![]() Making Good the Remainder of the Stack The newly exposed party wall within the stack will need to be either pointed or rendered to protect it from the weather. The height of the remaining section of chimney stack, as measured from its intersection with the roof, should be no more than 4.5 times its width provided that the density of the masonry is at least 1500kg/m3 (London stocks are approx. This is covered in Approved Document A of the Building Regulations. Tall slender structures are vulnerable to the wind and can deflect in extreme conditions. The party wall surveyors will consider 2 key factors: The Slenderness Ratio A Party Structure Notice should be served at least 2 months prior to the works commencing. Unlike removing the whole of a chimney stack, removing just half of it is notifiable under the Party Wall Act as masonry will be cut away from the party wall within and that party wall will be exposed to the elements where it was hitherto enclosed (both are rights provided by section 2(2) of the Act). If one of the owners does not want the stack removed it is still possible for the other owner to remove their ‘half’ but that gives rise to further complications. Having said that, if it is being done as part of a project that is otherwise covered by the Act the appointed surveyors will tend to include it in their discussions (if not in the award) and possibly agree the details of how the adjoining owner’s roof structure and covering are made good. Because removing a shared stack is not a right under the Party Wall etc. The whole of a shared stack can only be removed if both owners are in agreement – if it is on account of defect the cost will generally be split but if it is being done as part of improvement works to one property the owner benefitting from those works will generally carry the cost. Obviously, chimney stacks are only removed when the connected fireplaces are no longer in use. That is all fairly straightforward but it gets more complicated when one or both of the owners decide to remove the stack entirely either because the defect is significant or as part of loft conversion works. the two owners do not have rights over the whole structure – there is likely to be a party wall within the stack separating the flues of the two owners but that is not normally the defective element as it is protected from the weather. Shared chimney stacks are not ‘party’ i.e. For this reason there are obvious benefits in the whole of a defective shared stack being repaired at the same time but as each owner is responsible for the maintenance of their half neither can force the other to participate. When repairing defects of this type, providing safe access by means of scaffolding or a cherry picker will make up a significant proportion of the cost. We looked at typical defects to chimney stacks on the blog a few years ago so today I wanted to cover a related topic – what the legal responsibilities of the owners are when it is a shared chimney stack that has been affected.Ĭhimneys tend to be more exposed to the weather than other parts of a property and therefore prone to defects such as eroded pointing, spalled brickwork and cracked flaunching. Might as well include the whole article :- Home > Building Defects > Repairing or Removing Shared Chimney Stacks Repairing or Removing Shared Chimney Stacks Friday, 25th November 2016 | by: Justin Burns Like I said in the first post, I’ve provided drawings for the slenderness ratio. From a design aspect having the breasts gone from the loft space is massive. ![]() If the stack was in ok condition I’d re do the flauncing and re point and just keep it but I really don’t want to rebuild something that I don’t need. I’ve had no reply from the neighbour either Im doing a full roof rebuild with dormer so my roof is currently stripped, I need to work on the stack right now, every day is a delay. ![]() Where do I stand with the “waiting 2months” Neighbours side is just as bad, I’ve suggested taking the full stack below roof level and just rebuilding his new, I just said he could pay a day rate for a bricklayer and il supply materials and scaffold access. ![]() I’m not using my chimney breasts so I want to completely remove it instead of re building. So I’ve gave my neighbour a party wall structure notice last week soon as I realised the brickwork on my side is unstable, it is bowing out about 35mm, the flauncing is cracked etc.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |