Frequently Asked Questions

There is no single correct material; the right one is the material that suits the application conditions. Where there is pressurised water at the foundation and retaining walls, a double layer bituminous membrane or a certified synthetic sheet is required. On roofs and terraces UV resistance comes to the fore, which is where TPO and PVC membranes have the advantage. On surfaces with complex geometry, seamless polyurea and polyurethane based liquid membranes are preferred. When choosing a material, check that it carries the relevant standard certification such as TS EN 13967. Most of the failures we see on site come not from material quality but from the wrong material choice and faulty detailing.

Blinding concrete is not waterproofing. Its job is to create a level, clean working surface for the foundation reinforcement, make formwork installation easier and protect the concrete cover. Because it has capillary voids, it cannot stop pressurised water. It does not protect the structure unless waterproofing is applied over it. Equally, a drainage board provides no impermeability either; it is only a voided layer that lets water run downward. The correct layer order is: primer, waterproofing membrane, drainage board, filter geotextile, free draining backfill.

Only products certified for potable water contact may be used in a drinking water tank. An uncertified product can change the taste and odour of the water and creates a health risk. Suitable systems are generally cementitious coatings and crystalline systems. Bituminous membranes and solvent bearing coatings are not used in drinking water tanks. In buried tanks, positive waterproofing against groundwater is required on the outside as well as the inner face, because the tank is under pressure from the water inside and the ground outside. After application the cure time in the manufacturer data sheet must be observed, a leak test carried out, and the tank emptied and disinfected before being put into service.

A correctly installed drainage system runs almost maintenance free; all it needs is a simple check once a year. Lift the inspection chamber covers and see whether silt has built up at the pipe mouths. Standing water permanently sitting in a chamber may indicate a blockage in the discharge line. Clean leaves out of the roof drains in autumn and check that the downpipes discharge far enough from the building. Make sure the ground around the building still slopes away from it; settled fill can create a reverse fall over time. These checks take half an hour and extend the life of the system considerably.

Most drainage failures come not from materials but from clogging. The most common cause is omitting the filter geotextile, or choosing one unsuited to the fine particle size in the ground. A fabric woven too tightly will not pass water, one woven too openly lets fines through and blinds the gravel. The second cause is using unwashed gravel, whose dust clogs the filter from the inside. The third is insufficient fall, because a pipe laid without fall does not carry water, it only stores it. And without inspection chambers a blockage cannot be located or cleared. Checking the chambers twice a year, in autumn and spring, extends the life of the system considerably.

The duration depends on the scope of work and the weather. On a detached house, external foundation drainage and waterproofing including excavation usually takes 5 to 10 working days. Roof or terrace waterproofing alone is completed in 2 to 4 days. Injection work is localised and often finishes in 1 to 2 days. On jobs requiring excavation, rain can extend the schedule, because membrane application needs a dry surface. The quote we issue after the survey sets out the work programme in writing on a day by day basis.

The first step is to identify the source of the water, because groundwater, surface water, a plumbing leak and condensation each require completely different solutions. Wetness seen only after rain that disappears within a few days is usually surface water. Damp that is independent of rainfall and continues seasonally points to groundwater. Wetness at the same spot all year round may be a plumbing leak. If there are droplets on the wall surface but the wall itself is dry, the problem is condensation and the solution is ventilation. A membrane applied on the wrong diagnosis spends the money without producing a result. During the free survey we make this distinction by measurement.

It can, but there are constraints depending on the material and method. Membrane application needs a dry surface, so jobs involving excavation are put on hold on rainy days. With bituminous sheets low temperature affects adhesion quality, so the manufacturer's minimum application temperature must be observed. Injection work is carried out in enclosed spaces, so it is less affected by season and can continue through the winter. Interior solutions, crystalline waterproofing and diagnostic work can be done all year round. Autumn is usually the best period for work requiring excavation.

There is, but expectations need to be set correctly. In terraced buildings, on narrow plots, or where landscaping must be preserved, the work is carried out from inside. The methods used are crystalline waterproofing, polyurethane injection and cementitious coating systems. These methods stop water entering, but they leave the water inside the wall, so the risk of reinforcement corrosion is not completely eliminated. Under high water pressure they may not be sufficient on their own; in that case they are planned together with an internal drainage channel, a sump and a pump. Where excavation is possible, external application is always more durable.

Not always. The point of entry must be identified first. A large share of leaks begins not on the open surface but at details such as the outlet connection, the wall junction, the door threshold or balustrade fixings. If the source is a detail, local treatment may be enough. In some cases systems that can be applied over the existing finish are also available, but where water is trapped beneath the tiles this is not durable and the new coat will blister. The decision should follow an on site inspection carried out before any stripping begins. That inspection usually prevents unnecessary demolition.

First establish why the water cannot get away. In most cases the problem is insufficient surface fall, so water cannot reach the grating on its own. The second common cause is a grating or pipe undersized for the catchment area. The third is an unresolved discharge point, because if the line connects to nothing the collected water returns. Soakaways do not work in clay soils, where the water must be carried entirely by the line. Keeping the line below the local frost depth and providing inspection chambers also matter for durability, otherwise a blockage cannot be cleared.

