• Privacy
  • Imprint
  • Contact Form
  • COMMAIK
    • Contact Form
    • Imprint
    • Privacy
  • 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
  • COMMAIK
    • Contact Form
    • Imprint
    • Privacy
  • 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
  • Privacy
  • Imprint
  • Contact Form
  • 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…

    Weiterlesen

    Ähnliche Beiträge

    A patch of grass with a hole dug in the soil, exposing underground cables for a robot lawn mower. Nearby are an orange cable locator tool, wires, a white hose, and two blue wire connectors. www.commaik.de

    Robot lawn mower – Find and repair a broken control cable easily

    19. January 2024
    A backyard features a rectangular swimming pool surrounded by a wooden deck, a small covered terrace with a bar, a palm tree, garden beds, a lawn, a greenhouse, and a white house with stone siding. www.commaik.de

    Building a BPC and WPC terrace on a slope – My new pool terrace with recycled boards

    14. May 2025
    Screenshot of a solar panel monitoring app displaying the Statistik section. The background highlights blue solar panels, with the main heading reading Balcony Power System and a note showing it was last updated 5 minutes ago. www.commaik.de

    Balcony power station – Set up the Solarman app optimally

    29. October 2023
  • 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.

    Weiterlesen

    Ähnliche Beiträge

    A red and black portable parking heater is displayed on a table with its components, including hoses, wires, a remote, clamps, a silver exhaust pipe, a vent, and a small black bottle in a wooden workshop setting. www.commaik.de

    Diesel parking heater for animal house, workshop and camper: My test of the Vevor 8kW heater

    3. January 2025
    A backyard features a rectangular swimming pool surrounded by a wooden deck, a small covered terrace with a bar, a palm tree, garden beds, a lawn, a greenhouse, and a white house with stone siding. www.commaik.de

    Building a BPC and WPC terrace on a slope – My new pool terrace with recycled boards

    14. May 2025
    A portable hcalory diesel heating unit sits inside a metal box with an open lid, next to a light gray wooden wall. Various hoses and a fuel tank are visible, along with ventilation pipes extending from the box. www.commaik.de

    Hcalory TB MAX 8 kW diesel heater in a practical test – compact all-in-one heater for camping, workshops and motorhomes

    9. November 2025
  • Draining the cellar – 1 year later

    In a damp cellar, plastic containers are inserted into holes at the base of a brick wall to dry out the room. A red dehumidifier and various appliances can be seen in the background. www.commaik.de

    I have been working on draining the cellar for a good 2 years. In addition to repairs to the pipe system, ventilation concepts, dehumidifiers, dryers and a pump shaft in the cellar, I also installed a subsequent horizontal barrier with a masonry injection. It is now time for a review and a summary of the individual measures.

    Weiterlesen

    Ähnliche Beiträge

    Various X-Sense smoke detector products, their packaging, mounting stickers, and a fire extinguisher are arranged on a wooden table with tools hanging on a pegboard in the background. www.commaik.de

    Network wireless smoke detectors across several floors: How X-Sense Link+ protects your whole house!

    21. July 2025
    A modern, automated litter box with a circular opening sits on a wooden floor next to a wooden pillar and light gray wall. The litter box is empty and clean. www.commaik.de

    Automatic litter box test: Self-cleaning litter box without odor – Mova LR10

    12. December 2025
    Modern garden kitchen with a wooden roof, barbecue grill, counters, and bar area illuminated by soft yellow and purple LED lights, set against a twilight sky for an inviting light-filled outdoor retreat. www.commaik.de

    Designing a smart and efficient garden kitchen – installing lights, sockets and water connections

    5. April 2024
  • Dry out the cellar yourself – infrared heating is used

    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

    In order to make the basement rooms of our over 100-year-old city villa usable, I first have to dry them out. The house is partially built into the slope. On the east side the basement floor is at ground level and on the west side about 200 cm below ground level. I have already used various methods for draining. I am currently creating a new watertight horizontal barrier in the masonry using chemical agents such as injection liquid, injection sticks and injection cream. I have already drained the eastern part of the cellar. Now it is the turn of the western part of the building. This time I let my…

    Weiterlesen

    Ähnliche Beiträge

    Three drainage pipes—one black and two orange—are embedded in gravel and surrounded by soil in a trench, highlighting ongoing drainage or construction work. www.commaik.de

    Drainage of the house – installation of drainage and water pipes.

    13. September 2014
    A stylish party room with black walls, a tan floor, and a wood-burning stove with firewood storage. A partial wooden divider with a large window opening separates the space from the cellar-style utility area in the background. www.commaik.de

    Build your own party room in the basement

    14. March 2014
    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

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.

commaik.de © 2026
  • Contact Form
  • Privacy
  • Imprint
  • Change privacy settings
  • Cookie policy
  • English
  • Deutsch (German)