Digging foundations

[greenbanana]

The following work has been carried out to a semi detached property:

 

1. The sub floor has been removed

2. The rear of the house (to the ground floor ceiling) has also been removed. Acrow props have been put in place. Foundations have not yet been dug.

 

Excavations are due to start next week. Can excavations for a rear and side  extension be done safely in the above circumstances?

 

 

[ProDave]

Perhaps the builders are intending to get the proper lintel that will support the new opening in place before proceeding, in which case it won't be sitting on acro's when they start digging.

 

Is the property empty?  It is not very secure now with a big hole in the back wall.

 

I take it this is not your house?  Are you a worried neighbour?

[greenbanana]

I'm the adjoining owner. The property is occupied. The exposed rear has been rained on heavily in the last few days. There appears to be exposed cables and a boiler plugged in (presumably in use). We're concerned about fire safety, vandalism (the property is on a corner plot and exposed) etc

 

They are already excavating for the side extension (not the rear yet). They are not informing us of the sequence of works.  We have to hope that a lintel will be installed, but we don't have any indications as to when or if this will happen. The acrows are sitting on the soil. Are there any implications for acrows being in place for potentially weeks in these conditions? And is there anything we can do about the exposed rear? 

 

 

[Russell griffiths]

Is there a party wall agreement in place ?

[ToughButterCup]

6 minutes ago, greenbanana said:

.... And is there anything we can do about the exposed rear? 

 

Talk.

[greenbanana]

4 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

Is there a party wall agreement in place ?

Yes, but there is no mention of the rear being removed so early in the process. The works had only been happening for 4 days by the time the rear was removed. We're also concerned by the way that the builders did it. They pounded the wall with a mini digger until bricks loosened. 

[greenbanana]

5 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Talk.

We've tried... 🤷‍♂️

[Canski]

3 hours ago, greenbanana said:

We've tried... 🤷‍♂️

Did they tell you it’s their property not yours and everything was being done safely and legally ? Was that the point where the conversation ended ? 

[greenbanana]

1 hour ago, Canski said:

Did they tell you it’s their property not yours and everything was being done safely and legally ? Was that the point where the conversation ended ? 

 

 

Yes, but it doesn't look very secure.

 

 

[Canski]

5 minutes ago, greenbanana said:

 

 

Yes, but it doesn't look very secure.

 

 

Why ? because they haven’t put any foundations in to an area that is separate to the building that is in the process of having a new opening formed ?

[Iceverge]

Any pics? 

 

Is it a semi detached to your house? 

[greenbanana]

34 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

Any pics? 

 

Is it a semi detached to your house? 

Hi Iceverge, 

 

I've sent you pics. Yes, we are next door. 

 

 

[ToughButterCup]

Might you be able to post those here: be careful to annonomise sensitive content - faces / house numbers ...?

[greenbanana]

10 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

Might you be able to post those here: be careful to annonomise sensitive content - faces / house numbers ...?

I thought it best to message you the pics directly.

[Iceverge]

Just had a look. TBH if you blank the reg plates it could be 1 of about a million places in the UK. I wouldn't worry about posting. 

 

I can do it if you like. 

 

 A public post would certainly get more help. 

 

 

 

[Jilly]

Does it need a party wall agreement?

[Lofty718]

You sound like a nightmare neighbour

 

in what way does their house being exposed affect you in any way? Unless the builders are total cowboys then it should be fine.

[greenbanana]

9 hours ago, JoeyF said:

You sound like a nightmare neighbour

 

in what way does their house being exposed affect you in any way? Unless the builders are total cowboys then it should be fine.

There are exposed cables. A boiler is connected. Rain is going in. People are living in the house so the electricity is not disconnected. It will take some weeks/months to put a rear back on so it's not secure and there is potentially a fire hazard. 

 

There is no building company involved. It's just the owner directing two men.

[ToughButterCup]

There's a fine balance to be held between legitimate concern for your own property and intrusive concern. 

 

Your neighbour's security, connected boilers, circuits which may or may not be connected (isolated or connected at the CU) damp in their house, the time it might take to get things back to normal could all be considered entirely your neighbour's concern. It's in nobody's interest to cause damage to a neighbours house.

