{"id":9190,"date":"2020-08-26T17:10:38","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T16:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/?post_type=insight&#038;p=9190"},"modified":"2025-07-31T15:58:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:58:55","slug":"basement-water-ingress","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Damage in Basements &#8211; Part I: Ingress"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"9190\" class=\"elementor elementor-9190\" data-elementor-post-type=\"insight\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b2dcc4f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"61306\" data-id=\"b2dcc4f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a06f424\" data-eae-slider=\"16067\" data-id=\"a06f424\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f46994f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f46994f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Basement construction has become more common, both in new developments and beneath existing buildings, as basements provide an increased floor area for the same footprint of the main, above-ground building. Basements are also often used as an option to overcome planning restrictions. At Hawkins, as more basements are constructed, we have seen an increase in instructions to investigate damage to basements as a result of water ingress.<\/p><p>This article provides both a brief overview of the Regulations, Standards and guidance on the prevention of water ingress during construction of basements. It also demonstrates our investigative approach to establishing the facts, where possible, as to causation and routes for potential subrogated recovery.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c4dd50 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9c4dd50\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">REGULATIONS, STANDARDS AND GUIDANCE<\/span><\/h4><p>Part C2 of the Building Regulations is relevant to the construction of basements and requires that the floors and walls of a building should adequately protect the building from ground moisture. Approved Document C (ADC) provides practical guidance on ways of complying with the requirements of Part C of the Building Regulations. ADC states that the design of floors and walls carried out in accordance with the British Standard\u00a0<em>\u201cBS 8102:2009 Code of Practice for Protection of Below Ground Structures Against Water From The Ground\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(BS 8102) can achieve the requirements of the Building Regulations.<\/p><p>There are three types of protection covered by the code (A, B and C)<a href=\"#references\">[1]<\/a>:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f22c106 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\" data-id=\"f22c106\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-list.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Type A - protection is provided by a barrier system applied to the structure, either internally, externally or sandwiched between wall skins. Examples include: bonded sheet membranes, liquid applied membranes and cementitious renders.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ce646d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4ce646d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"443\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-A-768x443.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-9193\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-A-768x443.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-A-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-A-1024x591.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-A-1536x887.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-A.png 1545w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c5f4efe elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\" data-id=\"c5f4efe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-list.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Type B - protection is provided integrally by the structure itself, such as where waterproofing admixture is added to the structural concrete.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34ac3b0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"34ac3b0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"460\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-B-1024x589.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9194\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-B-1024x589.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-B-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-B-768x442.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-B-1536x883.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-B.png 1720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12f38d4 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\" data-id=\"12f38d4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-list.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Type C - protection is provided by the incorporation of an appropriate internal water management system, such as a cavity drain with a perimeter channel leading to a sump with pumps. This is commonly a dimpled (egg shell) sheet placed against the internal face of a structure, designed to intercept water penetrating the structure and direct it into a drainage system.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34ec71b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"34ec71b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"666\" height=\"528\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-C.png\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-9195\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-C.png 666w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Type-C-300x238.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8bc2eff elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8bc2eff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Code of Practice also describes the grades of waterproofing protection required, which are dictated by the required performance level of the space. The grades are as follows:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b61fe1d elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\" data-id=\"b61fe1d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-list.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Grade 1 - some seepage and damp areas tolerable. Example structure: an underground car park.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Grade 2 - no water penetration acceptable, but damp areas tolerable and ventilation may be required. Example structures: storage areas or plant rooms.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Grade 3 - no water penetration acceptable and ventilation\/air conditioning necessary, as appropriate to the intended use. Example structures: ventilated residential and commercial basement areas. The building and people who use the building are required to be protected from the harmful effects of moisture.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7cf6374 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7cf6374\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Both the level of waterproofing protection and the allowable levels of damp should be determined by the end use of the structure and a risk assessment of water ingress. One of the key considerations in the risk assessment is the risk associated with the water table. If the risk is low, then any of the three types of waterproofing would be acceptable on their own. If the risk is high, then the risk should be reduced. For example, either introducing a second, different type of waterproofing, or installing an external drainage system to locally lower the water pressure can control the amount of water passing through the external basement wall (in the case of a Type C waterproofing system).\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4c19c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c4c19c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Flooding-of-Basement.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9197\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Flooding-of-Basement.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Flooding-of-Basement-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 684px) 100vw, 684px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Flooding of a basement storage room. The room required Grade 2 water protection<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bb4490 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7bb4490\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">WHAT CAN GO WRONG?