gym and wine cellar was being dug underneath. An earlier audit showed that out of 127 underground construction projects, half violated safety rules.

Protests and complaints have led local authorities to impose restrictions on building basements in some parts of London. So, in Kensington and Chelsea, projects deeper than one floor were banned, as well as construction work on weekends. A few years ago, a law was proposed in the British Parliament that would restrict such construction throughout the country, but it did not receive sufficient support.

Mikhail Tishchenko, editor of Slon Magazine, slon.ru

Plans to dig a two-level basement near Kensington Palace in London angered the neighbors of the British royal family

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Home / Society / Plans to dig a two-level basement near Kensington Palace in London outraged the neighbors of the British royal family

Many wealthy residents of London’s prestigious Kensington borough have protested plans to build a £24 million (about $31 million) two-level basement near the Queen Anne’s greenhouse. It is part of the Kensington Palace complex, home to Prince William and his family, as well as a number of other members of the Windsor royal family. The City Council of the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has already received 14 letters demanding that the plans be rejected, and only 4 letters in support of the project.

Photo: goodfellowcommunications.com

“This is a historic building and should not be disturbed,” Donald Cameron, a resident of the area and a former telecommunications industry manager, said of the Queen Anne Conservatory. According to him, the greenhouse is the central element of the layout of the territory of the royal complex and should serve the needs of visitors to the palace gardens. “There is no justification for building a two-level basement,” he stated.

The indignation of Cameron and other neighbors of the second in line heir to the British throne is caused by at least two reasons. Firstly, the district municipality has officially banned Londoners from building basements under their houses on two levels, and absolutely everyone is equal before the law, including members of the royal family. Secondly, it is known that the construction of the underground complex will cost 24 million pounds, and the costs of the crowned family, as you know, are covered by taxpayers, that is, subjects of Her Majesty.

As officially announced, the new two-level underground structure was required in order to accommodate the employees of the Historical Royal Palaces charitable foundation (“Historical Royal Palaces”, translated as “Historic Royal Palaces”), who now work in Kensington Palace itself. The reason for this movement was the need to free up palace rooms for members of the royal family. To reassure the public, the leadership of Historical Royal Palace has already stated that all funds for the redevelopment of the palace complex, including the construction of an underground building and a one-story building directly above it, will not be taken from the state treasury, but paid for by donations and funds from charitable organizations.

04/26/2017 12:03

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Basement before and after repair

Updated: 09/25/2022

Basement/basement under a house in use – deepening correctly

Ideally, the expediency of building a basement or basement is determined at the design stage, and the construction is carried out in compliance with a certain technology. In reality, the need for additional premises may arise much later, when a house is purchased that requires major reconstruction, or it becomes possible to bring the desired amenities into your own. Not everyone has the opportunity to build a separate technical room or allocate a room for it, sometimes it’s more realistic to go deeper and build a basement. So among the users of the FORUMHOUSE portal there are craftsmen who solve such problems with a positive result. In this article we will tell you how to build a basement under the house.

How to dig a basement in a finished house

It is worth mentioning right away that the possibility of building a basement under a standing house depends on the type of foundation. Tape, pile or pile-grillage allows such manipulations, nothing will work with slab. And the point is not even the titanic efforts that need to be made to dismantle even part of the slab, but the fact that a violation of integrity is a loss of bearing capacity. The type of box also matters – a basement can be built under a stone structure, but it will not work to bring a basement under the walls, while a log house or a house made of timber can really be “hung out” and raised at the expense of the basement. Another important parameter is the type of soil and the level of groundwater. If the GWL is high, the deepening will be as complicated as possible, if not impossible. Hard-plastic clay means that you will have to dig for a long time and tediously, use a crowbar or a puncher, since you will literally have to “gnaw out” every piece.

The main difference between the construction of a basement in a finished residential building and the construction of the first stage is manual labor: you will have to dig, choose the ground, and pour the mortar on your own, without the involvement of special equipment. Therefore, it is difficult, long, difficult, but possible, which is proved by our craftsmen.

How to build a basement in a built house: personal experience

alex_gagra User FORUMHOUSE

Initial data: strip foundation 7×10 meters, buried 70 cm in clay (or 120 cm from the ground), width – 40 cm, reinforcement with a diameter of 16 mm, two rows in two lines. The mass of the house is about 120 tons. The soil is hard-plastic clay (after removing the fertile layer of 40-50 cm, the foundation was knocked out with a crowbar, it was impossible to dig with a shovel), GWL below seven meters. I will deepen the basement below the foundation of the foundation, I agree that it is correct and easier to dig a foundation pit right away, but we are working with what we have.

