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Basements |
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The provision of basements
or cellars to new housing can dramatically improve land utilisation,
improve energy consumption and provide homes capable of coping with
changes in lifestyle.
Polarwall offers a quick & effective construction with excellent structural and energy performance.
For too many years, builders and developers in Britain have avoided basement construction. The main reasons cited, are the cost of construction, and the cost of putting the basement right if it is built poorly and lets in moisture. However, in both continental Europe and North America, (both places where space is more readily available than the UK) they have been building basements as standard practice for years. It is time for UK builders to change their attitude to basements and here are some of the reasons why.
Land cost
As land costs increase it
makes economic sense to optimise the available space, and with so many
individual plots being infill and relatively small there is a definite
need to maximise the living space.
For example, if eight three bedroom houses with adjoining garages could fit onto a given piece of development land, how many plots could be fitted in if the garage was in the basement?
It is probably ten houses, so there would be
an immediate gain of two plots. Once you take away the cost
of the footings, walls and roof for the above ground garages, and allow
that sum against the cost of the basement construction, then the
financial gain potential is obvious and significant.
There is a further advantage for developers, which is that houses with basements sell for more money – people just love to have a basement!
Building costs
New basement technologies, such as Polarwall,
have quickened the build time and reduced the cost of basement
construction. One of the major costs of basement construction is the
removal from site of the soil, and though this can sometimes be
“lost” on larger sites, for compact sites it can be
expensive. However, basements do not have to be fully immersed and
basement construction that is partly below and above ground can save
money and let in natural light. Sloping sites make for great basements,
as one side can be opened to create a “walk out”,
providing lots of natural light.
Waterproofing
A modern basement should always be dry. There are so many ways to keep the moisture out, (and we would always advocate a belt and braces approach). Damp basements should be a thing of the past.
Warranty
Warranty insurance is now available that will guarantee a dry basement from day one. Developers will have no more reason to fear the cost of putting a leaky basement right!
Polarwall and basement construction
Polarwall is ideal for any basement and
retaining wall construction. The wall core can be 200mm, 250mm or 300mm
depending upon the structural loading and the soil pressures.
Polarwall has advantages over any other ICF system in basements for the following reasons:
- The formwork is made of Extruded Polystyrene – the most moisture resistant of any insulating board;
- The reinforcement can be welded wire mesh – this saves a lot of construction time over the placing and tying of ordinary reinforcement bar;
- Wide formwork and low profile ties ensures excellent concrete compaction.
Constructing with Polarwall
We are able to offer both training to new contractors or provide contact to one of the Polarwall basement specialists in your area to assemble and construct your basement.
For more information please click here, or contact us on 0845 8382181
Select the ideal product to compliment your development.
