Paul Evans, President of Australian Institute of Waterproofing (AIW) and Manager/Director Findlay-Evans Waterproofing, discussion waterproofing standards in Australia. https/:www.waterproofingfew.com.au

1. Profile22BUILDIT2018
The Australian Institute of Waterproofing
COMMITTED TO RAISING WATERPROOFING
STANDARDS AND TRAINING IN AUSTRALIA
THE IMPORTANCE OF WATERPROOFING
Waterproofing may seem to represent only a small
part of an overall project and any later water damage
may be considered merely an aesthetically issue, but
nothing could be further from the truth.
It is for good reason that AIW stresses the
importance of employing qualified waterproofing
contractors who use the correct products for
every project. If waterproofing is not completed
properly it can become a major problem for
construction companies, developers, owners
and property managers.
Water leaks cause structural damage which be
a serious risk to human life, as evidence by such
tragedies as balcony collapse in California in 2015
that killed six people and injured seven others.
This devastating case highlighted the importance of
waterproofing when the California State Licensing
Board subsequently ruled that the collapse had
been caused by shoddy material selection and poor
waterproofing workmanship, which had enabled dry
rot and decay to set in the timber joists.1
THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF BUILDING
DEFECTS IN AUSTRALIA
An often-quoted statistic in the waterproofing and
insurance industry is: “Waterproofing is 1.8 per cent
of construction cost but accounts for 83 per cent of
building defect complaints.”
Waterproofing defects and failures, including
internal water damage and water entering from the
outside of a building, are the number one cause
of building defects facing Australia’s construction
landscape today.
Defects from ineffective waterproofing represent a
huge cost to business.
Construction businesses not only have to deal
with the frustration of managing water leak issues
long after construction is complete, but also losing
significant percentage of their profit margins due to
waterproofing rectification and remedial services.
“Some apartments have become uninhabitable through
water damage caused by poor construction methods,
with water seeping through multiple levels where proper
waterproof membranes have not been installed.”
The key points raised are:
• Residential multi-story, multi-dwelling, apartment
buildings are experiencing an alarming frequency
of building defects, most commonly caused
through waterproofing failure.
• Developers were identified as partly responsible
for the condition of the building, with a call to be
financially responsible.
• Balconies were identified as a major cause of
waterproofing problems, with the assumption
that “proper waterproofing membranes have not
been installed,” combined with poor ceramic
tiling installation.
• Faulty windows and installation process cause
considerable water leaks into walls and ceilings.
Pressure issues identified as causes were
nominated as a failure to pick up defects through
the building surveyors inspection process, plus
the cost pressures to use cheap (inferior) materials
to save money.
• The market has inconsistencies in insurance cover,
both from building trade cover and the residential
owners’ cover, resulting in the building owner
having to self-fund the corrections to the building.
AIW supports registering waterproofing trades
The AIW supports registration of waterproofing
trades to improve the standard of work.
Currently in Victoria the full responsibility of
waterproofing works is under the control of
the Registered Builder, sub-contract trades
like waterproofers are not independently liable.
Waterproofers are not a category of tradesperson
registered by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).
As such waterproofers in Victoria do not necessarily
carry correct insurance policies.
In New South Wales and Queensland, the State
building authorities have registered waterproofers
as a trade, and as such, they are subject to building
liability with a requirement to meet Standards, on-
going training and compliance checks.
THE AIW COMMITMENT
AIW President, Paul Evans, firmly believes
the construction industry deserves to have access to
trained waterproofing experts with extensive knowledge.
As the national waterproofing industry association,
AIW is committed to supporting of all forms of
training to all sectors of the building industry.
Short Course Training
Aside from formal qualifications, it is important
to educate other stakeholders on regulatory
requirements. AIW has currently developed
several courses, focusing on Australian Standards
Compliance, Inspections, Material Compatibility and
Membrane Selection, and Best Practice Applications.
Over the last year AIW, collaborated with the
Master Builders Victoria (MBAV), to design
and now have a scheduled short course:
"Waterproofing in Construction."
This course is based upon a practical common-sense
approach to utilise the Australian Standards at hand
and apply the everyday practicable mentality to
waterproofing.
The MBAV course is intended to educate personnel
involved in the planning or design stage of a project,
assist in the selection of material and methods, and the
various types of waterproofing used in construction.
The MBA in other Australian states are in the process
of looking at offering this course to their members.
If you are in Victoria and wish to attend the
“Waterproofing in Construction” short course, call
the MBAV Training Department on: (03) 9411 4555
Certificate III in Construction Waterproofing
AIW has collaborative relationships with Registered
Training Organisations (RTOs) in different States
of Australia.
Industry Seminars
Members of the AIW Committee are regular speakers
at industry functions and associations covering
waterproofing topics and answering questions,
focusing on BCA and Australian Standards compliance.
AIW has presented at numerous seminars on behalf
of the Architects Designers Engineers Builders
(ADEB) throughout Australian capital cities.
AIW Committee members also present in-house
waterproofing standards and information sessions
for architects, builders, building surveyors, designers
and developers on request.
If your company is interested in booking an in-house
training session on waterproofing, call AIW for further
information on: 1300 249 466.
THE AIW CHARTER OF ACTIVITIES
• To always represent the best interests of our
members.
• To promote relevant Australian Standards and
inform members of significant changes.