In order not to make mistakes, alex_gagra created a topic on the forum, in which he asked more experienced comrades to explain how to dig a basement, clarify the technology, and they responded to his request. The process is reduced to manual digging of a foundation pit of the required depth and subsequent concreting of the walls and floor. Concreting is necessary to maintain the bearing capacity of the foundation and compensate for lateral pressure. The most important question is at what distance from the base of the foundation should the foundation pit be dug and the wall poured. The answer was given by one of the participants of the discussion.

VilArt33 User FORUMHOUSE

Digging from the bottom of an existing foundation is allowed within a 30 degree zone from the horizontal of the bottom. This is the easiest way, the shape of the excavated soil will be obtained, corresponding to an inverted truncated pyramid from the base of the foundation.

How to build a cellar under the house.

In another thread, the answer to the same question is slightly different.

bohlc User FORUMHOUSE

Lay down a 45 degree angle from the vertical of the tape. This is the supporting part of the ground on which the tape stands, you cannot touch it.

In principle, both options are true, only the first is justified with hard-plastic clays with low GWL, but you should play it safe and make a larger angle if the soils are looser.

Taking into account the advice of experienced people, alex_gagra before starting work, drew a plan of the basement.

How to make a basement in an old residential building.

And he brought it to life – they retreated a meter from the foundation, dug a trench along the perimeter to the level of the sole, the height from ground level to the floor slabs was 2.2 meters. We assembled a formwork 20 cm wide, from OSB (one wall), tied a reinforcing cage, poured concrete with a mixer (we managed to make a receiver instead of dragging it with buckets). This was the end of the first stage, the concrete was left to mature. Two weeks later, the construction entered the second phase – they dug up the remaining soil, poured the tape under the partition. Under the formwork – no cracks, no dampness. The floor was later tiled.

It took 3 years to improve the abandoned basement of an old building. But now it has turned into a luxury apartment for half a million dollars (photos before and after the renovation)

An athlete from Britain has been upgrading the basement of an abandoned building for three years. As a result, Jamie Barrow managed to turn a dull room into a luxurious apartment. The total value of this property is now estimated at half a million US dollars. Recently, the athlete told reporters about the main stages of work.

Chance find

Jamie Barrow bought a new apartment a few years ago. He made repairs there and began to live his usual life. However, then the young man accidentally discovered an abandoned basement. The people in the room have never lived. The guy decided to go down and check the condition of the found object.

At first it was scary to walk. The house was very old, anything could be in the basement. However, apart from dampness, mold and fungus, there was nothing on the walls and floor.

Jamie immediately decided to purchase the presented cellar. The guy went to negotiate with the owners of the building. After much consultation, the owners gave in and set their own price. Barrow agreed to the proposal, the deal went through.

Then came bureaucratic hell. The guy went to different authorities, coordinating future work. He ordered the building plans, paid for various examinations proving the safety of the planned changes. Later, all approvals were received, and Jamie started the repair work.

Restoration

It took the guy 3 years to repair the basement and get all the necessary documentation. However, the final result is worth the effort and money spent. Real estate has skyrocketed in value.

The guy completely renovated the basement. The young man managed to establish a ventilation system, which prevented the formation of mold. Only after that did he begin to dry the walls and fight the fungus. This was followed by the installation of new coatings.

And the guy even used the original stone for the floor. In an interview with reporters, Jamie admitted that he had to look for the material presented almost all over Britain.

However, now the young man notes that he can be proud of the results of his work.

Incredible! A man turns an abandoned basement into a luxury apartment

This British snowboarder has an interesting hobby – major renovations of dilapidated buildings. Recently, he took on a project that everyone considered a failure. And here’s what came out of it.

Ksenia Ilchenko office

The name Jamie Barrow is known to many winter sports enthusiasts. This is the fastest snowboarder in the UK, whose record was in the Guinness Book of Records. But it turned out that the legendary athlete has other talents. Eight years ago, Barrow took up the renovation of dilapidated and abandoned buildings. Over the years, the snowboarder has already repaired six facilities in the English city of Bath.

Before and After: 5 basement renovations

Is your home space tight and your basement not being used ergonomically enough? Let’s take a look at these 5 amazing renovations that will change the way you think about this type of space.

All of them are made in country houses and built like a basement – they have small windows overlooking the lawn area. In some types of basements, such windows can complement your building, while others without natural light can look pretty if they are well lit and repaired.

