next door's builders put a large hole in my wall - help!

[Ginandcolic]

So, next door neighbours' builders are refurbing a flat in the house next to mine. This is what has happened:

• No notice of party wall works was issued
• They started work to remove a chimney breast and put steel joists in the wall to sure it up
• While doing this, they have knocked a bloody great hole in my wall on one side of my chimney breast. There is a crack in the plaster that extends up into the room above the hole; and down to the room below.
• There is another crack on the other side (but no hole) that coincides with the other steel joist and runs from floor to ceiling.

NDN has agreed to pay for a party wall survey (through a surveyor I have chosen) which is happening tomorrow. Could anyone help with some questions before this happens?

1. The neighbour and builders seem to think the builders will put the damage right themselves. Can I choose someone else? The builders are shoddy, don't follow regulations and only got building control permission when I challenged them on whether they had or not.

1. I am worried that the chimney will be damaged, can /should I get another survey? I wanted to open it up and have a wood burner in my kitchen but I am worried I won't be able to if the chimney is buggered - I certainly don't want to end up paying for repairs myself.

1. If the bricks, not just the plaster is cracked, which seems likely given the extent of the damage, I will need at least two, probably three rooms repaired. This could be lengthy and messy. Can I get compensation for the hassle, not just the cost? NB one is my study and I work from home so will need somewhere else to work.

1. Is 5pm on a monday too early to open and down a bottle of gin to help with the stress?

Thanks for any help or advice.

BTW, I have legal cover with my building insurance, should I get legal representation asap or see how it goes with the neighbours? I don't want to complicate things but I am feeling out of my depth as I know literally nothing about buildings or builders etc.

Thanks kickass and angel. I will certainly not be engaging in any dialogue with the builders from now on... argh!

kickass, that's a good point, I will have to be somewhere else to work and look after DD after nursery while the repairs are happening. Either the local coffee shop or ...The Ivy? Really good point about receipts, I will definitely start collecting them. It will probably be under £20 but I don't want to be out of pocket as well as out of my mind.

Argh I cannot believe the fuckers have done this!!!

Thanks all for keeping me sane

x

Glad the insurance are sorting it quick, my friend had a similar issue with neighbours builders last year. They were digging down to make a basement room and a giant hole appeared in the shared driveway.

lunar, argh that is appalling and potentially so dangerous; I hope it all got resolved quickly and with minimal faff? I don't quite see how these cowboys get away with it.

I should so be appointed to reform the regulations around builders and building work...

It took a while as they had compromised the foundations of the house. But the insurance company put them in a hotel for the worst of it.

I'm really sorry to be the bearer of bad news , OP. But this could be quite a big job. The problem isn't the damage to the plaster, it's the damage to the wall . They may have to take down part the wall to rebuild it .

All three rooms will be affected, they will need to be cleared of furniture , carpets lifted and furniture stored elsewhere . you will have builders up and down your stairs all day. You can't live there while this is going on .

The good news is that your insurers will pay for alternative accommodation while your house is uninhabitable . You won't need to arrange or supervise any of the work . The insurers will choose builders from their own panel, it won't be the builders from next door . Insurers will probably also appoint a structural engineer as well .

More good news - they will move furniture , do a full redecoration of all rooms and clean up once the job is done. Your hallway and stairs may need done as well - I'm assuming that you live in a 3 storey terraced house with typical narrow stairs - it's hard to carry materials and equipment up and down all day without some damage to the floor covering or decoration .

The other good news is that you will get all the paperwork to show that your house is safe, so there won't be any problems when you come to sell it .

I'm sorry to hear that this is affecting your health already , but you are doing the right thing to get support from your GP. Glad to hear the meds are helping .

How are you today Ginandcolic?

Hi,

Thanks lunar for that - very reassuring!

K1mberly, thank you for that info and for checking in on me. I was in meetings all of yesterday which were, frankly, a welcome distraction and far less stressful than building nonsense.

Interesting what you are saying about the wall having cracked as well. I suspect this is the case. The builders have, obviously, just said the damage is superficial but they would wouldn't they? I can't see how damage could go through the wall to the plaster leaving the brickwork untouched.

You are right I am in a townhouse so yes the stairs are narrow. I suppose I have to look at this as an opportunity to sort my house out a bit paid for by someone else. The timing isn't great at all but we do need it to be repaired and redecorated so I think I just have to do the whole "the only way out is through" thing.

The beta blockers are actually amazing. I wasn't at all sure about taking them but they really are helping and are keeping me calm throughout the continued banging and solicitors nonsense. They are also a good reason not to drink as tbh, most mornings start with me eyeing up the wine!

Thanks again for your support and hand holding.

I will keep you posted

x

Don't talk to the builders , I'm sure they will talk nonsense . It's not really anything to do with them TBH

Your insurers will sort this all out , but you need to keep pushing them I'm afraid. Find out the contract details for the loss adjuster who is dealing with the case . Email them to Ask to see a copy of the surveyors report and enquire when the chimney survey is being done . ( It's very simple, just a camera survey, like with drains . )

Ask for a copy of that report too .

Once you have this , ask which contractors they are appointing to do the work and when it will start. Assume it will take longer than they say.

Once you find out the extent of the damage and have an idea of the time it will take , you need to talk to you insurers about alternative accommodation. If I had a toddler and worked from home I would want to rent a flat , not go into a hotel . Dont volunteer to go to your family , unless they have 3 spare rooms and you adore them. If it's a big job you will be there for months :-(

Do you " officially " work from home ie have paperwork to show this , like your tax return ? Or do you just do some work related paperwork at home ?

I officially work from home - self-employed, claim a percentage of utilities against tax etc etc.

Thanks for the advice. I think you are right. I need to start prepping for this being a huge upheaval then at least I will be pleasantly surprised if it isn't.

I hadn't considered renting a flat as an option - that's a great idea and much better than faffing around in a hotel. Family is not option, because they live too far away to make it feasible re my DD's nursery and also they are mad (!)

Thanks again, really helpful advice and I appreciate the hand holding

xxx

In that case you might be able to claim against your business insurance for business interruption costs , but I'm not sure if you have lost money yet and if you could demonstrate that .

However , if it's all perfectly legal and you have informed your house insurers ( if required under the policy ) that you are running a business from home , you can advise them that you need alternative accommodation that allows you to continue your business eg with room to do so

I'm afraid that the work might take some time , if they are going to have to take down and rebuild part of the party wall and the chimneys in a three storey property . I do hope it's not that bad though .

How's it going?