Avoiding PWA With Hostile Neighbour

[KenGMac]

LondonLad21,

Sounds like a plan, has there been any soils investigations undertaken?

Any trees anywhere near?

Have any other properties in the vicinity been affected by Subsidence?

Suggest you may want to look @ "BGS IGeoligy" that is the British Geological Society on-line digital mapping for the Geology in your area, including the ground below your property, works well on an I Pad??

Also suggest you discuss with designer the Shire piling System, if used your neighbour can jump up and down but this system is in effect a short bored piling system?

Ken

 

[tony1851]

Then, architect has suggested a raft foundation, costs a bit more, but won't mean I have to engage with neighbour.

That would be the most straightforward solution and - although more expensive than traditional footings - would probably save more in PWA surveyors' fees.

 

[JP_]

I don't know, I've heard of some party wall surveyors charging £300/hour. That's quite hellish.

I used a party wall guy for my loft conversion. My neighbours were total dicks, but did not understand how it works - they were very clear that i'd have to pay though, so I told them, no problem, I'll pay for a surveyor who will work for both of us. A local one charged £300 to visit, photograph and write up the agreement. So, shop around.

The ones that send the cold letters when they see planning permission will charge silly money. Honest local guys will charge a fair rate for the work they do.

My neighbours would not even answer the door to me, and thought that by ignoring me I would not be able to build. When I told them (by a letter!) that they must cooperate with the solicitor or it will go through the courts, they got well upset! But I never had to speak to them again myself, so all worked out OK.

 

[wessex101]

The trouble is when neighbourly relations break down the aggrieved neighbour can try to use the Party Wall Act as an expensive stick to beat the other neighbour with. You were lucky the neighbour agreed to use an agreed joint surveyor, they didn't have to do that and could have insisted on using their own £300/hour shark.

£300 for the whole process as agreed surveyor sounds far too cheap, did they provide a full written schedule of condition or was it just a photographic schedule and a generic party wall award?

 

[tony1851]

The mind boggles at the fees these people can charge, and even more surprising is that the public seem to accept it?
Most of the stuff they churn out is just cut-and-paste.
In terms of value, they add very little to a project when compared with architects, technicians, SEs, inspectors etc.