Before: simple room

After the addition to the family, the owners wanted to expand the house with several bedrooms. For the main master suite with a large bathroom for two, a dressing room and a bedroom with a cinema area, they chose … the basement! Let’s see what came out of it!

After: bathroom

In the photo above we see a fragment of the bathroom interior. The gray-green stone perfectly blended with its brutal energy into the basement space, and branded sanitary ware, ceramics and integrated lighting helped to make the interior more comfortable and modern.

Magically transforming an abandoned basement into a home social hub

Faced with a large, unfinished foundation and an active couple of daughters, a Connecticut, USA couple asked interior designer Catherine O`Brien of Grande Interiors to create a fun and rewarding space for the whole family.

New insulation keeps heat in and dehumidification systems fight moisture for a healthy indoor climate. But the real attractions here, in this underground lair, are billiards, a wine cellar, a workshop, a cinema hall, places for homework and storage.

Let’s go downstairs and see this stylish underground fairy tale.

Residents of the house: a married couple with two daughters (11 and 13 years old)
Location: Connecticut, USA
Area: 213 m2.

Here you can see how the room was before the renovation

The basement was purely utilitarian, but had finishes and ceilings with a generous height of 2.60 m.

year, when the renovation is completed, and so that nothing smells here, ”says the architect.

“They were very concerned about the possibility of allergies, fungus and humidity, and wanted to make sure that the house would have a healthy microclimate.”

Additional insulation and moisture barriers protect the exterior walls and ceiling, while the separate basement has heating and air conditioning (complete with a dehumidifier) to protect it from dampness, mustiness and mold.

New interior design

The very steep staircase was another issue that worried the owners of the house. Part of the rework included steps to help make the layout smoother.

The new ladder stops at a platform that forks in two directions and on one side leads to an “adult” game room with a billiard table.

Cabinets along one wall are designed for storage and also used as countertops. Recessed lights and soft colors help illuminate the space.

Adult area

The owners of the house had a pool table that is many years old, its copper and steel accents inspired the room with a warm color palette. Built-in racks store all billiard equipment.

The games room has seating and seating areas for spectators, including comfortable easy chairs, benches and a bar table. There is a very nice transition from room to room throughout the basement; the tall doorway on the right side leads to the media center.

Cozy upholstered chairs with brightly colored cushions

Since there is no natural light here, Catherine O`Brien installed a large decorative window between the billiard room and the wine room.

Laminate wood flooring adds warmth underfoot. Although the floor already had a moisture barrier, the designer created another moisture barrier.

A new wall surrounds the billiard room from the north, and this doorway leads to the wine department. Here, additional measures for isolation are applied to create the right conditions for storing wine.

(By the way, if the place where the textured wallpaper ends seems strange to you, then you are right. This photo was taken before the team finished pasting).

A wine lovers’ dream

The pool table’s copper decor echoes the interior of the wine room. The embossed copper finish on part of the wall reflects light and adds texture. A polished dark granite countertop provides contrast, while an antique wine press lends the room a rustic vibe. The drawer underneath forms a storage space for bottle openers.

The homeowners are relatively young collectors, but they have already collected 950 bottles in their wine cellar.

Glass door that matches the surroundings

The glass door opens up to the media room, which, together with interior windows, makes a small space feel spacious.

The media center has everything you need for watching movies, as well as for girls’ gatherings. Ottomans are very versatile: they can be easily moved, they can be used for resting your feet, there is storage space inside, and the top can be turned over and turned into a tray.

Nice soft sofa

Chocolate brown sofa hides stains. The rich green from the workshop seen in the background echoes the color scheme of the pillows, bedspreads and table lamps.

Creative room

The girls were very enthusiastic about choosing decor, carpet, flowers and a chandelier for their workshop. The walls were decorated with professional hand painting. The designer has left enough space for the girls’ artwork, both on the walls and on the shelves.

There is another bookcase out of sight; where each of the girls has their own areas to display sports awards, art and other memorabilia. The door on the right opens the wardrobe, and the door on the left leads to the pantry.

The homework corner is at the end of this room. Each child has their own area with a desk, drawers and blackboard. Also, thanks to sockets, it is possible to install a laptop, set-top box, or charge phones here.

The Caesarstone countertop spans a U-shaped space and includes hand wash basins located behind the tables.

Active zone for adults – a home gym that can be used for all sports. There is rubberized flooring, space for stretching and yoga, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, TV, sports equipment and storage space for equipment.

