It’s easy to think of waterproofing as an afterthought. While it may not be at the top of many businesses’ minds, it’s a crucial step in commercial construction. Building practicality aside, commercial waterproofing presents several money-saving opportunities. 

Construction firms and the businesses they serve can benefit from waterproofing’s cost-saving potential. It all starts with learning where and how this process saves money. 

How Waterproofing Saves Money 

Waterproofing may seem like an extra expense initially, but it yields long-term savings in several ways. Here are a few of the most significant. 

Preventing Water Damage 

The most straightforward way commercial waterproofing saves money is by improving your building’s longevity. Cleaning damage from clean water costs between $3 and $4 per square foot on average. Any contaminants quickly push those expenses higher. 

This damage can cause issues during the construction phases. Failure to waterproof areas while working on others could cause runoff from one zone into another. This seepage, in turn, may require costly and time-consuming rework. 

It’s also worth considering how common a hazard water is. This damage can come from storms, pipe failures and even humidity. Given this prevalence and costs, preventing it from the beginning is a crucial cost-saving measure. 

Preventing Accidents 

Even if water seepage doesn’t affect the integrity of construction materials, it can endanger nearby workers or occupants. Outdoor areas like roofs are particularly vulnerable to these dangers, as slipping or freezing hazards can create new high-risk areas in zones that previously had a lower-risk classification. 

The risk to human life and well-being should be enough to warrant attention to these dangers. However, preventing accidents also has monetary advantages. Accidents are expensive. They lead to lost productivity and workers’ compensation costs. Consequently, minimizing water-related risks can save a lot on injury-related expenses. 

Once again, these benefits apply to the construction phase and the eventual building occupants. Protecting your project’s inhabitants will reduce your risk of costly legal battles from failure to prevent these hazards.  

Improving Energy Efficiency 

Commercial waterproofing also makes buildings more energy-efficient. Part of this efficiency stems from the fact that something that’s water-tight will also minimize unwanted airflow. This insulation, in turn, leads to more efficient heating and cooling. 

Waterproofing will also prevent mold and mildew growth. Health risks aside, these contaminants block internal airflow, causing HVAC systems to work harder. Consequently, stopping them ensures a building can operate as efficiently as possible. 

This efficiency saves occupants money, which you can use to market your services. Sustainability is also an increasingly important buying factor for businesses, so ensuring it through waterproofing can help secure future contracts. 

How to Maximize Waterproofing Savings 

Any waterproofing project will lead to long-term savings, but not all instances are equally cost-effective. You can push waterproofing’s cost efficiency further through careful planning and implementation. 

Choose the Right Waterproofing Method 

The first step in maximizing waterproofing savings is using the right method for the job. As with other construction processes, the best solution depends on your goal, budget and other constraints. Do your research to find the right CAD or BIM design for your project. 

Cementitious waterproofing is the easiest to apply and is often affordable but is prone to cracking and weather damage over time. Waterproof membranes are labor-intensive but more resilient and offer better insulation against temperature fluctuations, not just water. You can use liquid waterproofing to reach a middle ground between ease of application and long-term efficacy. 

Remember, you don’t need to use the same method for an entire project. For example, you may use cementitious waterproofing for concrete foundations, membranes for the roof and liquid waterproofing for walls. 

Use BIM Software 

Design changes can help, too. Building information modeling (BIM) software makes it easier to choose the right waterproofing techniques and workflows before you start construction. 

The digital twins BIM provides can reveal which methods will or won’t work well on a given project. This transparency reduces the risk of rework, minimizing labor and material costs when waterproofing a structure. Workflow clash detection features can help you create more effective schedules to ensure waterproofing makes the most of your available labor pool without causing disruptions. 

BIM software has the added advantage of making in-depth building designs easily shareable. Transferring BIM models to building owners after project completion helps them make more informed decisions about the long-term maintenance of waterproofing infrastructure. 

Train Employees Thoroughly 

Train your employees how to apply waterproofing systems effectively. It’s easy to overlook this step, but it greatly impacts efficacy. 

Poor training causes mistakes, which lead to scrap and rework. These errors may also become more likely amid the ongoing construction labor shortage, as it leads to increased workloads and higher stress. Employees are more likely to forget or overlook important steps amid the distraction of these workloads, so reviewing key points before a project is essential. 

Thorough training and retraining will minimize the risks of mistakes. You can then waterproof a structure in less time with fewer materials to maximize the resulting savings. 

Make the Most Out of Commercial Waterproofing 

Commercial waterproofing is more than just a safety measure. It can also yield significant savings, especially if you pay attention to planning, choosing specific methods and training employees. Recognizing these cost-saving opportunities is the first step toward capitalizing on them and completing more cost-effective projects. 

Author : Emily Newton

Cover image by Leohoho on Unsplash