So we have a brick garage that's structurally unsound and needs to come down, but it's attached to the neighbour's garage. Originally, there was a semi-detached bungalow, over time each owner has knocked down their half and built a detached house behind, and built a garage where their half of the old bungalow was.
Our guy did his first, and the plans show that he extended the back wall of the new garage to the full width of the remaining half of the old bungalow and joined it onto the party wall, forming a cavity wall. When our neighbour knocked down his side and built his garage, it seems he's left the old bungalow's party wall (and the extra bit of our garage wall) in situ, and built his garage up against it. (We can't ask him unfortunately, because he died a couple of years ago and his wife - our neighbour - wasn't around at the time).
To find out how the two buildings are attached, I've taken a brick out of the side to have a look - and it looks like the original party wall is still there, entombed between the two garages but seemingly independent of them, and weirdly (to me) wrapped in plastic.
A couple of questions (well, 3):
1) why do you think the neighbour didn't take down the old party wall if he wasn't going to use it to build onto?
2) why is the old party wall wrapped in plastic?
3) would there be any issue knocking it down when we bring the garage down?
We're on good terms with the neighbour and she's OK with us taking down the garage and party wall - so long as it doesn't affect her garage and of course as long as the boundary line stays in the right place - and replacing with a fence.
Our guy did his first, and the plans show that he extended the back wall of the new garage to the full width of the remaining half of the old bungalow and joined it onto the party wall, forming a cavity wall. When our neighbour knocked down his side and built his garage, it seems he's left the old bungalow's party wall (and the extra bit of our garage wall) in situ, and built his garage up against it. (We can't ask him unfortunately, because he died a couple of years ago and his wife - our neighbour - wasn't around at the time).
To find out how the two buildings are attached, I've taken a brick out of the side to have a look - and it looks like the original party wall is still there, entombed between the two garages but seemingly independent of them, and weirdly (to me) wrapped in plastic.
A couple of questions (well, 3):
1) why do you think the neighbour didn't take down the old party wall if he wasn't going to use it to build onto?
2) why is the old party wall wrapped in plastic?
3) would there be any issue knocking it down when we bring the garage down?
We're on good terms with the neighbour and she's OK with us taking down the garage and party wall - so long as it doesn't affect her garage and of course as long as the boundary line stays in the right place - and replacing with a fence.