Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 | Party Wall Appointment
Marlow - Buckinghamshire Party Wall appointment (close to Maidenhead and High Wycombe)
Background: The works required excavation for foundations within 3 m of one of the adjoining owners' property and below the level of their foundations. The extension of the first floor attic involved structural works that could affect the Party Wall.
We were initially appointed by the building owners following which, the adjoining owner appointed us as Surveyor to act on their behalf as well, i.e., as 'Agreed Surveyor', in which role a Surveyor acts impartially for both neighbours.
There was one adjoining owner to the works.
The works involved the erection of a rear ground floor extension and enlarging the first floor attic space of the bungalow.
Conclusion:
The main risk factors identified with the woks where the proposed depth of the excavations for foundations of circa 2 m depth which equated to circa 2.5 cm in depth given that the Adjoining Owner's land was situated at a circa 50 cm lower to that of the Building Owner. The risk was that the Adjoining Owner's ground could collapse into the excavations given that there was no retaining wall to speak of between the respective lands. (The reason that the foundations has to be to this depth was in order to match the depth of the soil drainage in order that the foundations not exert pressure on the drainage system situated immediately behind the proposed ground floor extension).
The second risk factor involved the restructuring of the roof structure which included for the new structure to be supported on a post. It was important that the post be installed correctly before the existing roof structure was modified in order to avoid the collapse of the existing structure which could have resulted in damage occurring to the Party Wall.