Girls activity room

On the other side, a staircase leads to an active play area. This original nursery has been designed to become a living room.

Now the girls like to play football here. Also in this room, they spend pajama parties with friends, after which they settle down for the night in sleeping bags.

Playroom sofa

This cozy reading nook is designed in a small niche along the wall and there is room for two. Deep drawers under the seat are designed for storage, and wall sconces on both sides provide the necessary amount of lighting.

Before and after: Basement kitchen – why not

It’s hard to imagine a basement kitchen. But they also do this

Nicola Enderle 21/February/2016
Houzz Deutschland, Redakteurin. Wie man sich schön einrichtet? Ich finde mit viel Persönlichkeit und eigenem Stil, der kann auch gerne schräg sein. Meinem eigenen bin ich auf der Spur – in unserem Houzz-Magazin helfen wir Ihnen Ihren zu finden, zeigen spannende Projekte und blicken durch Schlüssellöcher. Haben Sie ein schönes Zuhause? Erzahlen Sie mir davon!
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The owners of this house moved from Frankfurt to Mannheim, returning to their father’s house. But before moving into it, along with two children and all the belongings, the derelict house had to be rebuilt – with the help of Mo + Architekten from Frankfurt. “The family wanted to rejuvenate the house a bit. On the outside, it fits in with the local environment, but on the inside it has adapted to the modern style of the family,” says Heiko Messerschmidt of Mo+ Architekten. It was decided to lower the kitchen into the basement. However, it was there, below, that she became the center of the whole house.

About project
Location: Mannheim, Germany
Size: Approx. 20 sqm m
Who lives here: A family with two children
Project authors: Mo+ Architekten
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UP TO
Before the redevelopment, the entrance to the house was at the level of the basement, and a tiled staircase with wrought iron railings led upstairs. “Together with the customers, we decided that the dark basement needed to be converted into a spacious kitchen. So we moved the entrance to the house to an intermediate landing to restructure the space,” explains Heike.
mo+ architekten Save photo

Wrought iron railings and tiles give way to a warmer-feeling combination of oak and white lacquered MDF boards. A skylight mounted on a flat roof enhanced the daylight of the flight of stairs.

“The clients wanted to create as many storage spaces as possible,” says the architect. Built-in wardrobes with small recesses instead of handles and an oak bench with a folding seat allow you to hide a lot right at the entrance to the house.

mo+ architekten Save photo

AFTER
It’s hard to believe that there was once a dark hallway downstairs – you can see it in the first photo. Now the 20-meter kitchen-dining room from everywhere – from the stairs and through the new window on the right – pours light, complemented by ceiling spots.

mo+ architekten Save photo

Behind the white lacquered facades, there are plenty of storage spaces. When cabinets without handles are opened (Tip-On mechanism), the “inside” of oiled oak appears before your eyes. “It gives the kitchen a little more warmth,” says the architect.

A coffee machine, a toaster and cookbooks, glasses, plates and other kitchen utensils are hidden behind the facades. The built-in furniture was produced by the MTB joinery from Edingen, with which the Mo+Architekten team often cooperates.

Oven and hob: Miele

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White Corian® worktop. Its properties made it possible to cast the sink without a single seam right in the countertop.

Single-lever kitchen faucet from the Swiss company KWC is also white: “Everything seems to be made of the same material,” laughs the author of the project.

mo+ architekten Save photo
When the cooker hood is switched off, it integrates almost imperceptibly into the work surface. The model from EMB is flush-mounted and slides out of the countertop with a remote control or at the touch of a button on the surface.
mo+ architekten Save photo
“The exhaust air passes through the kitchen block into the basement and is discharged from there outside through the exhaust pipe,” explains the architect. An elegant solution that fits well with all other hide-and-seek games.
mo+ architekten Save photo
mo+ architekten Save photo

But the surprises don’t stop there! From the end of the kitchen island, if necessary, a bench made of oiled oak is pulled out. “We made the concept of white fronts and internal oak inserts common to the entire kitchen,” says Heike.

What is still missing here is glass, which should be attached to the open side of the stairs. This will help create additional protection for children, but at the same time will not block the light from accessing the basement.

SEE ALSO…
Nearly 511,000 more modern kitchens from around the world

Renovation of cramped, damp underground space gives owners a cozy new world

When a young family needed more space in their 1920s basement bungalow, they thought about renovating , but low ceilings, leaking stone foundations, dangling wires, and piles of construction debris thwarted their plans.

