Possible Damage to Property Due to Building Work Next Door

Russ77

Russ77

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Russ
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During August our neighbours started a roof conversion including building a gable end wall and constructing a dormer (semi-detached property).

We only moved in in March and redecorated our bedroom so the ceiling was crack free.

A few weeks ago I noticed a small crack in the ceiling so spoke to one of the builders who came and had a look and said it was highly unlikely to be anything structural as there are effectively 2 separate walls between the properties and it was more likely to be due to vibration.

I was OK with that until tonight when I noticed two new cracks, one of which goes from the joining wall, all the way across the bedroom and continues into the bathroom :eek:

Whilst the crack is long, it's very feint. I've tried taking pictures but it's very difficult to see.

The properties were built in the 1930s and have solid brick walls. I'm living 7 doors along from my parents where I grew up and there's no history of subsidence in the area.

I'm going to ask my neighbour for the contact details of the builder and ask them to come and inspect but I'm wondering how far I can take it, i.e. would I be in my rights to ask them to pay for a structural survey?

Alternatively, would it be something I could speak to my insurance company about and get them to investigate?

Obviously I'm not going to cause any problems with my neighbours over this but I want to be certain the ceiling isn't going to land on us one night.

Cheers in advance.

Russ
 
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Check with your insurance and let them examine the damage. If there is an issue they will chase it up with the builders.

I had a shed fire a long time ago and any damage to the neighbours property was sorted through their insurance who then claimed on mine.
 
There must of been a party wall agreement before work started?
 
I'm in a 30's house too. Could they have just disturbed the plaster board joints? I caused a few bouncing around boarding the loft out.
 
Russ77 said:
Nope, my neighbour told me the work was going to happen but that was it.
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Your neighbour should have asked you to sign a party wall agreement , read up on it, it will tell you what rights you may have, ie getting a surveyor in and remedial works at the neighbours expense
 
Russ77 said:
Nope, my neighbour told me the work was going to happen but that was it.
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It'd be worth reading up on the party wall act. But they have to appoint, at their expense,a charted surveyor to act on you behalf. Sending their builder over for a look doesn't cut it really.
 
boyfalldown said:
It'd be worth reading up on the party wall act. But they have to appoint, at their expense,a charted surveyor to act on you behalf. Sending their builder over for a look doesn't cut it really.
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Correct

You can also ask for an independent Chartered Surveyor (again at the neighbours expense - not cheap). The agreement, once set, is only valid for 12 months and any build delays can mean process starts again.

My experience was a developer buying a neighbouring detached bungalow which he tore downh and grubbed out the land to be able to build a 5 bed monstrosity. Got planning consent eventually (7 sets of changed plans) then asked me and the neighbour on the other side to accept his CS to do party wall agreement. No was our answrr so he had to employ 3 surveyors.

He went bust and the land was repossessed in June. New guy in and not building close enough to require PWA.

Suggest you contact local building control officer at the council on your situation.

The least your neighbour needed was Building Regs inspection but I needed a full planning consent for the loft conversion at my last place. So you should have been contacted by the Planning Office for your comments if that was the case with your neighbours.

Your house value could be affected if structurally damaged but more important is its saleability if it has.

Do get this sorted while the build is open and not when all is done and closed up.

S
 
Sounds like a job for some painters caulk - assuming the crack doesn't get any bigger. Could you post up some pics ?
Does the room get particularly hot ? I've had some ash wardrobe doors that must have dried a bit more with the extreme heat we've had and the joints have opened very slightly.
 
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Coley. said:
Sounds like a job for some painters caulk - assuming the crack doesn't get any bigger. Could you post up some pics ?
Does the room get particularly hot ? I've had some ash wardrobe doors that must have dried a bit more with the extreme heat we've had and the joints have opened very slightly.
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TBH you could probably paint over them (well maybe with a few coats), I've tried taking photos but they are fine and difficult to get any meaningful pictures of.

