Private House Sutton Coldfield

With the soil being clay based and the water table just centimetres below, a watertight solution was an essential requirement in building the basement.

Robinsons Construction Group, the main contractor on the build, decided upon Sika® Watertight Concrete as the solution to this problem. The BBA certified Sika® Watertight Concrete system incorporates two state-of-the-art powerful Sika® admixtures. These work firstly by reducing the water cement ratio, whilst producing a highly workable concrete to aid placement and compaction, and secondly, by blocking the remaining capillary pores.

Wayne Robinson from Robinsons Construction Group said: “From the start of the project, Sika® have provided an excellent, professional service, with good communication along with sound advice and technical back up. Going with Sika® Watertight Concrete was an easy decision to make, and this has proved totally successful”.

Bardon Concrete supplied 200 cubic metres of concrete to the project, using the bagged Sika® Watertight Concrete system. This consists of a powdered version of the system in dissolvable bags for ease of use. The bags are simply added to the concrete mix through the back of the ready mix truck at a quantity of one per cubic metre of concrete, prior to leaving the production plant. This simple operation is fast and easy and ensures a correct dosage every time.

Construction joints were sealed with the SikaSwell® jointing system, which consists of joint sealing profiles that expand on contact with water to seal any voids between adjoining concrete slabs. Sika® have solutions for movement and non-movement joints.

Sika® Watertight Concrete is a proven alternative to external membrane systems, saving time both at the design and construction stage. The system has a successful track record going back 50 years.