Extension footings close to the party wall

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We are trying to go through the PW agreement but the neighbours want their own Surveyor, fair enough. He has now come back and asked for footing details. But how do we do this without starting the work. He's also said that if the neighbours extension footings protrude onto our land then we will have to do major underpinning to support. We've been told there is no option around this!!

Any views?

We believe that the neighbours had pillars and pads as footings spanned by large concrete lintels beside the party wall. If we do the same and offset the pillars would this be OK?

Can we also build right on the edge of the pillars facing the part wall as these will be extended by trench fill along the rear of the extension.

Richard
 
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All things are possible but such foundations require proper design. Why did your neighbour need foundations like that?

Foundation design comes down to ground conditions and the nature of adjoining buildings. In (domestic) PWA work it is usual to have a predicted foundation design but subject to change depending on what is found. The alternative is to carry out ground investigations but this is an expense too far for some clients.
 
We don't know whether their footings do encroach on to our land but their Surveyor is asking for the footing details. Unfortunately we are not on speaking terms with our neighbours and even though we've used the same PW Surveyors as they did for their extension they have gone to someone else.

I realise that footings can only be truly designed once the ground is opened up but what are your thoughts on possible solutions. The current drawings show a trench footing along the party wall. If a pillar and pad is a better solution then we would need to get the drawings changed. Also if the pillar adjacent to the PW was extended along the back of the extension therefore becoming a trench fill, would we be able to build the pillar right on the edge of the footing?

This would then allow us to bring our wall away from the PW and hopefully avoid any problems with our neighbours footings.

Richard
 
We are trying to go through the PW agreement but the neighbours want their own Surveyor, fair enough. He has now come back and asked for footing details. But how do we do this without starting the work. He's also said that if the neighbours extension footings protrude onto our land then we will have to do major underpinning to support. We've been told there is no option around this!!

Any views?

We believe that the neighbours had pillars and pads as footings spanned by large concrete lintels beside the party wall. If we do the same and offset the pillars would this be OK?

Can we also build right on the edge of the pillars facing the part wall as these will be extended by trench fill along the rear of the extension.

Richard

The statement that if the neighbours foundations encroach on to your property they have to be underpinned is untrue. What if the neighbours foundation is 2.0m deep and your foundation was only 1.0m deep? the fact that they encroach is irrelevant, it is the depth and proximity to your excavations that is important. I suspect there is something else going on here that has not been explained.

Even if the neighbour's foundations are shallow there are ways that you can avoid the need to underpin the neighbours foundation.

The terminology used is quite confusing. What do you mean by "pillars and pads"? From the description it sounds like foundation pads with concrete lintels spanning between. What are the "pillars" and what have they got to do with the foundation? And why is the extension being built alongside a party wall? Is it a party wall or is it just the flank wall of the neighbour's extension? Why was the neighbours extension built with isolated foundation pads? bad ground? drains? a well?

What does your designer and your party wall surveyor advise? They are probably better placed to give advice than some random people from the internet.
 
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When you say pillars and pads for the neighbours extension, do you mean piles? If so you may not need a PWA agreement for the extension. But why did they use that method?

That would leave the house. Do you have any clue as to the house foundations? Maybe photos from when they did their build. What age is the house? If you could work something out you might be able to design a foundation that isn't deeper than theirs and then tell them to stuff the PWA notice where the sun don't shine.
 
To clarify, my pillar and pad was probably the wrong terminology. I meant a concrete pad to the depth of the required footing. From ground level the block work has to be built up to dpc due to a sloping site. Yes, concrete lintels across the top of the block work to pads in the existing house wall. Having this void under the floor level is probably the reason for the neighbours using this style of foundations.

There is a party wall between the two properties but only as far as the original buildings. Where the extension has been built out further their wall is about 300mm in from our boundary. Probably to avoid having their footings on our land but we don't know if that is true.

I think you're right, we need to talk to our building designer, but we did discuss pads and beams yet he still drew a trench fill.

However, one of my original questions still stands; can a wall be built right to the edge of the footing pad if it is reinforced into the connecting trench fill that carries the rear wall of the extension?

Thanks for all the comments guys.
 
That idiot is going to cost you thousands for no reason.

Does the PWA actually apply, it does not sound like it does.

Although there is no mechanism to cancel the PWA process or de-instruct surveyors, you could say that the relevent works are no longer proceeding, pay everyone up, and then proceed with a new different scheme that does not involve the PWA.
 
You are going to need somebody to design your foundation. My advice is as above - find somebody to design it so the PWA does not apply. There will be a cost but at least the cost is productive. PWA costs are non productive and could easily exceed the cost of foundation design.
 

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