Then architect Ryan Duebber came up with a plan to turn the once cramped cluttered space into an open family living room with a bar and utility rooms: laundry room, pantry and steam shower room.

Rather than struggle with complex basement structures, Duebber has used them as industrial style pieces for a modern space that also appeals to family tastes. The result is an open space that seamlessly combines old and new elements.

“My clients wanted something original instead of a typical basement renovation”

So they didn’t use plasterboard for the ceiling and walls, which would close the space and make it smaller. In addition, this material on the foundation walls would accumulate moisture and quickly become unusable.

Black painted rafters, beams and air ducts create the illusion of higher ceilings. “Dark color is a psychological device. A layer of paint, as it were, carries the idea that the people who are here, underground.

The basement created many problems. The ceilings were low (2 to 2.2 meters), and 90-year-old electrical wires hung between the rafters. Load-bearing columns cluttered the space, and a large water pipe at eye level stood in the way of the room that was used for storage. Duebber was able to move the problematic columns and plumbing while maintaining their important functions.

The original basement and its storage function have not changed since it was built in 1923.

“The stone foundation was leaking like a sieve,” says the architect. “We were able to fix it using sandblasting: the sealant was able to get into all the pores of the walls, which made it possible to eliminate leaks.”

After sealing, the walls were painted white. The coated concrete floor could withstand moisture, but Duebber left the sewer in just in case.

He widened the staircase and trimmed part of the ceiling frame above it so that he didn’t have to bend down and dive down. The stairs are covered with industrial rubber.

Moldings, modern and edgy, used in transitional areas between walls and painted concrete floor and dark ceiling. This creates crisp contours that stand out and look like part of the design.

“I paid particular attention to the places where different elements met each other. It gave me the opportunity to mark and beat them.”

Laundry room, wardrobes: IKEA

Duebber made small window openings visually larger by decorating the window space with wooden aprons. “With the addition of this dark wood, the walls become visually warmer, creating a balance between the rest of the objects. In addition, customers have received additional places to display items,” he explains.

Standard bulb hidden in the painted ceiling. To do this, a square piece of plywood was cut, corresponding to the size between the bars, with a hole for the light from the lamp.

Corrugated galvanized metal wall separates the living space from utility rooms, hides the stove and gas meter.

“Metal helps create an industrial, contemporary look while hiding utilitarian structures,” says the architect. “I curved this wall to eliminate sharp corners so that the spaces merge better with each other.”

Moved structural columns now make more sense. These two structures divide the area between the lounge and the bar. To the right is the water riser, which used to be a serious obstacle on the way from room to room.

Plasterboard partitions and doors separate storage room, laundry room and fully equipped shower room.

Custom made short wall cabinets with glass doors continue the illusion of height created by the ceiling.

Duebber left a space between the worktop and the walls, emphasizing the stone texture of the latter.

Top: Corian

This simple and utilitarian electrical outlet above the bar becomes another industrial detail.

“My client has great taste. She often helped me make a choice,” says Duebber. “She created this bar top with the help of her art teacher. I left it open at the bottom and used a steel support to support it, which matches with the rest of the columns at the same time.”

The ceiling and bar are cut around the column, another example of how Duebber focuses on where design elements meet.

The steam shower is the most luxurious part of the basement design.

“The clients are very active young people. It was important for them to have this convenience. They will use it after jogging and cycling.”

The glass tile skirting used in the shower design seems to “flow” from the shower enclosure into the rest of the bathroom.

Photos of five impressive basement interiors: amazing transformations of utilitarian spaces into cozy places to live and relax

If your basement is a damp closed dungeon where cans, paints and other unnecessary items are stored, do not despair. Our examples will show you how a depressing basement can be transformed into a family retreat, an inspiring creative space, a guest suite or a man cave.

Some of our examples had a large area and plenty of natural light, while others were nothing more than wet dungeons. Here are five of the most amazing basement renovations, along with links to see the full progress report.

Colonial upstairs, Scandinavian downstairs

This basement renovation has given the family a multipurpose space where they can spend time together, play, watch TV and work in the home office.

In addition, there was an opportunity to break away from the colonial decor that is used in the rest of the house. Now they can enjoy Scandinavian modern style.

Designer and builder Bruce Wentworth left the ceiling beams exposed and painted them white to brighten up the space. He used wooden slats to cover up some of the most unsightly elements: the air ducts and support columns. This area now forms a media wall.

Viva dark color!

