In this week’s party wall surveying blog post, we are going to be discussing loft works, and in particular, the type of party wall procedures that come into play if a building owner is planning on undertaking a loft conversion, or extension to their property.
The first thing to bear in mind is that loft extensions only fall within the realm of the Party Wall Etc Act 1996 if the building owner lives in a terraced, or semi-detached property. If this is the case, then they will obviously share a party wall with their neighbour, who lives on the other side of that wall, will ultimately need to go through various protective provisions set out by the Act to ensure that the risks associated with their works are as low as they can possibly be.
Loft works fall within two different sections of the Party Wall Etc Act 1996. We aren’t delving into these in too much detail, but ultimately the sections that are applicable are 2(2)(n) of the Party Wall Etc Act 1996.
22(n) covers the exposure of the party wall, which ultimately takes place when the building owner removes their roof covering to give their contractors a workable space within the loft to work on.
The next section is 22(f), which ultimately sees the building owner cut into the party wall for the insertion of the steel beams, and their associated padstones or spreader plates, which will ultimately support the proposed loft works.
Loft works are a relatively high risk type of work that a building owner can undertake to their property, as the risks are twofold. First, in the physical cutting into the party wall to create the pockets for the proposed beams, and secondly, the knock on movement of the added structural load to the party wall as a result of the installation of the steel beams.
There are also the practical implications to consider, e.g. if the building owner has any open vents, or open chimneys within their property, as this can ultimately lead to debris, dust and dirt entering their property.
It is therefore imperative that a robust approach to the party wall is put in place to ultimately ensure that all of these issues are considered and ultimately reduced in an effort to make the construction works go smoothly, and to ultimately avoid any risks to the adjoining owner’s property.
If you would like to discuss party wall surveying procedures with our team of qualified surveyors here at Stokemont, give us a call today and we will be more than happy to assist you.
