The feeling amongst many real estate developers is that waterproofing is costly and unnecessary. However costly remedial action becomes a painful lesson for many.
Concrete is highly porous and as such can allow water and other chemical to infiltrate it. Left unattended, this can lead to the deterioration of a building. According to construction expert Bill Palmer, the source of the vast majority of foundation problems is water. Apart from burning down, perhaps the worst thing that can happen to a residential structure or a building is a foundation problem. Wet soil beneath a foundation can swell or lose strength. This is one of the reasons to always keep the foundation dry. It is worth remembering that doing it right the first time is critical, because coming back to fix it is costly affair.
In this light, it is advisable that concrete is waterproofed. However, choosing the best way to waterproof the concrete has continued to be a daunting task to most developers. Ensuring that water passage in a concrete is prevented and hydrostatic pressure resisted, a concrete can be waterproofed from the positive (exterior) side, negative (interior) side or from within the concrete itself (integral systems). In most cases, the most widely used positive-side technology is sheet membrane waterproofing. However, its failures and limitations are also common and costly. This has deterred most contractors from embracing waterproofing.