Because I've only been here for 7 months I don't want to start rocking the boat for no real reason.

I remembered last night that one of my Dad's old friends is a surveyor, I may get him to come and take a look to see if it's worth taking further, from there I think I'll talk to my neighbour to put her in the picture and get on to my insurance company.
 
It's very likely that all they have done is vibrate something which has caused a superficial crack to appear. It doesn't take much to crack a joint in plaster and you would notice it even if it were 0.2mm wide.

It's not likely to be a structural problem but you should have it checked anyway. Perhaps a satisfactory answer would be for their decorator to redo your ceiling when he does theirs.


Steve.
 
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Russ77 said:
TBH you could probably paint over them (well maybe with a few coats), I've tried taking photos but they are fine and difficult to get any meaningful pictures of.

Because I've only been here for 7 months I don't want to start rocking the boat for no real reason.

I remembered last night that one of my Dad's old friends is a surveyor, I may get him to come and take a look to see if it's worth taking further, from there I think I'll talk to my neighbour to put her in the picture and get on to my insurance company.
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Yes much better to wait till you try to sell and your buyers surveyor says NO ?

I have seen some dog's dinners when buying property for living in and developing which makes me sceptical when dealing with neighbours. One even tried putting his new garage footings above ground on my land and tried telling me he had a "legal right" to do so..... he went on holiday when the demolition people arrived and also left my garden good as new all at his cost. Really broke my heart that he didn't like me afterwards.

S
 
Be very careful. One of the girls at work has had problems when a neighbour decided to do some work. They disrupted the foundation and the roof. Twelve months on, nothing has been done to rectify it as it's all legal wrangling. Get things done properly, get it done right and get it done quick. The others might be right - might just be vibrations cracking the plaster.
 
Is it possible for you or somebody else to inspect above the ceilings Russ? Checking to see if there was any evidence of a hairline crack on the other side of the plaster would be my first port of call before taking it further. We live in a three story hous which were built in the 1800`s, it is possible to get those very thin cracks on ceilings due to normal expansion and contraction. Depending on the ground and water table it is not unusual for slight movement to happen in some houses.
 
Have I come to the wrong place I always thought this was a Photography forum not a building regs discussion group - only joking :lol:
 
u8myufo said:
Is it possible for you or somebody else to inspect above the ceilings Russ? Checking to see if there was any evidence of a hairline crack on the other side of the plaster would be my first port of call before taking it further. We live in a three story hous which were built in the 1800`s, it is possible to get those very thin cracks on ceilings due to normal expansion and contraction. Depending on the ground and water table it is not unusual for slight movement to happen in some houses.
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I'm going to get my brother to have a good look in the loft, the added degree of difficulty is most of it is boarder but on the bits I can see there's no sign of cracking on the top side.

At some point the chimney breasts have been removed the back of the house that's obviously another concern I've got although from what I can see/tell the supports holding the stack in the loft are sound and the work wasn't flagged on the survey we had when we bought it.
 
Do you know roughly how long the house was lying empty Russ before you moved in? Was the place given a lick of paint even prior to you buying, if that was the case then a few months would be about right for a hairline crack to appear again if it was covered over. Your neighbour having the work done could well be just a coincedence :shrug: I am pretty proud to say I spent a couple of years working on this place for a company I worked for, the majority of the penant floor is my handywork. The roof you see was completely dismantled due to rot, believe it or not that roof is about 3ft out of square, but had to be put back exactly the same to comply with the listed building regs. If possible you might want to try and check out where the joist timbers are running into the wall, or the any hangers if used. Again it does not take too much movement to cause a hairline crack, have steels been used to support the stack do you know?
 
