Garden Flat
A Damp Basement, Brought Back to Life
The Brief
From damp to dry
- Location
- Bow, London E3
- Property
- Lower-ground garden flat
- Layout
- 1 bed · 1 bath · 65 m²
- Bought
- £253,000 · at auction
- Invested
- ~£100,000 refurb
88A Bow Road was bought at auction — a one-bedroom lower-ground flat in a Victorian terrace, with its own front and rear gardens, but a serious problem beneath the surface.
The walls had been tanked incorrectly with plastic sheeting, trapping moisture against the masonry and leaving the flat damp throughout.
The brief was a full investment refurbishment: strip the flat back, fix the damp properly, and rebuild it as a warm, dry, characterful home to hold and let.
The Approach
Fixed for good
Four moves took the flat from damp and dated to dry, warm and ready to let.
Damp done right
The failed plastic tanking was stripped out, the walls re-tanked correctly and fully re-plastered.
New services throughout
A full rewire and new plumbing brought the flat up to standard behind the walls.
A warm new interior
New floors, a grey shaker kitchen, a calm bedroom and a bright reception room.
Inside and out
External walls re-rendered, and the front and rear gardens re-tiled and planted.
The Work
Before & after
From a damp, neglected basement to a dry, characterful garden flat.
The Plan
The layout
A one-bedroom lower-ground flat of roughly 65 m², with a reception, bathroom and kitchen — and its own tiled gardens front and back.
Lower ground floor plan
The Result
Dry, warm, let
What was a damp, unlettable basement is now a warm, dry one-bedroom garden flat — properly tanked, fully rewired and replumbed, with a new kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and bright reception.
Outside, the render was renewed and both the front and rear gardens re-tiled and planted, giving the flat rare private outdoor space on a busy Bow corner.
A problem property at auction, turned into a solid, characterful investment.
"A damp basement nobody wanted — fixed properly and brought back to life."Ana Trofin — Founder