Architect Ryan Duebber has transformed this once cramped and damp basement into a favorite retreat for entertaining and warm friendships. The refurbishment of the premises gave the owners a living room, laundry room, bathroom with steam shower and a kitchen with a bar.

Ryan Duebber Architect, LLC

Duebber painted the exposed rafters black in keeping with the contemporary tastes of the owners.

Ryan Duebber Architect, LLC

Industrial details are often found in utility basements. One such detail is concrete floors. The designer used a galvanized metal wall, curved and corrugated, to separate the living space from the outbuildings.

Ryan Duebber Architect, LLC

Family Friendly

Mosaik Design & Remodeling

The kitchenette is a great place to prepare snacks for an evening watching movies or a friendly get-together.

Mosaik Design & Remodeling

Window table used for board games.

Mosaik Design & Remodeling

Family Guy Getaway

The writer and producer needed a place to relax, work and be inspired, and designer Kyle Schuneman provided him with a basement conversion into a man’s den.

Schuneman installed mahogany bookcases to store and display the owner’s favorite items.

Joe Schmelzer, Inc. dba Treasurbite Studio, Inc.

The designer used the basement’s concrete overhang to create a comfortable resting place.

Joe Schmelzer, Inc. dba Treasurbite Studio, Inc.

The Lair has been thought out to the smallest detail: now it even has its own dressing room with a urinal and four hairdressing mirrors.

Joe Schmelzer, Inc. dba Treasurbite Studio, Inc.

Sliding down is the first step to rock climbing

While the design of the main house is in the form of a pirate ship, the basement . .. but more on that later. Let’s just say that it is as extraordinary as the entire living space.

And it begins with an adventurous way to descend underground, namely, from descending along a spiral pipe, the entrance to which is located on the first floor of the house. Builder Steve Kuhl describes this slide as “heavy tubular madness”.

Kuhl Design Build LLC

Once at the bottom, you can immediately start… climbing the climbing wall.

Kuhl Design Build LLC

The basement also includes a game module – a golf simulator. The only problem with this basement is that homeowners may refuse to go outside to play…

See also:

Plumbing in the basement of a private house
Fan from the computer to the basement hood
Basement heating calculation
Waterproofing the entry of the pipe into the basement
Emergency generator for home with auto start in the basement

Shelter construction – basement equipment.

/ Shelter device / Nepropadu

So, in the previous articles of the cycle, we reviewed

commercial options for

shelters,

made a decision

to build their own house and

considered the basic requirements of

for it. Well, let’s start!
Any house starts with plot . We have already decided on the location, it is 30-40 km from a large city, far from dangerous man-made objects, high above the water. Geographically, on the territory of Russia, it is somewhere beyond the Urals up to Lake Baikal. In fact, many won’t travel that far just to be safe “just in case”. Therefore, apparently, the neighborhood of Perm, Yekaterinburg or Chelyabinsk becomes the best option.

Europe is more difficult. This is clearly not the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, not Italy (there are potentially dangerous Alps), not Spain and not France (the peninsula). Certainly not the UK. Most likely, this is Central or Eastern Europe. I believe that it was not by chance that Radius chose Slovakia as a place for its representative office, although this is not the most central country. And there is also a theory that the war in Yugoslavia in the 90s was provoked by the British in order to be able to send troops there and prepare the possibility of moving some of their citizens.

The size of the section is determined individually. 6 acres will not be enough, but a huge plot of joy will not bring joy either – its borders will not be visible. I think that 50×50 meters is more than enough. When choosing, in addition to the global location, neighbors should be taken into account. They should be far enough away that they can’t see what’s happening on your property through the fence, but at the same time close enough that you can help each other. Of course, it’s not worth it to hide alone in a dense forest. He must be present nearby, but not very close and not surround the site, otherwise nothing will be left of the house in the event of a forest fire. If there is a hill, then it is better if the house stands somewhere in the middle of the slope – it can be blown away by a hurricane at the top, but somehow not Feng Shui at the bottom 🙂 It’s also good if there is a small river nearby, it can become a backup source of water . But do not forget about the territory of its potential spill.

It is desirable to enclose the site with an opaque stone fence taller than human height, and also make a metal gate. The issue of housekeeping in the territory is again individual. I would sow the area with grass and plant trees so that the area can be viewed from the house. Perhaps, in a small area, he still planted vegetables or herbs.

Also on the territory of the site there must be some other building – a bathhouse or a barn . Why – it will be clear later.

