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Party walls: start with the neighbour
Party walls · Episode 21
Jonny Callard with Tina Patel and Bart Kolosowski
Your extension is taking shape, but you are worried about the neighbours. Can the party-wall process help the project move forward?
Party-wall surveyor Jonny Callard joins Tina and Bart to explain the process in England and Wales, the information that keeps it moving and why an early conversation matters.
Two extensions, two walls—and a gap nobody wants
Jonny describes neighbours building separate extension walls close together. The narrow space between them can collect debris and create awkward weathering details.
He explores how an early conversation about a shared wall can sometimes offer a better arrangement. That requires agreement and proper advice; it is an option to investigate rather than a detail to assume.
Before fixing the boundary design, discuss future plans and ask your team to review the alternatives. A small conversation may reveal a practical opportunity both households would otherwise miss.
01
Check the work
Identify the relevant process.
02
Talk early
Share plans and questions.
03
Record the condition
Agree a useful starting point.
04
Complete the detail
Coordinate methods and access.
It covers more than the wall between two houses
The episode looks at loft conversions, chimney-breast removal, rear extensions and basement work. Jonny explains the different questions raised by shared structures, boundary construction and nearby excavation.
In flats, the relevant structure can be a floor or ceiling rather than a wall. Owners and interests above, below or next door can make the picture more involved than it first appears.
Ask a suitable surveyor to check the proposed works and the adjoining properties. Planning permission and party-wall procedures are separate matters; one does not settle the other.
A notice should not be the first your neighbour hears
Jonny recommends laying out the drawings over a kitchen-table conversation before formal notices arrive. Explain what you intend to do and give neighbours a chance to ask questions.
The discussion distinguishes written consent from the surveyor process used when there is a dispute under the Act. A party-wall award sets arrangements for the notified work; disagreement is not simply a neighbour’s veto over every project.
The hosts also discuss a schedule of condition: a record of the neighbouring property before work starts. Clear photographs and descriptions help both sides discuss any later damage against a shared starting point.
Missing information can hold up the award
Jonny explains why drawings alone may not answer every question. On more involved work, surveyors can also need construction methods, sequencing and information from the contractor.
The practical question is often which part of the team still owes that information. Pushing for an award before the method is settled does not make the missing detail disappear.
Bring party-wall advice into the programme early and assign the required information to named people. Check access arrangements too: moving away from the boundary is not automatically a simpler solution.
Three decisions to take into your project
01 Open the conversation early.
Explain the proposed work before notices arrive, while there is room to resolve practical concerns.
02 Check the process for your project.
Have the works, notices, owners and access requirements reviewed rather than relying on a rule of thumb.
03 Provide the information needed.
Coordinate drawings, methods and condition records so the process can progress on a clear basis.
The full conversation
Chartered building surveyor and party-wall surveyor Jonny Callard of Thomas & Thomas joins Tina Patel and Bart Kolosowski to discuss the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 in England and Wales.
The full conversation covers common project triggers, notices, consent, schedules of condition, surveyor appointments and awards. It also explores access, shared walls, costs and the importance of clear information and neighbourly communication.
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Explore a related episode
Episode 4: Planning approved. Ready to build?
Put party-wall preparation alongside the other approvals for your project.
Episode 15: Where do planning delays actually begin?
Plan surveys and information early to reduce avoidable delays.
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