Thank you, for clicking on today’s Property Surveying blogpost, today we are going to be looking at party wall surveying procedures.
This blogpost will take a look at basement conversions, through the perspective of a party wall surveyor.
Basement conversions are, these days, a typical and relatively conventional type of construction work that home owners and property owners will undertake to their properties.
Basement conversions have the significant benefit of adding significant usable space to a property, while also in many cases altering and changing the way that property is used, adding leisure rooms, additional bedrooms, additional reception rooms, utility rooms, kitchen or other usable space to the subterranean level of the property.
While basement conversions are a hefty and significant cost, in many cases that cost will be far less than the home owner selling, moving to a larger property and paying the stamp duty and agent fees that can come with such an endeavour.
We are going to look at the typical party wall surveying points that are likely to come into play should you be planning on undertaking a basement conversion, or alternatively, if your neighbour is planning on undertaking a basement conversion.
Party Wall Surveying Procedures
It goes without saying, that if you live in a property that is in close proximity to your neighbour, you will need to go through the necessary party wall surveying procedures.
These party wall surveying procedures are going to be a touch more complex and complicated than your conventional construction works, such as a loft conversion, rear extension, or internal alterations.
Mainly because basement conversions require significant structural complexity and change to the overall property, thereby rendering additional surveying time and external input being required by the party wall surveyor.
Party wall surveying procedures will require the building owner to serve a Party Wall Notice upon the adjoining owners that are within three metres, sometimes even six metres, of the planned subterranean excavations.
In response to the Party Wall Notice, the adjoining owners will have the legal right to dissent and appoint a party wall surveyor, with that party wall surveyor reviewing the planned works from the perspective of their appointing owner’s property.
That review being in place and in situ to ensure that the risks associated with those works are as low as they possibly can be.
It is worth noting for building owners that they will have to bear the reasonable cost and fee of the adjoining owner’s party wall surveyor’s cost.
With basement works, these fees can easily start at the £1,500 plus VAT mark, easily stretching to well in excess of £5,000 plus VAT. Obviously, this will very much depend on the complexity of the proposals, time required in respect of the party wall surveyor’s input, along with the overall issues that can arise through the process of party wall surveying procedures naturally.
Underpinning
In undertaking a basement work, the majority of the time these will be undertaken to semi-detached or terraced properties.
The virtue of undertaking such extensive construction works, is likely going to mean that the party wall is going to need to be underpinned.
Underpinning falls under Section 2(2)(a) of the Party Wall etc Act 1996 as follows:
to underpin, thicken or raise a party structure, a party fence wall, or an external wall which belongs to the building owner and is built against a party structure or party fence wall
In short, this will not only invoke the party wall surveying procedures as set out above, it will also add the complexity we have touched on within the above.
Adjoining owners are naturally going to be concerned about underpinning, as the risk and structural impact of those works is going to be significantly higher to their property.
A good party wall surveyor will have tried and tested methods in place to ensure that those risks are regularised and brought to their lowest possible level.
Security for Expenses
Under Section 12 of the Party Wall etc Act 1996 as follows:
An adjoining owner may serve a notice requiring the building owner before he begins any work in the exercise of the rights conferred by this Act to give such security as may be agreed between the owners or in the event of dispute determined in accordance with section 10
A building owner has the legal right to underpin the party wall. However, the adjoining owner also has the legal right to request security for expenses, with that security being in place to safeguard their property against shortfalls in the work, delays, suspensions, or unnecessary pauses. Equally, should the works be abandoned or called off.
Finally, while it is often a bone of contention within the party wall surveying industry, the vast majority of party wall surveyors these days agree that an adjoining owner also equally has the legal right to request security for expenses for damages to their property.
Security for Expenses is effectively the Party Wall etc Act 1996’s vessel to ensure that the adjoining owner is given the opportunity to have a sum of money on account, that sum of money being placed on account by the building owner.
The sum of money, known as the security, will ensure that the adjoining owner has a go-to fund that they can call upon should any of the above scenarios or unforeseen issues arise.
Security for Expenses is naturally going to often be multiple thousands of pounds, in some cases tens of thousands of pounds.
It is therefore sensible for building owners to budget and financially plan for such a lump sum of money being held on account prior to their planned works commencing.
There are vessels and insurance policies in place which can safeguard and prevent the building owner from needing to place such hefty lump sums on account, however, these policies will often bear a relatively large premium, anywhere from hundreds of pounds to thousands of pounds.
It is also worth noting that insurance policies will not always be granted.
Therefore, building owners should make proper enquiries in respect of security insurance policy well in advance of the planned works commencing.
This would ensure that they are not unreasonably placed in a scenario whereby they do not have the available funds to actually honour the security request made by the adjoining owner.