Our house starts from basement . It should be deep, not less than 3 meters, with concrete walls and floors isolated from the outside water. It may make sense to make an additional wall of 1. 5-2 meters of sand / gravel around the basement to prevent groundwater flooding, but it is better to consult with the builders about this. The area of the basement can be even larger than the area of \u200b\u200bthe house itself, and here’s why. We have many things that are important for existence and that we would like to hide from prying eyes and hands. These are storage facilities for food, water, a diesel generator, and fuel for it. At the same time, it is impossible to bury part of the equipment directly under the house – such things cannot be replaced or repaired. Therefore, it is better to place the equipment underground, but outside the house, so that it can be removed with a crane. Such premises may have a connection with the basement itself, or they may be autonomous.

First of all, diesel generator and fuel tank go underground. During operation, the generator emits a constant, although not very loud, noise and vibration, so the room with it must be soundproofed. Our tanker with 10 tons of fuel takes up a lot of space – 6.4 meters long and 2.6 meters high. It is all the more impossible to leave it on the street – fuel in difficult times will be worth its weight in gold, and there will definitely be those who want to climb over the fence and make a hole. And just by the appearance of such a hefty tank, it is noticeable that there is fuel in it, and you should not tempt those passing by or guests. At the same time, it may not be very comfortable to live on 10 tons of highly combustible fuel. In this case, the generator and cistern can be placed under the shed that we had the foresight to build on the site. True, safety should be taken into account – you need to see the approaches to the barn, and take into account that it is now easier to deprive you of electricity.

Pumps for well and treatment equipment are provided underground by the construction technology itself. However, they cannot be under the house. It is also necessary to have a water tank of the type of a country house, where it would be possible to have a supply of technical water. True, it can not be buried.

Refrigerators also have a place in the basement. There they will be better isolated from the environment, which can be very hot. To ensure their functioning during a power outage, you can use cold accumulators. These are special containers with saline solution, which heats up much more slowly than ordinary water. Many people use them in thermal bags or car refrigerators. But in addition, these batteries are also used in data centers, where servers generate a lot of heat, just in case the air conditioners turn off. However, I believe that it is unnecessary to use them in our case – a well-insulated chamber will not heat up so quickly, and if the electricity supply is out of order for a long time and even the backup power option did not help, then something happened, for which the contents of the refrigerators no need.

In the same place, in the basement, it is necessary to provide a room for ordinary products – vegetables, pickles. It makes sense to separate the rooms with products from the rest of the basement with a separate wall in order to ensure a more constant temperature there. Do not forget about mice that can come and eat your food, so a closing door, perhaps metal and metal shelves inside will not interfere.

In the basement, I would also take out “ server room ” – a computer that controls the “smart home” system, network storage for data, and a video surveillance system registrar. Here they will be safer, and they will heat up less.

Naturally, in the basement there should be room for warehouse – a place for things that are not really needed now – stocks for the whole year, in addition to food. Our 900 liters of drinking water must be stored somewhere! However, the type and quantity of the reserves themselves will be discussed further in a separate article.

In addition, already in the “warm” part of the basement, it makes sense to equip a room with places to relax, a table, a TV – something like wardroom . Firstly, we will not initially build a house for 10 planned people, which means that when everyone gathers, they need to sleep somewhere. Secondly, in case of a critical situation, everyone can go down to this room and wait out what is outside the window. It is quite possible to organize and a bathroom nearby. As I said, I am against the construction of specialized shelters, but if someone wants, then the shelter from ABCGuard can be located another floor below, under the basement.

Staircase to the basement should also be made of concrete, wide, L-shaped with a landing in the middle. This will provide an opportunity to rest and not slide down when carrying heavy objects, and there will be a lot of them – bags of vegetables, water bottles, furniture. At the entrance to the basement inside the house there should be a cover, preferably sliding to the side, and not reclining. Everyone decides the issue of her reservation at their own discretion.

Since we have basements that extend beyond the perimeter of the house, if they have a connection with the main basement, then the external entrances must have strong metal covers and locks that are locked only from the inside. In this case, it is worth remembering the rusting of steel. If not, then it makes sense to consider organizing emergency exit from the basement, somewhere far away from home. Of course, it is unlikely that it will be possible to dig a full-fledged medieval tunnel that goes out a couple of hundred meters somewhere in a ravine, but it is quite possible to make a tunnel from the house to the same bathhouse / shed on the edge of the site. And let it not be high and wide, but in a pinch, when you have to leave the house, it can come in handy. However, we will make every effort to survive all possible disasters in the house itself.