At design stage. Foundation waterproofing is arranged to be laid over the blinding with the raft cast on top of it, then continued up the wall face to form a continuous tanking envelope. The horizontal part of that arrangement cannot be added once the building is up. If insufficient overhang is left at the wall line in the horizontal work, the junction with the vertical waterproofing cannot be made and water enters exactly there. Placing a waterstop or swelling profile in the cold joint between wall and raft is also a decision taken before casting. Under the Turkish building waterproofing regulation, waterproofing is mandatory for elements exposed to water and ground moisture and the details are expected to be drawn in the design.

You can get in touch via WhatsApp, by phone, or through the free survey form on the site. When you attach photos to your request we can make a preliminary assessment faster. We schedule a free technical survey within 24 hours of your enquiry. During the survey our engineer reviews the geotechnical report on site and inspects the water level, the current damage and the discharge options. Within 48 hours of the survey we send a detailed quote setting out the system, materials, work programme and warranty scope separately. There is no charge for the survey or the quote.

Yes, the survey and quote are completely free and create no obligation. Our engineer visits the site, reviews the geotechnical report, assesses the water level and the current damage, and checks the discharge options. Square metre prices given without this inspection do not reflect the real scope, because two basements of the same size require completely different systems under different ground conditions. If you receive our quote after the survey, you are under no obligation to carry out the work with us.

Yes, we issue a written warranty covering both materials and workmanship. The warranty period varies between 5 and 10 years depending on the system applied and is stated explicitly in the contract. Since most failures seen on site come from application rather than material, the workmanship warranty is critically important. The contract also sets out in writing the warranty start date, the response time and the exclusions. Cracking caused by earthquakes and structural movement, damage from subsequent drilling and alterations, and blockages caused by lack of maintenance are excluded as standard.

We are based in Sakarya and serve 15 provinces across the Marmara, Black Sea and Central Anatolia regions with our own field teams: Sakarya, Kocaeli, Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bolu, Duzce, Bursa, Balikesir, Edirne, Zonguldak, Tekirdag, Canakkale, Yalova and Eskisehir. We have a dedicated ground conditions page for each province. If your area is not on this list, call us anyway; depending on project scale we work across Turkey.

No, they do different jobs and do not replace each other. Drainage collects the water reaching the structure, carries it away and reduces the pressure on the retaining wall. Waterproofing is the impermeable layer that stops the remaining moisture from entering the building. Without drainage, a membrane stays under constant hydrostatic pressure and fails at detail points over time. Without a membrane, drainage directs some of the water but provides no impermeability. In a correctly built system the two work together.

Turkey's Building Waterproofing Regulation came into force on 1 June 2018 and made waterproofing mandatory for structures permitted after that date. The regulation covers the roof, foundation, retaining wall and wet areas of the building that are directly exposed to water. There is no retroactive obligation for existing buildings. However, according to IZODER figures, buildings waterproofed under the regulation account for only 5 to 5.5 percent of Turkey's building stock, meaning the vast majority of existing buildings lack this protection.

Yes, and the damage goes deeper than it appears. Concrete protects the reinforcing steel inside it from corrosion through its alkaline nature. Persistent moisture and chloride ingress break down that protective layer and the steel begins to rust. Rusting steel expands in volume, cracks the concrete cover, more water enters through the crack and the process accelerates. The result is that the cross sectional area of the steel is reduced and its bond with the concrete weakens. Both lower the building's capacity to carry horizontal loads. In a seismic zone this means the building performs below the capacity calculated in its design.

Simple observations make the distinction. If the damp increases a day or two after rain and disappears in the dry season, water is coming from outside. If instead it concentrates on cold surfaces, in poorly ventilated corners and around windows, becomes pronounced in winter and eases in summer, and continues during dry spells, it is most likely condensation. With condensation the answer is ventilation and eliminating thermal bridges, not waterproofing. Work carried out without making this distinction produces no result, because the water is not coming from outside.

There are four common reasons. Drainage was never installed and the waterproofing is working under constant hydrostatic pressure, which no material is designed for. Details were improvised with the main material and the leak is coming from a corner, a pipe penetration or a joint. The target thickness was not achieved with a liquid system, which is invisible to the eye and surfaces two or three years later. The membrane was punctured during backfill because no protection board was used. To narrow the source, record the timing and pattern of the leak: an isolated patch points to mechanical damage, a linear stain to a lap line, diffuse damp to inadequate thickness.

Ceiling stains beneath a balcony or terrace have a few typical sources. If there is no continuous drip channel beneath the drip profile, water wraps under the profile onto the nose and travels from there to the ceiling. Where balustrade fixings pass vertically into the slab, every fixing is a leak point. If the outlet is single stage, water collecting under the finish cannot escape and passes through the slab. Darkening and debonding at the joints in the finish mean water is already getting underneath. The point where water enters may not be where it appears, because water travels horizontally within the slab. An on site investigation should therefore precede any stripping out.