 

Acrow props often cause people to wince when first seen in place.

 

Reading between the lines, I 'feel' all is not well between you and your neighbour : you report that you have talked , but don't report the result of the conversation. If I'm right, then a bit of jovial banter and joke about the cost of cement or the price of fish is what's needed. I do hope so.

 

[joe90]

On 01/04/2023 at 11:47, Russell griffiths said:

Is there a party wall agreement in place ?

@greenbananaYou didn’t answer this?, is a party  wall agreement required (that they have not put in place by the sounded of it

 

A party wall agreement is needed if you plan on carrying out any building work near or on a party wall. You must tell your neighbours, provide them with a Party Wall Notice and come up with a Party Wall Agreement in writing. If you use a builder or an architect then they should be able to advise you on this, although they will not serve the notice for you.

The following works require you to obtain a Party Wall Agreement:

• Any work to shared walls (party walls) between semi-detached and terraced houses.
• Work involving shared ‘party structures’, such as floors between flats.
• Work to garden boundary walls.
• Excavation works – or underpinning – to, or close by (within 3-6m), the party wall.
• Loft conversions that mean cutting into a party wall.
• Inserting a damp proof course into a party wall.
• Making party walls thicker or higher.
• Building a second-storey extension above a shared wall.
• Building a new wall up to or off the party wall.

 

[Iceverge]

@greenbanana

 

I think it would help get a satisfactory answer if you were to post the pics. 

 

Having looked at it I can understand your concerns. I assume you're looking for advice here as you're not a building expert. Just like most of us. 

 

However there are plenty of things that would seem unusual to a casual observer but perfectly legit. From a glance for instance I reckon that there may have been a lintel in place before the wall was taken down anyway for the bay window. 

 

Similarly they may be cutting corners and you have right to be worried. From just a description folk won't be able to help unfortunately. 

 

 

 

 

[johnhenstock83]

I would try to break this down into individual "issues".

 

I am more or less convinced that the foundation of the house hasn't been removed, this is not required for the removal of a structural wall. they probably removed the screed and a few courses of bricks from the footings, to be able to connect the new floor to the existing one, but the screed doesn't do much in holding the house up. with that in mind, if the house is propped correctly, it should stand, but you would want that done as quickly as possible. propping today, padstones in, steel in tomorrow, acrows gone by day 4-5...

 

then there is the issue of the boiler/electrics. you don't know if the electrics are still on, it's easy to switch off specific circuits in the kitchen, for example.

 

the boiler running doesn't sound too good without a wall, those fumes could enter the house and that's not what should happen. having said that, you won't be affected and while I understand your concerns, it's unlikely that someone will do something to a running boiler and cause it to explode. if you smell gas, DO report immediately, though.

 

to me, this is more about access, but again, that's the neighbour's problem. I wouldn't accept a house to be boarded up, let alone left exposed to the weather and anyone from the outside, unless there's a proper door between the room in question and the rest of the house.

[greenbanana]

An update. The building owner has excavated all the way around the rear (6 m) and side (9m) of the house to a depth of approx 1.7m. No concrete poured. BC (dangerous structures) instructed the building owner to pour concrete the same day or shore up, but he hasn't. The trenches have now been open for around a week.  The rest of the above is the same.  Johnhenstock83 you sound very knowledgable. would you mind if I message you some pics?

Edited April 7, 2023 by greenbanana
typo

[ETC]

I cannot understand why this is deemed a dangerous structure by BC. Their remit only extends to areas that the public have access to so if this is a private residence the legislation will not apply.

 

If I’m reading this right the back of a semi-detached house is open, a boiler is running and foundations have been excavated. If you are merely concerned about health and safety I suggest you contact the HSE who may wish to have a quiet word with the occupant of the dwelling in relation to health and safety on site.

[greenbanana]

BC have said the foundations should have been dug 1m at a time. Instead approximately 20m of trenches have been dug and left open. The trench on the side is about 1.5m wide and right up to the side wall.

Edited April 7, 2023 by greenbanana