Neighbour stole loft space for conversion

Money_Grabber13579

Are the two sections of wall actually level? The section of the right seems to line up with the roof truss which is in front of the roof truss which the wall in the left lines up with. So where exactly is the boundary?

neilmcl

Money_Grabber13579 said:

Are the two sections of wall actually level? The section of the right seems to line up with the roof truss which is in front of the roof truss which the wall in the left lines up with. So where exactly is the boundary?

That was my thinking too. The section of wall on the left is much further back than the section on the right if you go by the roof. So either the right hand side is the original partition, in which case there's no incursion or the wall on the left is original and they've built over by a metre or so.

marlot

DebtFreeDuo said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

What! Blimey.

DFD, any chance of (a) a photo, and (b) a pic of the plans shown on the deeds?

I do have a picture of the loft. I don't have a picture of the plans on the deeds at the moment though, I can try and get hold of them if that helps. I just followed how it lines up with the walls and I think it should be around the half way mark, so the highest point of the roof here.

I don't really see a problem here.  That wooden frame looks to have been built on the boundary, and supports the roof.  The plasterboard is on their side of the wooden frame.

Soot2006

OP says  it build over their bathroom. Easy way to check. Drill up from the bathroom and see where you end up?

Joking aside, if the house is being sold, I would just sell it, and if it comes up as a problem during conveyancing, worry about it then.

Alter_ego

Stick some plasterboard on it and you've got a good start for your loft conversion. Insulation as well of course.

Fire break doesn't look great though!

GrumpyDil

If you are still concerned I would check the local authority website for details of the building reg approval to check it was all signed off correctly. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

On the left it looks as if the brick wall is up to the first rafter, top of the stud wall is close to the third rafter, a sideways photo might give a better indication. 

Jeepers_Creepers

DFD, at first glance that does look WOW!

Simple Q - how far into 'your' loft space does the timber frame come in relation to 'your' side of the brick partition?

Are they pretty much flush? If not, how many inches are we talking about?

And, that brick wall is almost certainly continuing all the way down both floors to ground level - it is the dividing wall between the two houses. So, provided that monstrosity doesn't come in to your loft space beyond the face of the bricks, then how can it possibly be built over your bathroom? I think, more likely, you either got your measurements wrong (if you took any), or the distances involved are confusing as you compare the upper floor with the loft space above.

I could be wrong, but I'm just saying that's more likely.

Anyhoo, what to do?

a) IF that monstros does NOT actually come in to your loft space - if its face is level with the brick face - then get a joiner to plasterboard it all flush with 1/2" boards, D&Ding to the bricks, and screwing into the timber frame, loft floor to roof apex. Jobbie jobbed.

b) IF that monstros IS coming in to your loft space beyond the brick face by, ooh, say 6" or more, then clumsily stumble on a joist and fall - shoulder first - against it, and say 'hello' to your new neighbs.

(For (b), even if it protrudes by a couple of inches - and it doesn't look to be any more than this at most - just batten the bricks to match the level, and board it all off as before.)

Will it cause an issue if you try and sell it as it is? Yes, of course it will - it looks outrageous. It looks like a major problem. It looks like a neighbourly dispute in the making. It will cause conveyancing hang-ups that'll almost certainly delay the sale.

For a £few £undred, the problem can be literally made to disappear.

DebtFreeDuo

Sorry I guess the photo doesn't show it as well as I thought, here is another from the side, the 2 walls aren't actually level as below this would be our bathroom and their bathroom. I hope this clears up some confusion. I will respond to other questions separately.

Grenage

Oh my; that is rather a different picture.