Does it need rectifying (even a lick of paint) or has it the potential to need rectifying in the future? If yes or if you are in doubt, then my first port of call would be my insurers. Let them send in an expert who will then best know how to elevate this matter and plan a route to rectification. No expense for you and no long term worries. Don't tip-toe around this problem for fear of upsetting your neighbour, the bloke who is, potentially, making your home unsalable.
 
u8myufo said:
Do you know roughly how long the house was lying empty Russ before you moved in? Was the place given a lick of paint even prior to you buying, if that was the case then a few months would be about right for a hairline crack to appear again if it was covered over. Your neighbour having the work done could well be just a coincedence :shrug: I am pretty proud to say I spent a couple of years working on this place for a company I worked for, the majority of the penant floor is my handywork. The roof you see was completely dismantled due to rot, believe it or not that roof is about 3ft out of square, but had to be put back exactly the same to comply with the listed building regs. If possible you might want to try and check out where the joist timbers are running into the wall, or the any hangers if used. Again it does not take too much movement to cause a hairline crack, have steels been used to support the stack do you know?
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The previous owners moved out a week before we moved in.... trust me, the place hadn't seen fresh paint for a loooong time :lol:

I agree that these cracks could be a coincidence and that's why I want to handle it the right way and not cause my neighbour grief unnecessarily.

From what I can see, the remaining chimney stack has gallows brackets either side of it with timbers supporting across (I'd say the width of the stack is about 5ft). There is some render higher up on the stack that's got a crack in it but I don't know when it was applied to the bricks. The bricks at the bottom of the stack all seem secure.

I suppose it would be possible that any vibrations from the work next door could have been amplified (for want of a better word) down the party wall and into the ceiling because of the brackets given that part of them are actually in the wall.

As you and others have said, it doesn't take much movement to cause hairline cracks and I guess I've been up in the loft more than what might be considered normal as we've been unpacking and storing stuff up there since we moved in. I know I'm no real heavy weight but 15-and-a-bit stone moving around up there could be to blame.

That house looks amazing by the way!!
 
2blue4u said:
Does it need rectifying (even a lick of paint) or has it the potential to need rectifying in the future? If yes or if you are in doubt, then my first port of call would be my insurers. Let them send in an expert who will then best know how to elevate this matter and plan a route to rectification. No expense for you and no long term worries. Don't tip-toe around this problem for fear of upsetting your neighbour, the bloke who is, potentially, making your home unsalable.
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I know exactly what you're saying but it's a woman living alone with 2 teenage kids (as it happens I went to school with her ex-husband). I know it's been an uphill struggle to get the loft conversion from a financial perspective so I don't want to worry/involve her unless absolutely necessary.

I have no qualms about getting it sorted if there is something untoward caused by the building work but I don't want to cause her sleepless nights because I've been walking around in the loft ;)
 
Russ77 said:
I know exactly what you're saying but it's a woman living alone with 2 teenage kids (as it happens I went to school with her ex-husband). I know it's been an uphill struggle to get the loft conversion from a financial perspective so I don't want to worry/involve her unless absolutely necessary.

I have no qualms about getting it sorted if there is something untoward caused by the building work but I don't want to cause her sleepless nights because I've been walking around in the loft ;)
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If it's been a struggle then it could be done on the cheap and against building regulations! Get someone in to check. If you are joined to another property you have to make sure what they're doing is sensible. You don't want structural issues appearing in your house due to their activity.

I wouldn't involve your insurance company either. They'll just whack your premium up even if they do nothing as it becomes a potential claim. Next door's insurance should cover any damage if it is caused by them. It might only need some thick paint.

If you keep the house warmer and dryer than the previous occupants did then it is highly possible the cracks are just related to that.
 
2blue4u said:
Does it need rectifying (even a lick of paint) or has it the potential to need rectifying in the future? If yes or if you are in doubt, then my first port of call would be my insurers.
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Shouldn't you be wary of doing this though? I seem to recall more than a few stories floating around of premiums increasing even when you think you're raising a non-fault query with the insurance co., they are viewing it as a claim and/or increase in risk. i.e. you end up with the financial penalty for something that is your neighbour's fault.
 
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