<\/span><\/h4><p>There are many reasons why water ingress to basements can occur including, but not limited to:<\/p><p><strong>Defective design.<\/strong>\u00a0The specification and detailing of the waterproofing, as well as the accurate assessment of the risks of water ingress, are primary factors in achieving a waterproof basement. The code of practice recommends that the advice of a geotechnical specialist should be sought on both the geology and\u00a0<em>hydro<\/em>geology of the ground, the external drainage options and groundwater conditions of the site. It also recommends that a waterproofing specialist should be included in the building\u2019s design team.<\/p><p><strong>Construction defects<\/strong>. Good workmanship is essential in the construction of basements and installation of waterproofing systems. The continuity of any waterproofing barrier is paramount as any defects or gap in the waterproofing barrier can provide a route for water to penetrate. Where openings are required, such as for pipes and services, the penetrations should be sealed. Waterstops are critical in Type B systems and must be provided at construction joints and penetrations. The materials used in the construction must also be of a suitable standard and deployed in accordance with the manufacturer\u2019s instructions.<\/p><p><strong>Pump failure.\u00a0<\/strong>Where a cavity drainage system is installed, a failure of the pump(s) in a sump can lead to water backing up and flooding basements. High level water alarms can be installed to reduce the likelihood of this occurring by detecting and notifying the owners (locally or remotely) of high water levels within the sump chamber<\/p><p><strong>High groundwater levels.<\/strong>\u00a0Groundwater levels should be assessed at the design stage. However, flooding events or local escapes of water can result in groundwater levels reaching much higher levels than accounted for during the design, which may subsequently breach the waterproofing system installed.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-15ad85d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"15ad85d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Marks-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9196\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Marks-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Marks-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Marks-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Marks.jpg 1141w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Water marks can be an indication of water levels reached or signs of water rising up the wall via capillary action<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-17086ab elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"17086ab\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">HAWKINS INVESTIGATIONS<\/span><\/h4><p>Our civil engineering team are experienced in investigating basement waterproofing failures and can aid our clients in establishing both liability and subrogation opportunities. During a site investigation we can carry out visual surveys, moisture surveys and infrared thermography (thermal imaging) to help identify areas of water ingress. Water sampling and analysis (groundwater, mains water, foul water) and dye-tracing are also useful to identify the source of the water. Where available, design and construction documents are reviewed and compared to what was constructed to help identify whether any failures during the design and\/or construction phases contributed to the damage.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49cfa33 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"49cfa33\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Construction-Joint.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9198\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Construction-Joint.jpg 972w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Construction-Joint-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Construction-Joint-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Water ingress through a construction joint, found during one of Hawkins\u2019 investigations.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-09f6d0e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"09f6d0e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Where heavy rainfall and flooding from waterways is thought to have contributed, Hawkins\u2019 hydrologists can carry out further investigation of the flooding, assessing the contribution of other causative factors and assessing the annual probability (or return period) of a rainfall\/flood event.<\/p><p>The second part of this article will focus on the drainage of water from basements, and will be written by Richard Keightley. Please follow us on LinkedIn to see when it is published.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c1983b2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c1983b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/span><\/h4><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/experts\/paul-hughes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-concrete5-link-type=\"image\">Paul Hughes<\/a>\u00a0is a Civil Engineer who has a background in the design and construction of marine and offshore structures. With Hawkins, Paul has carried out investigations of ingress of water in facades, roofs and basements, structural failures including buildings, bridges and offshore pipelines, fires and personal injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d78f9c6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d78f9c6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" id=\"references\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-8\"><p>[1]\u00a0Original Image Source:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basements.org.uk\/TBIC\/Waterproofing\/Types-of-Waterproofing.aspx\">https:\/\/www.basements.org.uk\/TBIC\/Waterproofing\/Types-of-Waterproofing.aspx<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Basement construction has become more common, both in new developments and beneath existing buildings, as basements provide an increased floor area for the same footprint of the main, above-ground building.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9192,"parent":0,"template":"","insight_category":[],"experties":[62],"class_list":["post-9190","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","experties-built-environment"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Basement Water Damage: Ingress Causes &amp; Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Understand the causes of water ingress in basements and how forensic engineers identify and mitigate structural vulnerabilities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Basement Water Damage: Ingress Causes &amp; Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Understand the causes of water ingress in basements and how forensic engineers identify and mitigate structural vulnerabilities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawkins Forensic Investigation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-31T14:58:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Damage-in-Basements-1-Top-Image.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"926\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/\",\"name\":\"Basement Water Damage: Ingress Causes & Solutions\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Damage-in-Basements-1-Top-Image.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-08-26T16:10:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-31T14:58:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"Understand the causes of water ingress in basements and how forensic engineers identify and mitigate structural vulnerabilities.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Damage-in-Basements-1-Top-Image.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Water-Damage-in-Basements-1-Top-Image.jpg\",\"width\":926,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/basement-water-ingress\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Insights\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Water Damage in Basements &#8211; 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