We have recently bought a mid-terrace house & are planning some building work--it's actually already started (the preliminaries) yesterday. The most substantial thing we're wanting to do is removing 2 chimney breasts from both living room & 2 rooms upstairs to open up space and because they look quite ugly. Our contractor, who we otherwise trust a lot, reassured us that this wouldn't affect the house next door & explained why. As it's our first house and we're doing building work for the first time, we weren't aware of the actual implications/ details.
So, once we started the workliterally yesterdayI have realised that we need a party wall agreement with said neighbour. He already gave happy verbal agreement but it was quite general. I have talked to surveyor who will send the letter needed & hopefully we'll move on soon as if chimney breasts don't go down nothing else can proceed.
However, surveyor & now contractor too are saying that to cover our backs its best to get the surveyor in anyway, because if problems arise that will be helpful, not least in having good neighbourly relations.
We also have only now been told that we need to get a structural engineer in asap to confirm the plan & sign it off with correct paperwork & to get the permission for this. So I spent yesterday sending endless emails to local engineers 
as this also has to be done asap.
What if any advice do you have? Am I slightly over the top wanting to do everything in what I think is the correct way? If neighbour says 'yes go ahead' should we not get surveyor in & take the risk? I'm inclined to feel we should get surveyor in despite the cost as well as engineer.
Grrrrr, costs are already spiralling and we're only one day in (see my other thread too with other additional complication).
As I said, any advice more than welcome from experienced musmnetters.