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Waterproofing Consulting

Inspec’s Below-Grade Waterproofing Systems protect building foundations from water damage, ensuring long-term structural integrity and asset preservation.

Inspec’s Below-Grade Waterproofing Systems protect building foundations from water damage, ensuring long-term structural integrity and asset preservation. Our consultants are experts in advanced waterproofing technologies and design strategies that stand the test of time.

Waterproofing consultants are specialized professionals who identify, design, and implement strategies to prevent water intrusion in both new and existing structures. This often includes treating below-grade areas to resist hydrostatic pressure and ensuring all materials and connections are sealed to prevent moisture infiltration.

Why Choose Inspec?

  • Verify real-world conditions with field testing, infrared thermography, and simulation tools—never relying solely on drawings
  • Bring over 50 years of hands-on experience investigating waterproofing failures
  • Design below-grade systems with the expectation they’ll last the entire life of the building

Unlike above-grade materials, waterproofing systems below ground are extremely difficult and expensive to access once installed. That’s why our team designs every solution to be fail-safe, long-lasting, and low-maintenance from day one.

Get In Touch

Ready to protect your structure from costly water intrusion? Contact Inspec to speak with a waterproofing consultant today.

Explore how Inspec’s waterproofing strategies can preserve your building’s foundation. Start your consultation today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is below-grade waterproofing?

Below-grade waterproofing refers to the protection of structures located below ground level—like basements and foundations—against water penetration through specially designed systems.

How long should a waterproofing system last?

A properly designed below-grade waterproofing system should last the life of the building. Inspec designs systems with this long-term durability in mind.

Do you only provide waterproofing for new construction?

No, we offer consulting for both new builds and existing facilities needing repairs, diagnostics, or upgrades to waterproofing systems.

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Have a building we should look at?

Tell us about the building and what you are seeing. Our consultants work across Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

Contact Inspec

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From the technical library

Common questions

What is the difference between waterproofing and roofing?
Roofing sheds water down a slope to a drain. Waterproofing resists water under hydrostatic pressure, often permanently wet and permanently buried under concrete, soil, pavers or occupied space. The materials, details and quality standards differ, and roofing assemblies used in waterproofing applications are a frequent source of the failures we investigate.
Can you find a leak when no one else has been able to?
That is a large share of our waterproofing work. We trace the water path rather than treating the stain, using document review, test cuts, controlled water testing in sequence, and correlation with weather and building operation. The result is a documented cause, so repairs address the actual entry point instead of the nearest suspect.
Do you install or repair waterproofing systems?
No. Inspec is a consulting engineering and architecture firm. We investigate, test, design, specify and observe construction, but the installation is performed by contractors you hire. Because we have no financial interest in the products or the labor, our findings and specifications are independent of who ultimately performs the work.
When should a consultant be involved on a new plaza or parking deck?
Before the documents are finalized, and again during installation. Waterproofing under overburden cannot be inspected once it is covered, so design review catches detail problems on paper and construction observation catches workmanship problems while the membrane is still visible. Both are far less costly than removing overburden later.
Which waterproofing assemblies does this service cover?
Plaza and amenity decks over occupied space, parking structures and ramps, terraces and balconies, planters and green roofs, split-slab construction, pools and fountains, and foundation walls and under-slab assemblies. In short, anything relying on a membrane that ends up buried beneath pavers, topping slabs, traffic coatings, soil or backfill rather than exposed to view.
How do you evaluate a plaza deck without removing all of the overburden?
We combine document review with selective field work. Exploratory openings and test cuts are placed where the evidence points, and we check drainage, slope, ponding and the condition of protection and insulation layers at each opening. Water testing of individual details and, on suitable membranes, electronic detection can narrow the search before larger removals are considered.
Do you prepare the drawings and specifications for waterproofing replacement?
Yes. Once an assembly and approach are agreed, we produce construction documents covering membrane type, drainage and protection courses, slope corrections, terminations, expansion joints, penetrations and reinstatement of pavers, planting or traffic surfaces. Detailing at transitions receives particular attention, since interruptions in the membrane are where most water entry begins.
What information helps before the first site visit?
Original or record drawings, the construction year, any documentation of the existing waterproofing system, records of previous repairs, and warranty paperwork if it exists. Photographs of the leaks with dates, notes on which conditions trigger them, and access details for the space below all shorten the investigation and reduce the exploratory work required.