If your renovation project is hampered by limited external space, or your building property is at the planning stage, it is advisable to consider basement construction as an innovative way to increase floor space and interior facilities. Not only do they add considerable value to a home or premises, they offer certain benefits other conversions cannot. By this, we’re referring to additional living areas, indoor swimming pools, gyms with extensive weight rooms, and – for our commercial clients – underground carparking facilities.
South East Formwork Ltd’s team of professional and highly skilled basement builders offer these construction services to both residential and commercial clients in Cobham, Cobham, Farnham, Guildford, Kingston, Richmond, Wentworth, Weybridge, Wimbledon, Woking and the surrounding areas. We also carry out reinforced concrete services and install retaining walls on building sites across Surrey. To find out how our past and present clients regard our dedicated approach to our work, please refer to our testimonials page.
Whether your property is already in situ, or still on paper, we have a variety of options available to us which will guarantee the success of the basement installation. All services provided by South East Formwork begin with site surveys and a thorough examination of the surrounding surfaces to ascertain the types of soil we’ll be working with. We cover all relevant services, from excavation and drainage to reinforcement, formwork and concreting.
This is a service few builders offer as it requires specialist skills. With over 50 years’ combined experience in the building industry, our basement builders are well equipped to carry out this service with past projects including multi-level residential installations. Working with various onsite teams to ensure productivity is at its best consistently throughout the project in hand, we’ll create the necessary formwork following preparatory groundworks and relevant excavation procedures. This includes reinforced concrete retaining walls.
The most important aspect of basement construction is the drainage and waterproofing stage. Once all excess water has been cleared from the site, using advanced water pumps, our builders will install cavity drain membranes to protect the newly revealed area. These high-strength polythene sheets are secured between the substrate and the basement’s internal wall to prevent water seeping into the structure. Many clients opt for waterproof concrete as well, and our basement builders can advise you on the most suitable products for your basement if you are considering this option.
Regardless of how long a property has been standing, it’s still possible to create a basement beneath it, using advanced building methods for which our company is highly regarded. As the process involves the removal of original foundations, it is necessary to support the structure above throughout construction, and this is done by underpinning and piling. This is the process of boring holes into the ground and filling them with concrete to provide adequate support as the removal of soil continues.
Works will then progress in the same style as new basement construction methods, with the most suitable formwork inserted and waterproofing carried out. Other factors included at this stage may include additional pipework, heating systems, and drainage facilities. The entire process is finalised when poured concrete solidifies to become the new basement floor.
Basements, whatever their size, open up considerable opportunities for your home or premises, such as:
If your home is lacking space, and property extensions are not an option, our builders at South East Formwork highly recommend basement installations for the possibilities they offer. If you’re situated in Chobham, Cobham, Farnham, Kingston, Richmond, Wentworth, Weybridge, Wimbledon, Woking, or the surrounding areas, call our team in Guildford today to discover just how beneficial basement installations and conversions can be.