Party wall question

[Mottie]

If you are building a new build property onto the end of a terrace and you have the full permission and co-operation of the owner of that property, is it normal to use their outside wall as your inside wall or do you need another seperate wall?

 

[JP_]

I am no expert, but I would think you'd want at least an air cavity and block wall for extra sound insulation alone.
If plans agreed and neighbour agreed to build without an extra wall, I see no reason not to just use their wall, but I'd avoid it!

What would be much better, IMO, would be to build a detached house with a small gap between the two. Another consideration - surely a new house will subside, and as it will be connected to the existing one, they may suffer movement and get a load of cracks. Are they happy with / expecting that?

 

[Mottie]

Thing is, their terrace roof ending is apex (I think that's the term). The benefit for them is that I will replace that with a flank/firewall to give them a decent sized loft space/scope for loft conversion. Just thinking that what I build will be the same as all other houses in the terrace - just a 9" brick wall between houses.

 

[wessex101]

Where is the boundary?

 

[Mottie]

No idea. I used to own the house plus the workshop next door. I sold the house in 1990 but retained the workshop and plot it is on. The inside wall of the single storey workshop is the painted bricks of the flank wall of the house and the workshop roof joists are bolted to the house side wall.

 

[wessex101]

It is "normal" if it is an existing party wall not "normal" if it isn't.

Well if you do not know where the boundary is we will assume that the ground floor has become a party wall by enclosure and the first floor is just an external wall. But as you state you have the neighbour's permission to use this wall I think we can assume that overcomes the legal restrictions of using a wall that does not belong to you.

The only hurdle to overcome now is upgrading the wall so that it complies with Part B and Part E of the Building Regulations, should be relatively straight forward.

 

[JP_]

If you are rebuilding their roof, this is going way beyond party wall agreements surely?

 

[Alec_t]

Make sure you get their agreement in writing to whatever building work affects then directly or indirectly and for access to carry out the work.

 

[garyo]

Thumbs up... makes a change to see a thread about two neighbours getting on well and doing a 'you scratch my back I'll scratch yours....'

their terrace roof ending is apex (I think that's the term)

I think you mean they have a 'hip ended' roof, and you'll effectively convert it to 'gable ended' and then carry on building your own through.

 

[JP_]

Thumbs up... makes a change to see a thread about two neighbours getting on well and doing a 'you scratch my back I'll scratch yours....'

Shame not more of it about. While sort of on the same topic .... I have been looking at houses, and so many around here are "link detached", which means garages attached to each other.
Do you think in such a case, it would not only make sense, but almost definitely be approved with thumbs up all round, if you were to knock your garage down and build a smaller extension, leaving a gap between the houses, making them both detached? There's a house on the market that I am not looking at because of these garages attached, but that could be an option ...

That should be pretty straightforward for a builder shouldn't it? And, would a neighbour ever really say no to that?

 

[garyo]

Do you think in such a case, it would not only make sense, but almost definitely be approved with thumbs up all round, if you were to knock your garage down and build a smaller extension, leaving a gap between the houses, making them both detached? There's a house on the market that I am not looking at because of these garages attached, but that could be an option ...

That should be pretty straightforward for a builder shouldn't it? And, would a neighbour ever really say no to that?

You'd hope so wouldn't you, but I think you're in to the territory of planning policy and subjective terms like 'terracing' and 'street scene' so it comes down to how well designed the set back and the ridge heights are. I'd have an informal chat with a planner before committing to a purchase on that basis.

 

[Mottie]

Thumbs up... makes a change to see a thread about two neighbours getting on well and doing a 'you scratch my back I'll scratch yours....'



I think you mean they have a 'hip ended' roof, and you'll effectively convert it to 'gable ended' and then carry on building your own through.

That's it, hip ended. Thanks. And yes, the extra roof space is the price I offered to pay for the rights to build onto his house. It will all be drawn up legally before any work is started.