How to fix leaking in garage?

[ChrisA]

Hi everyone,

I have an old garage that I want to convert to a music room with lots of equipment. It has hardiplank on the outside and I plan to add acoustic insulation it and then add thick soundchek plasterboard for sound proofing.

My problem is that some water gets in at the bottom of the walls in heavy rain and I wanted to make sure this was fixed before starting work on the room.

On the advice for a local plumbing store I installed a down pipe and a stormwater pit which goes to a pit of blue metal…but this overflows in heavy rain. (please see pics)

My question is should I install some type of drain around the garage before doing the project and if so what type.

Also should I try to waterproof around the bottom of the walls?

As you should be able to see I. The fourth photo the fence is higher than the bottom the shed and the land slopes down.

I would be grateful for any help/ suggestions.

 

 

 

 

   

  

[Noyade]

Hi @ChrisA 

"I would be grateful for any help/ suggestions."

I will be keen to see how this all goes for you. Your photos above are exactly how our shed looked when it rained. This was back in1989. In torrential rain there was rivulets running through it.

My father was still alive then and a semi-retired builder. No matter what I said, he was insistent  - the shed had to come down. Two piles were made, materials that could be used and those that couldn't.

A six inch slab was added to the existing concrete and the shed reconstructed. It turned out better than the original. No water issues ever since.

Not a day goes by when I miss his advice - but it was one of the best things he did for our property.

Cheers! And good luck!

[ChrisA]

Hi Jacob, 

Thankyou so much this clears a lot of things up.

I just wanted to know if the 1 mm  thickness fabric would be the best and  also if I should nail or glue the damp course plastic on to the Hardiplank.

Thanks again!!.

[ChrisA]

Hi Noyade,

Thanks for the message!

I have considered getting a new room built but it will cost a lot more than just redoing this garage…not sure if I should spend the money??

Regards

Chris

[EricL]

Hello @ChrisA 

Using the GRUNT 1 x 10m Non Woven Geotextile Membrane at 1mm is perfectly fine. If you were to glue the damp course, I suggest gluing it to the HardiPlank.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[ChrisA]

 

  

Hi JacobZ,

I just had a couple of more questions.

Firstly with making a water proof barrier for the garage you have suggested corflute and sika 11FC …but now after a bit of digging I have found that the concrete slab sticks out from the walls by up to 8cm in some places ( please see the pics) so is there another way to make an effective barrier in this situation?

Secondly with the drain should the level of stones from the drain be lower than the concrete slab or the same height? 
Thanks for all the help!

[JacobZ]

Hi @ChrisA,

Thank you for your questions.

I would still use the same method of waterproofing; you will just need to dig down a bit further to allow the corflute to bridge the 8cm protrusion and direct the water down and away from the garage.  

Assuming the corflute is installed correctly, and there is no way for the water to run under the bottom plate of the garage, the water should find its way into the drain regardless of the height. You might want to have the stones level with the slab purely for aesthetic purposes and to stop anyone's ability to step on the corflute.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[ChrisA]

Hi Jacob,

Thank you so much for the reply.

So how would I attach the corflute? Would I have to FOLD it to glue it to the hardiplank and then over the concrete into the ground?

Thanks again!

[JacobZ]

Hi @ChrisA,

That's correct, you would need to fold it in a "Z" shape to run down the wall, over the concrete protrusion and over the edge of the concrete. The most important place for good fixing is the top edge as all the water will flow downwards. Some additional daubs of the FC11 on the concrete will help to hold it in place, then once backfilled, the drainage gravel will also help to hold it in place.

Luckily, the corflute has cells running horizontally throughout so it will give nice clean fold lines.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jacob

[ChrisA]

Thanks great …thanks for clearing that up Jacob…it’s so helpful.

Can you please let me know what specific corflute you recommend for this job…Bunnings seems to have a few different ones.

Regards 

Chris 

[JacobZ]

Hi @ChrisA,

I'd suggest Tunnelcore 2250 x 1220 x 2.5mm Black Double Wall PP Flute Board as you can cut it into four 2250mm x 305mm strips using a utility knife or scissors. I would use this particular line as it is the longest corflute Bunnings keep in stock meaning there will be less vertical butt joins. Any joins will be an entry point for water, so it is important these joins are attached well and sealed, so it will also be worth taping the joins with Grunt 50mm x 10m Flashing Tape.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

Jacob