In today’s Property Surveying blogpost, we are going to be discussing party wall surveying.
In particular, we are going to be taking a detailed look at the necessity and requirement to install permanent, or temporary, weatherproofing to a party wall.
Under Section 2 of the Party Wall etc Act 1996, and in particular Section (N), as follows:
to expose a party wall or party structure hitherto enclosed subject to providing adequate weathering.
A building owner has the legal right to expose the party wall with which they share with their neighbouring owner, legally referred to as the adjoining owner.
This legal right is in place to ensure that they are able to effectively undertake their proposed construction works without any obstacles or barriers to the procedure in that regard.
Exposing a party wall carries with it the risk of damp and water ingress, which if left unconsidered, would result in damp penetration and damage to the adjoining owner’s property, and any rooms that adjoin and are shared with that party wall.
Commonly, the need to expose a party wall exists when a building owner is undertaking a loft conversion.
First and foremost, a loft conversion will require the removal of the building owner’s roof covering, often followed by the dismantling of the roof structure itself.
The removal of the roof covering is going to allow rain and airborne moisture to build up on the party wall, therefore if this consideration was not built into the Act, the adjoining owner would not be able to safeguard their property against water penetration, and would likely get the tell-tale damp spotting, staining and wet spots internally.
Furthermore, if a building owner is planning on undertaking a rear extension, they will often need to demolish parts of the structure which they share with the building owner, thereby likewise exposing the party wall with the same consequences likely applying.
If indeed, works that require the exposing of the party wall are being undertaken to the property, under the Party Wall etc Act 1996 and following the service of a Party Wall Notice, along with the eventual agreement of a Party Wall Aware, the adjoining building owner will have to set out and confirm the type of temporary weathering solutions they intend to install.
Commonly, there are two different types of temporary weathering solutions that are commonplace for these types of residential domestic construction works.
We are now going to take a close look at these to best and fully inform and advise you of these temporary protections.
Weatherproofed Scaffolding
Weatherproofed scaffolding is effectively the installation of a scaffolding tower and structure to the perimeter of the building owner’s property.
Commonly, this will be scaffolding directed both at the front and rear of the house, which is interconnected by a corrugated roof and then fully encapsulated in Monarflex sheeting or polythene sheeting, or netting.
This installation ensures that once the roof is removed, the scaffolding structure simultaneously weatherproofs the party wall, as there is therefore no opportunity for rain to penetrate the party wall itself.
This tends to be the more common installation within the party wall surveying spectrum, and in many cases, contractors will not need to be informed or advised that they need to do this, as it is commonplace and would form part of their proposals in any event.
Applying Weathering to the Party Wall
The next option to weatherproof a party wall is to directly apply polythene sheeting, roofer’s felt, or some other form of polythene directly to the party wall.
This is usually held in place with lightweight timber battens screwed in place.
This is more commonly seen on larger developments, whereby the party wall is going to remain exposed for a longer period of time.
A good example of this is when a building owner demolishes a building, and in its place not only excavates to accommodate a new basement or subterranean level, they also undertake other ground clearance works.
This effectively means that the party wall is going to be exposed for a period of months, and therefore the need to weatherproof it arises.
This is the type of weathering that we have outlined in the image to this blogpost.
Both weathering options are in place to ensure that the risk to the adjoining owner’s property is fully considered, and if they were not installed, as we discussed earlier in this blogpost it is incredibly likely the adjoining owner would then be dealing with damage claims further down the line, and unnecessary damp which could be a factor to consider post-works through contractor, or decorator repair.
If indeed weatherproofing is going to be a part of the proposals, the party wall surveyor should ensure that this is addressed early on in the party wall procedures, and set out within the Party Wall Notice.
Here at Stokemont, we undertake thousands of party wall files and jobs each and every year. Many of those including weatherproofing and other temporary safeguards to not only reduce the nuisance of the works upon the adjoining owner, but more importantly to reduce the risk.
With loft conversions being one of the most common types of work that property owners undertake to their homes, it is very likely that at some stage of your property ownership journey, either you are going to be undertaking a loft conversion, or your neighbour is.
If indeed, you would like to discuss the weatherproofing requirements with our team of qualified and experienced party wall surveyors here at Stokemont, please feel free to give us a call today and we will be more than happy to assist and advise you.
Did you know that we also offer 30 minutes free no-strings advice? All you need to do is get in touch with our team of surveyors, via our contact page. Here, you can send us photographs, drawings, Party Wall Notices, or you can just give us a call to discuss the issue at hand.
The advice is free and in place to best advise the general public, and hopefully future clients.
