Firsttimereno

We’re having a loft conversion done and noticed one of the timbers used appears a bit rotten? Should we ask for this to be changed?

We’re mid loft conversion and have been notified by our builder that a chimney stack on the roof (shared with neighbour) has started to split and it may be best to remove the stack on the roof entirely. The poor condition of the stack was noted on our survey when we bought the house a few years ago and so has not been caused by the building work. Pictures at the start of the building work show the stack in the same condition it is in now. Our neighbours signed a PWA at the start of our conversion but doesn’t include anything related to removal of the stack as this wasn’t known at the time. We have asked the neighbours if they use the chimney and if we would be okay to remove it but they have come back accusing our builders of causing the split. We’ve already said we would cover the full removal cost as part of our broader works and so are not looking for a contribution from them. We could alternatively just repair our side a bit which will probably prolong the life of the stack and will mean it will likely need repairs in the future which will cost more (I.e scaffolding again etc) and would then need to be shared costs. I’m reading mixed things online but does anyone have similar experience and know if removing the chimney stack is in scope for party wall agreement and thus we would need to send another notice to remove it / two week wait time etc. Would a repair to our side only also cover that or could we just go ahead with that and move on? Is there anything else we should be mindful of re impact to their property if they do agree to a full stack removal? Any help appreciated.