Waterproofing problems

Foundation beam waterproofing defects are a critical problem. Why check for a foundation beam waterproofing defect before moving into a house, and how do you deal with it?

Waterproofing problems are one of the most common, and most frustrating, reasons residents call in a home inspection (bedek bayit) expert. Most requests for this kind of inspection come in before buying a resale apartment, or while living in a new apartment from a contractor, and naturally many arrive with the first rain.

Foundation beam waterproofing defects

How to check a new apartment: a structure has many elements that need waterproofing, and a single failure often creates dampness whose source is hard to trace. Locating it is a professional job, best left to a home inspection expert, an engineer familiar with the full range of waterproofing problems, using tools such as a thermal camera or other dampness detectors.

The main sources of dampness are:

Foundation waterproofing: the standard requires the foundations, including the tie beams, to be waterproofed. This must be designed by an experienced waterproofing consultant who details how the elements connect. A common failure point, for example, is at the pile head, when it isn't done to the consultant's specifications.

Foundation waterproofing defects: walls in contact with the ground

Inspecting a resale apartment: what matters in wall waterproofing? The walls must be sealed, and the seal protected with cork boards against stones that could press against the wall and damage it. Without this, water can get into the house through walls such as basement walls.

These problems are common and usually invisible, so finding them takes a professional eye, and a home inspection company equipped with all the advanced equipment needed to trace foundation beam waterproofing defects.

Waterproofing at exterior door thresholds

Waterproofing defects at door thresholds are common, and they show up as swollen plaster above the baseboards at the sides of the door, for instance at a sliding door leading to a garden or a balcony.

A detailed article on dampness penetrating from balconies covers the many causes of this kind of flaw.

In short: before waterproofing is applied, a concealed concrete tie beam has to go in beneath the door threshold. That tie beam acts as a boundary for the waterproofing.

Bathroom waterproofing problems

When you move into a house, it's critical to have a home inspection done while the seller's or contractor's warranty still applies. Waterproofing is one of the basic checks, and one of the most important defects to resolve quickly, since it tends to worsen and damage further parts of the house and its foundations.

The damage from this kind of flaw can be severe. Water seeping from a bathroom through an ongoing leak soaks the sand bed beneath the apartment's flooring, and can eventually force residents to move out while the flooring and wet sand are removed entirely, all from neglecting a fairly simple waterproofing detail.

Pay particular attention to pipe penetrations from the apartment into the bathroom: this detail has to be done correctly and professionally.

Roof waterproofing

Just as window defects are worth checking, so is the roof. There are several types of roof waterproofing; the most common in residential buildings is bituminous sheeting, which must be installed to the Israeli Standard (its two relevant parts). Pay close attention to the welds, the slopes and the fillets, the upstands running from the roof surface to the wall.

Extra care is also needed around the drainage opening, where waterproofing defects often show up as dampness on the underside of the roof ceiling.

Waterproofing issues are common, and finding the one in your house takes an expert familiar with the full range of them and the construction defects tied to dampness. Arad Bedek Bayit's engineers are experienced at locating waterproofing defects and will help you solve the problem precisely and professionally.

If you're about to move into a new house, a new apartment from a contractor, or a resale apartment, a thorough home inspection is worth doing. Reach out to us at any stage for advice and guidance, and we'll help you quickly and efficiently.