The town of Ipswich is known for its football club, Cardinal Wolsey, its port and waterfront and the Orwell Bridge. Much of the housing in Ipswich is either terraced or semi-detached or very close to the neighbour’s property. When carrying out building work close to the boundary or on a party wall, the Party Wall Act may apply. For example, if carrying out a loft conversion, it is common for steel beams to be cut into the party wall along with padstones or steel bearing plates. It is also common to raise the party wall, often in timber frame with vertical tile hanging or some other kind of cladding. Because there is a need to strip off roof tiles to build a dormer. The building owner is also temporarily exposing the party wall to the elements. All these situations require a party will notice to be served on the neighbour.
 
Another common building work in Ipswich is an extension either to the rear or the side of a property. Let’s start with the foundations. If they will be deeper than your neighbours foundations or structure and within 3 meters of them, then you will need to serve a section 6 party wall excavation notice one month before you intend to commence work. This notice must be served along with a plan and section drawing of the excavation and walls that will be built on top of it.
 
Finally, the extension may be built up to the boundary or, as the Party Wall Act calls it, the line of junction. There are two options here, either the wall will be built astride the boundary, or it will be built on the building owners side, but up to the boundary. You cannot build a party wall astride the boundary unless you have permission from the neighbour. You would serve a section 1(2) notice on them, but if they were to dissent, or if they didn't reply to your notice, you would have to build the wall on your side of the boundary.
 
You can decide to serve just a section 1(5) notice to build on your side of the boundary. In this situation, if the neighbour does not reply to your notice, there is no automatic dissent, and you can go ahead and build the wall on your land.
 
When a neighbour dissents to a notice both parties must then appoint a party wall surveyor to resolve the issue under the Party Wall Act. Usually the surveyor or surveyors will visit the adjoining owners property to take a schedule of condition and then proceed with serving a party wall award on both neighbours.
 
For smaller projects, such as the domestic ones mentioned above, it’s often enough just to appoint one surveyor as the agreed surveyor for both parties. However, in more complicated jobs, especially things like basements you may want to have two surveyors appointed, one each.
 
Whenever two surveyors are appointed, a third surveyor who is more experienced must be selected by the two surveyors, although he often doesn’t know about his selection, unless he has called upon by one of the surveyors or the homeowners to resolve a dispute that the two surveyors cannot resolve on their own.
 
If you are planning building work near your boundary and your property is in Ipswich, contact us at Bluegrass Surveying. We can give free and impartial help and advice, can serve party wall notices and act as your party wall surveyor should it be necessary. Get in touch with us today for expert party wall surveyor Ipswich services and we will be happy to help.