• To provide up-to-date ‘best practice’
waterproofing application assistance to members
via electronic media.
• To provide members with ‘continuous learning’ of
construction and waterproofing via Stakeholder
formal training, member sponsored short courses
and downloadable modules.
• Lobby governments and authorities to promote
waterproofing industry changes, plus lift AIW
industry profile awareness.
• Hold activities and participate in stakeholder
functions to promote membership.
• Support the education of the construction
industry with the goal of obtaining defect free
waterproofing.
AIW MEMBER BENEFITS
The AIW welcomes all construction industry
professionals: architects, builders, developers,
building designers, surveyors, manufacturers,
affiliated trades etc. Belonging to the AIW helps raise
the standard of waterproofing in the industry and
provides members with significant direct benefits:
• Access to the latest technical information,
including technical drawings.
• Access to ‘formal course’ and ‘outline’ training via
our network association with AMA and our own
course material.
• The rights to use the AIW logo in members’
communication to build brand credibility.
• ‘Forum’ web connectivity with others in the
industry to update information or find solutions.
• Contractors ‘lead’ generation in the local area or
field of expertise.
• Greater connectivity to members’ websites
• The opportunity to get a discounted business
website designed.
• Economical annual membership fees in
every category.
1. Wells, M (2017, June 5) “New documents reveal poor construction caused balcony collapse” The Daily Californian, Retrieved from:
www.dailycal.org/2017/06/05/new-documents-reveal-poor-construction-caused-balcony-collapse
2. Dow, A. (2016 Sept 25) “Melbourne’s high-rise nightmares taking a tall toll on residents and investors” The Age, Retrieved from:
www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbournes-highrise-nightmares-taking-a-tall-toll-on-residents-and-investors-20160916-gri6l4.html
The Australian Institute of Waterproofing (AIW) represents the interests of the
whole building industry in raising the standard of waterproofing in Australia by
becoming the ‘central source’ of knowledge, augmented by members’ experience
to mentor continuous change.
Building damage caused by water leaks also impacts
many property owners who are required to endure
lengthy legal battles for rectification costs or outlay
the expense themselves.
COMMON CAUSES OF
WATERPROOFING DEFECTS
The causes of waterproofing damage and defects
across building and construction sites are many
and varied. Some of the more common causes are
the following.
Lack of contractor expertise
When waterproofing services are overlooked in the
planning phase of construction it is frequently due to
a lack of contractor expertise.
An inadequate knowledge of waterproofing issues
can lead to inappropriate waterproofing membrane
product selection, and/or incorrect installations that
result in failure.
A contractor without the right level of expertise
can incorrectly diagnose the root cause of a
waterproofing problem, which then results in the
failure of expensive repairs to fix it.
Cost cutting
Cost cutting on waterproofing in the building process
is, at best, very short sighted. Water leaks and the
consequences of extensive damage may lead not
only to extensive remediation works but also lengthy
legal battles.
Waterproofing contractors may attempt to cut costs
by omitting recommended primers, or by selecting
inferior, incorrect and inadequate waterproofing
membrane products. Cost cutting can lead to
contractors omitting application and preparation
techniques that are critical to the long-term
performance of a waterproofing system.
The reality is that skimping on appropriate and
correct waterproofing in the build phase will
inevitably end up costing the builder more. Quick
fixes add up over time and are more likely to be
more expensive and create more stress than high
quality waterproofing properly installed the first time.
Building movement
Building settlement, building movement or
an inadequate amount of expansion joints, or
indeed the complete lack of them, can cause the
waterproofing membrane to fail.
This may be exacerbated by the selection of an
inappropriate membrane, such as a system with
inadequate elongation properties to cope with
normal movement of a building envelope.
Waterproofing membrane at the end of its
effective service life
Though product marketing may say otherwise, a
waterproofing membrane unfortunately does not
offer a permanent lifelong solution against water
damage. Over time a membrane’s effectiveness will
decrease, especially membranes exposed to the
harsh rigours of the Australian climate.
Knowing when to re-apply or install a completely
new membrane is crucial to maintaining the long-
term structural integrity of a building.
ARE YOU SURE IT WON’T LEAK?
A growing problem in Australia is that waterproofing
standards and quality are falling as waterproofing
shortcuts increase.
Many decisions made on waterproofing are based
purely on price, and this leads to using cheap labour
and unlicensed trades using inferior products.
As waterproofing is unlicensed and unregistered in
some Australian states, many builders/developers
make the fatal mistake of not hiring professional
certified waterproofers and instead offering the task
to a contractor, who claims to be a waterproofer,
and the result is the project is not waterproofed to
Australian standards.
As far back as 2016, in Victoria’s daily newspaper
The Age addressed this problem in, “Melbourne's
high-rise nightmares taking a tall toll on residents
and investors.”2
The article claims “Waterproofing (or the lack of it)
is considered a leading and systemic problem for
apartment buildings in Melbourne today, with many
who manage the city's apartment towers saying, ‘if it
has a balcony, it will leak’.”
The issues described in this article are still happening
today throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Further information:
ContacttheAustralianInstituteofWaterproofing
Address: 155 Barkly Ave Burnley Victoria 3121
Phone: 1300 249 466
Email: info@waterproof.org.au
President: Paul Evans, Manager/Director
Findlay-Evans Waterproofing
Mob: 0418 312 646
Web: www.waterproofingfew.com.au