Four inches of rain fell during a freak early morning storm over Ottery St Mary in South Devon. Pipes from a culvert which ran behind the seven year old development of terraced properties, quickly became blocked by huge hailstones which preceded the rain. This meant that the water, which would normally have been directed towards the nearby River Ott, quickly flooded the development – severely affecting around a dozen properties.
Although the six inches of ‘black water’ which had entered the timber framed property quickly receded, the entire ground floor was left covered in thick mud.
Restoration specialists, Munters, were immediately employed by the owner’s insurance company to remove all floor coverings on the ground floor and install a dehumidifier. However, the property owner’s son, a remedial building specialist, was anxious for his elderly mother to reoccupy the property as soon as possible and proposed installing a cavity drain membrane to the floor which, unlike a replacement PE membrane, could be installed immediately, before the floor had completely dried out. This would allow reinstatement of the property to commence as soon as the system was installed rather than waiting until the concrete block and beam floor was completely dry.
The studded profile design and air gaps of a cavity drain membrane allow the substrate to continue to dry out following installation.
Although the installation of Triton’s Platon Stop membrane represented an element of ‘betterment’ to the insurance company, agreement was given as the extra cost was not excessive and it would also enable the property owner to move back after just seven weeks rather than several months.
Stripping out started immediately to remove the plaster up to a metre high, the fibreglass insulation from the cavity walls, the chipboard floors and PE membranes and insulation. Every remaining surface was then power washed and sprayed with a sanitiser. The dehumidifier system was then left in place for three weeks.
After this time the insurance company issued a ‘dryness certificate’ subject to the proposed cavity drain membrane system being installed.
During week four, Triton’s Platon Stop cavity drain membrane was laid to the concrete floor up to the physical DPCs at the base of the timber frame. New insulation and a chipboard floating floor was then installed. The bottom of the partition walls were reinstated, new plaster board fitted and walls skimmed from floor to ceiling.
During week five, skirting boards and a new kitchen were fitted, radiators and sanitaryware to the downstairs cloakroom cleaned and refitted and the entire ground floor redecorated.
New carpets and furniture were delivered and fitted during week six and the owner was able to move back in time for Christmas the following week!
Neighbouring properties, which were not stripped out immediately after the flood, had to wait many months for a Dryness Certificate to allow the ‘put back as was’ works to start. Some were only reoccupied five or six months later – during which time the occupants had to be rehoused in temporary accommodation.