In this week’s property surveying party wall blogpost topic, we are going to be discussing party wall surveying procedures, and in particular when the use of eccentrically loaded foundations are required.
If the proposed structure, is built close to or up to a boundary line, then under the Party Wall etc Act 1996, the building owner will need to ensure that their foundations and wall take account of the adjoining owners property.
In practice, this means that the wall and foundations that sit beneath the ground level, will need to be wholly constructed on the building owners land. This will effectively avoid the nuisance and issue associated with trespass that can be a contentious point at the time of construction, whilst also an ongoing issue and dispute in the future.
Eccentrically loaded foundations effectively allow a building owner to construct their wall right up to the boundary line, while ensuring that the foundations themselves are wholly on the building owner’s land.
This is done through the wall being eccentrically loaded on the outer edge of the foundation, and the proposed foundation being slightly thicker than usual offsetting the weight of that wall.
Eccentrically loaded foundations are a common type of construction process these days, and ultimately enable the building owner to gain the maximum benefit of the size of their plot, whilst also being able to build right up to the boundary line, ensuring that they gain the most from the construction works.
Eccentrically loaded foundations are rarely ever designed as standard by architects as they are slightly more complex than conventional foundations.
If you would like to discuss eccentrically loaded foundations with our team of qualified and experienced party wall surveyors, give us a call today and we will be more than happy to assist you.
