Waterproofing Disputes & Resolutions

CLW are industry-leading waterproofing consultants with ongoing involvement in a wide range of activities, including waterproofing design, contract administration and defect diagnosis.

Waterproofing related defects in buildings and infrastructure are all too common. But where is the water coming from and who is responsible? Causes are numerous and could include any or a combination of: condensation, ventilation, heating, insulation, vapour control layers, plumbing, concrete compaction, waterproofing design, material failure, flooding, drainage, ground conditions.

Because of this complexity getting to the root of the true issue in a credible and authoritative manner can save considerable expense and time. CLW are tried and tested experts in structural waterproofing and have significant experience in designing and diagnosing water related defects in basements, roofs and civil structures.  

Expert Witness

Our Technical Director, Ben Hickman, is an experienced Expert Witness. He is an industry authority having been involved in writing CIRIA guidance on blue roofs, sat on the committee reviewing British Standard 8102 and contributed to NHBC technical standards.

Ben’s experience includes:

  • a £10m international arbitrations relating to leaking tunnels
  • multi-storey basement water ingress disputes relating to design and workmanship failure
  • a series of 10+ roofs with a consistent ingress defect resulting in a claim of £10m
  • single joint expert witness statements etc.

Ben’s expert subjects include: basement waterproofing, dampness in buildings and buried decks (blue roofs, green roofs, podium decks).

Defect Diagnosis

Water ingress wreaks havoc on buildings and infrastructure. Too often, however, repairs are attempted before the causes are properly understood. This can waste money, time –  and even make matters worse.

In contrast, our experts will thoroughly investigate waterproofing defects. Our understanding of the design process helps to establish as-built details and dig into the areas most likely to suffer defects. So you can be sure you’re paying for the correct repairs to be implemented.

We have investigated defects in many roofing systems, as well as managing laboratory testing of samples to determine crack-bridging capabilities of installed systems. We are also experienced in basement design and construction, looking at drained cavity systems and concrete.

Working closely with Vector Leak Consultants, we  offer a unique system to identify leak locations in buried structures. We are also an approved NHBC contractor and have worked for the aftercare teams of a number of Tier One contractors.

Advice

Disputes are a common feature in the construction industry – and particularly when it comes to waterproofing. In these situations, an independent and credible third party can provide important value in understanding the range of opinions and revealing the most important issues. Which is where we come in. 

We aren’t just waterproofing specialists involved in design, best practice development and defect diagnosis. We’re also professionals with experience in contract administration and dispute resolution. Our advice service varies with each situation but commonly includes information gathering and review, site investigations and provision of comprehensive advice notes.

Expert Determination

Expert determination is a contractual dispute resolution system whereby parties agree to be bound by the view of an independent expert. It is cost effective, rapid and private.

Disputes that are well suited to expert determination are often quite specific. For example, a contractor may believe they have delivered waterproofing to the specified standard but another party disagrees. In that situation, we could give an expert determination, allowing for rapid resolution of the dispute, without delaying the overall project.

Trained and assessed by the Academy of Experts, our Technical Director, Ben Hickman, is an experienced and credible authority in determining various waterproofing issues.

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