Advising Engineers
Another point that is almost certainly going to come into account with basement conversions and development is the input of an advising engineer.
An advising engineer will be in place and in situ to ensure that the adjoining owner’s party wall surveyor has the necessary professional input from an engineer.
That engineer’s role will be to look at the building owner’s planned structural work, usually specifically the underpinning and excavation part of it.
They will then advise their client, in this case the adjoining owner’s surveyor, of the necessary risk and will often liaise with the building owner’s engineering team to adjust, alter and fine-tune the structural design to ensure that that risk is as low as it possibly can be.
It is important to note that an advising engineer is not going to be looking at the design and specifically requiring change or going with their preferred course of structural design.
However, they are going to exercise their professional duty of care and diligence to ensure that any unnecessary risk is removed.
Just as there will be professional fees and cost with party wall surveying procedures, the advising engineer will also incur professional fees, in this case likely being anywhere from a few hundred pounds to a couple of thousand pounds.
Movement Monitoring
Another increasingly common installation that we are seeing here at Stokemont on basement conversions is movement monitoring.
Historically, movement monitoring was reserved for commercial sites, or those sites that posed significant risk.
However, over the recent years, movement monitoring has become more readily available and all-importantly more cost-effective.
This means it can now more easily be installed and implemented on your average residential construction site.
Movement monitoring will ensure that the adjoining owner’s property is regularly monitored, often via a theodolite at weekly or fortnightly intervals.
This will ensure that any movement that does occur or takes place to the adjoining owner’s property is detected early.
Detecting the movement early will ensure that the party wall surveyor, or party wall surveyors, are given the opportunity to act upon it and take the necessary action to stop it from worsening.
That worsening ultimately resulting in damage to the adjoining owner’s property.
Movement Monitoring for your average basement construction project is likely to start from a couple of thousand pounds to a handful of thousand pounds.
Again, an all-important cost provision that building owners should ensure they do not overlook in the run-up to their planned basement conversion works.
Noisy Works
With basement conversions, given the overall complexity of the construction that is taking place, there is always going to be a degree of nuisance that occurs to the adjoining owner’s property.
In this case, the nuisance is going to be prolonged construction work, often being noisy and percussive to the party wall.
This is likely going to result in increased acoustic levels to the neighbouring property.
These acoustic levels often carrying with them the burden of nuisance and interruption into an adjoining owner’s peaceful use of their property.
Unfortunately, there is not a great deal that the party wall surveying procedures can do to lessen this impact, in many cases party wall surveyors will rely on the Local Authority’s working hours, with those working hours reasonably setting out the window of work that a building owner or property owner can undertake such noisy works to their property.
While there is not a great deal that can be done to lessen the impact of this, it is important for adjoining owners to take this into account in the run-up to the building owner’s planned construction work.
In short, it is going to be noisy, there is going to be a knock-on effect for which the adjoining owner will simply have to overcome in any which way they can.
Property Damage
While all good design engineers will aim to avoid property damage, with the sheer extent and vast complexity that comes with basement construction, it is often relatively difficult to categorically confirm that damage will not occur to the neighbouring property.
With multiple moving pieces, such as engineering design, main contractors, subcontractors, underpinning, dry packing and cutting away various different projections from the party wall, there is always going to be a higher risk and likelihood of damage to the neighbouring property that comes by virtue of doing basement construction.
This is likely to be accounted for with the Schedule of Condition Report that the party wall surveyor will undertake prior to the planned works commencing.
That Schedule of Condition Report likely being significantly more detailed, comprehensive and robust than normal.
It is therefore advisable for adjoining owners to expect for there to be some degree of movement, cracking, separation and altogether damage to their property.
An adjoining owner should note, that they are well-protected under the Party Wall etc Act 1996 against damage.
A handy tip we would offer, here at Stokemont, is that if a building owner is planning on undertaking construction works to their property, we would advise that the adjoining owner hold off any planned redecoration or refurbishment of their side of the party wall.
The last thing they would want to do is go through the stresses and costs of decorating and renovating their property, only for the construction works to then cause superficial cracking and damage to that.
Basement conversions are towards the upper end, if not at the upper end, of the risk spectrum when it comes to construction work.
A good party wall surveyor will not only have experience and know-how of dealing with basement works, they will also have a tried and tested method to ensure that the process in the run-up to the agreement of the Party Wall Award is as smooth, time-effective and cost-effective as possible.
Here at Stokemont, we are very proud to assist with numerous basement conversions on a yearly basis.
During this time, we have seen your relatively minor basement room additions, to your full-width, and full-length extensive basement developments.
If you would like to discuss basement conversions and developments with our team of experienced and qualified party wall surveyors, please feel free to give us a call today. We will be more than happy to assist and advise you.
