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  • COMMAIK
    • Contact Form
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    • Privacy Policy
  • The Villa
    • The top floor
    • The upper floor
    • The first floor
    • The cellar
    • The garden
  • Stories from the construction
    • irrigation
    • Photovoltaics
    • Pool and terrace
    • SmartHome
    • The planning
    • The demolition
    • The installation
    • Machinery
    • Restoration and working techniques
    • This and that
  • Videos
    • Build & Renovate
    • Irrigation
    • Carport
    • Gabions
    • Garden
    • Garden kitchen
    • Pool
    • Smart Home
    • Drying
    • Tutorials
  • TESTED & RATED
    • Heating solutions & energy
    • Outdoor & Garten
    • Pool & garden kitchen
    • Security & Smart Home
    • Tools & DIY
  • Commaik Music
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  • Draining the basement with a new horizontal barrier – conclusion after 9 months

    A man with gray hair and a thoughtful expression stands in front of a textured beige wall with faded markings, while a large white arrow points to a spot where a horizontal barrier was installed for drying purposes. www.commaik.de

    It is now nine months since our old damp cellar was drained with a retrofitted horizontal barrier – time to take stock. In a building over 100 years old like ours, which was built without the foundation waterproofing that is common today, moisture in the basement is a real challenge. As the rising damp in our cellar became increasingly visible, I installed a new horizontal barrier with injection cream in the thick cellar walls to create a barrier against the ground moisture. In this article, I show in detail what effect the moisture barrier has had, where problems still exist and what other measures seem sensible to keep the cellar…

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    An empty, bright blue swimming pool with a smooth pool liner, gray steps in one corner, and a circular drain on the wall. The outdoor pool is surrounded by unfinished ground and scattered greenery. www.commaik.de

    Laying, gluing and welding pool liners correctly

    10. February 2024
    Lawn irrigation system components, including pipes, valves, and wiring, are laid out on the ground next to an open valve box in a grassy area. A green garden hose and plastic cover are also visible. www.commaik.de

    Installing lawn irrigation: Valve box, Hunter solenoid valves and Rain Bird water distribution in detail

    1. March 2025
    A worn, empty concrete pit with rusty beams, exposed pipes, and draining buckets—one orange and one green—sits against stained, aged walls in a dimly lit basement-like area. www.commaik.de

    Draining and waterproofing basements: Effective measures against moisture and flooding

    24. November 2024
  • Drainage – retrofitting a horizontal barrier yourself

    A gloved hand holds a white stick near a moldy wall. On the wooden floor, a silver packet labeled NOVUstick für nachträgliche Horizontalsperren contains 10 sticks for creating an effective horizontal barrier and improving drainage. www.commaik.de

    In addition to draining the outside of my villa, which was built in 1900, some of the basement walls also need to be sealed from the inside. The horizontal barrier in the 36 to 80 centimeter thick walls is no longer in tact. This time I dared to install a retrofit horizon blocker and used the NovuSticks for this. Here I describe my approach and my experiences.

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    Two surveillance cameras are shown on the left and a network diagram for installing an IP camera is shown on the right. Below is written: Install Reolink surveillance cameras yourself. www.commaik.de

    Install surveillance cameras yourself – IP camera network explained simply

    16. January 2026
    Graphic featuring multiple Reolink security cameras and a video recorder on a gray background, with “Reolink Firmware Update?!” highlighted in bold text at the center. www.commaik.de

    Update Reolink firmware quickly and safely: Step-by-step guide for cameras and NVRs

    7. February 2025
    A person in dark clothing stands by a white counter, holding a metal tube and a small rectangular device. Behind the counter is a white and black parking heater machine labeled Motour with various attachments and a red button. www.commaik.de

    Heating optimization: How to make your diesel parking heater quieter – pump and silencer in the test

    20. December 2025
  • New submersible pump defective – draining the cellar

    A red pump, an orange bucket, two plastic bottles and a hose stand in front of a rough, stained concrete wall with visible drops of water and pipes. www.commaik.de

    Two months ago I built a sump pit with a sump pump in my cellar to collect the water seeping into it and further dry out my cellar. A submersible pump with an integrated float switch should then pump the water out via a hose. Unfortunately, things turned out quite differently. The new submersible pump in the pump sump was defective after just a few weeks. Read this article to find out why the pump was destroyed and how the draining process continued.

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    Several green plants grow in a gravel garden with purple flower spikes. Some are surrounded by black landscaping fabric and gray rocks arranged in wire mesh grids, forming a modern raised bed. A stone wall completes the background. www.commaik.de

    Secure raised bed on a slope with gabions and honeycomb fleece

    2. August 2020
    A construction site featuring gabions—wire mesh walls filled with rocks—a wooden plank supported by concrete blocks, an orange bucket, bricks, and a wheelbarrow with building materials nearby. www.commaik.de

    Securing slopes with gabions – installing stones correctly

    19. August 2020
    Plastic bottles attached to a pipe run along a brick wall in a basement or garage, probably part of a drainage system. Nearby is an easel or a whiteboard on blocks with several cables hanging above it. The floor is made of concrete. www.commaik.de

    Dry out the cellar yourself – infrared heating is used

    23. February 2021
  • Drying basement – pump sump | build septic tank yourself

    A photo showing construction tools and materials: two yellow buckets with gravel, an orange bucket, a red pump sump for drainage, a circular saw blade, a power drill, and a spirit level, all placed on a rough concrete floor. www.commaik.de

    I built a sump pump at the lowest point of my house to help drain my cellar in the long term. The water is collected there and pumped out automatically. In this article, I describe how I built the soakaway and what I had to pay particular attention to. I go into the advantages and disadvantages of this method of draining the cellar and of course also write about whether this method works. Drying out the basement of my 120 year old house has been going on for 12 months now. In the interior, I have previously used the injection method to dry out. The areas above the barrier layer…

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    A man holds a roll of infrared heating foil. An arrow points to a thermal image revealing heat distribution on the floor. The words Infrarot Heizfolie are displayed above. www.commaik.de

    Efficient heating with infrared heating foil: installation, experience and tips for electric wall heating

    11. February 2025
    A red pump, an orange bucket, two plastic bottles and a hose stand in front of a rough, stained concrete wall with visible drops of water and pipes. www.commaik.de

    New submersible pump defective – draining the cellar

    27. January 2021
    Close-up of a heavily rusted and corroded basement metal girder with jagged edges showing considerable decay. A blurred ladder and a bright background can be seen through a large hole in the metal. www.commaik.de

    Renovate basement ceiling yourself – safely replace steel beams

    25. October 2020

Autor & Blogger

In this construction diary, we share our experience in the renovation and modernization of our Art Nouveau villa and hope to give a few suggestions and tips to some of you.

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