RF Armed Forces clarified who should be the owner of the basement in an apartment building

Passions for basements and attics in houses flared up as soon as private apartment owners appeared and began to multiply in the country. From that moment on, lawsuits about the rights of apartment owners went to the courts, and not on their own square meters, but on the fact that next to the apartments there are attics, basements, elevators, flights of stairs. And the wave of such lawsuits has only been growing over the past few years. Therefore, each explanation of the Supreme Court on the merits of such disputes is extremely interesting not only for professional judges, but also for numerous apartment owners.

It all started when a citizen filed a lawsuit against the city property department and asked the court to take “a basement from someone else’s illegal possession.” The house where the citizen lives was built in 1965. The house has a large basement with engineering equipment. In the district court, the plaintiff said that the first privatized apartments in the house appeared in the early nineties. According to the tenant of the house, along with the right of ownership to the apartments, he and his neighbors also acquired the rights to the technical premises in the house, which are intended for servicing their apartments.

In 2009, the plaintiff became aware that, according to the Unified State Register of Rights to Real Estate, the ownership of part of the basement belongs to the city. Moreover, the registration of these property rights went on for several years and in several stages – from 2002 to 2007. A resident of the house argued in court that access to utilities is now difficult, and this endangers the life, health and safety of the property of apartment owners. Yes, and the rights of tenants are violated – after all, the right of common shared ownership of the common property of the house belongs to all homeowners. The plaintiff asked the court to invalidate the registration of the basement in the USRR as the property of the city.

The district court refused the man, but the city court agreed with this verdict. Then the persistent tenant reached the Supreme Court. The Judicial Collegium for Civil Cases of the Supreme Court said that the citizen is right. The lower courts were wrong. Here’s how the Supreme Court reasoned.

The basement of the apartment building is indeed currently owned by the city and is divided into two parts. Part of the basement was leased to a certain company, and in the second part there are engineering communications – pipes, valves, dampers, taps, and so on. The plaintiffs – husband and wife – became owners of the apartment at 1992, and in 2007 an agreement was entered into between the city’s residential building management unit and the plaintiff to manage the building. The contract was concluded on the basis of the decision of the general meeting of apartment owners.

The district court, refusing the citizen’s claim, stated that the plaintiff had chosen the wrong way to protect the violated right. The appeal agreed with this statement and added that the premises in the basement cannot be common property, since “they have an independent functional purpose.” The Supreme Court did not agree with such formulations.

According to Article 290 of the Civil Code, the owners of apartments in an apartment building own the common premises in the house, the supporting structures of the house, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and other equipment outside or inside the apartments, if they serve more than one apartment. According to Article 36 of the Housing Code, the owners of the premises own, on the basis of the right of common shared ownership, “the common property of the house: premises in this house that are not part of the apartments and are intended to serve more than one room in the house, including inter-apartment staircases, the stairs themselves, elevators and lift rooms mines, corridors, technical floors, attics, basements with engineering communications. According to the Housing Code, the owners of privatized apartments in state or municipal buildings became co-owners of engineering equipment and common areas.

According to the meaning of these norms, the Supreme Court said, from the moment citizens began to exercise their right to privatization, a house in which at least one apartment or even a room was privatized lost the status of an object owned by the municipality. Therefore, the legal regime of basements, whether or not related to common shared ownership, should be determined on the date of privatization of the first apartment.

But if, as of the date of the first privatized apartment, the basements of the house were intended (or taken into account, or formed) for independent use “for purposes not related to the maintenance of the house”, then the right of common shared ownership of these premises by the homeowners does not arise. And the rest of the basement, not allocated for independent use, becomes the property of the tenants as common property.

The conclusion of the Supreme Court – in order to correctly resolve such a dispute, the courts needed to establish when the first apartment in the house was privatized, whether the basement was intended to serve the entire house, and also whether at the time of privatization of the first apartment the basement was intended (accounted for or formed) for independent use. At the same time, the Supreme Court emphasized, the plaintiff must prove the moment of privatization of the first apartment and the fact that the basement served the entire house. And that the basement is intended (taken into account or formed) for independent use – the defendant must prove.

In our case, the Supreme Court said, the appeal misallocated the burden of proof, which violated the law. It is impossible to agree, said the Supreme Court, with the City Court’s statement that the plaintiff chose the wrong method of defense. The tenants have the right of common shared ownership by virtue of the law, and registration with the USRR is not required.

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