Joined Garage Question

[Alex_225]

This is purely a question to throw out to the PH masses and nothing that impacts me before anyone shoots me down in flames! I'm just intrigued.

My neighbour (property joins onto) shares a driveway with a neighbour on the other side. At the end of the driveway by their back gardens is a twin garage, built together and sharing a roof but separate doors. The roof of the garage has a peak in the middle so designed to be a joined garage.

Last year, my next door neighbour decided they wanted a swim spa instead of a garage so had their side of the garage taken down.

Now I'm no expert but watching them take his side of the garage down, then exposed the inside wall of the garage and that peak on the roof is now simply the left side of the neighbours garage. The garage is just concrete slabs but looks really questionable just having half of it with no modifications to the roof other than some plastic to cover up the exposed bits under the corrugated parts.

Like I say I'm no expert on these things but having a joined garage which is essentially one building and whipping half of it away looks precarious. I wouldn't be so doubtful if the builders dealt with the asbestos roof even remotely carefully but two lads with no shirts on and no masks dismantling it seemed questionable in itself. So I wondered how 'ok' this garage modification is. Like I say, purely intrigued.

For info, the neighbour on the other side doesn't own the property, she's elderly and was a nun so it's owned by the church.

[Canon_Fodder]

Sounds OK to me.

I had to google 'swim spa'. Not for me, thanks

I bet the garage was too narrow for modern cars anyway and so pretty useless (and perhaps the driveway too narrow too?)

[ingenieur]

They'll probably get away with whatever they want if they're dealing with someone who probably doesn't care / know about the garage and how it supposed to be.

BUT... if it were happening to me then their modifications to the garage would have to include reformulating the existing structure to look both aesthetically correct and to be as watertight and durable as before the works were carried out. If that meant a new smaller pitched roof had to be installed then that should go onto the neighbours project cost for their new aquatic facilities. The asbestos couldn't be used again as I'm sure you're not allowed to build with stuff like that. So some slates or tiles matching the style of the main house would be appropriate.

[Alex_225]

Canon_Fodder said:

Sounds OK to me.

I had to google 'swim spa'. Not for me, thanks

I bet the garage was too narrow for modern cars anyway and so pretty useless (and perhaps the driveway too narrow too?)

Not for me either, I understand the running costs are somewhat more eye watering than originally planned. More so with all the hikes. There is a medical need for mum/wife as she has a joint problem so I assume it helps.

In terms of the garage/driveway, I have an RS Megane in my garage and my S Class is temporarily parked down the drive so it's more than useable for actual cars. There's an art to it, but can be done.

It's an odd addition to these kinds of properties though, converted to four bedroom semi's but with a swim spa/hot tub. I couldn't believe the cost to have it done though.

ingenieur said:

They'll probably get away with whatever they want if they're dealing with someone who probably doesn't care / know about the garage and how it supposed to be.

BUT... if it were happening to me then their modifications to the garage would have to include reformulating the existing structure to look both aesthetically correct and to be as watertight and durable as before the works were carried out. If that meant a new smaller pitched roof had to be installed then that should go onto the neighbours project cost for their new aquatic facilities. The asbestos couldn't be used again as I'm sure you're not allowed to build with stuff like that. So some slates or tiles matching the style of the main house would be appropriate.

I think your first sentence is probably accurate. She'd have been happy to have the garage removed but they wouldn't allow it to be removed, I assume due to impacting the value of the property.

I agree with you on the second point, I would be ensuring that my garage was essentially set up as it would have been if it were purpose built as a single garage. Which I suspect would require a new roof. The edge which was essentially the central peak of the roof is exposed and sits proud of the top of the swim spa. They put a gutter down one edge but that's as much to prevent water on the side of the spa building as the garage.

Knowing some of the guys the chap has used as builders before, my trust that it was done properly is just not there. With the entire build costing in the region of £80k I wonder how far it would have got if that neighbour had insisted on the garage modifications being done properly.

[ingenieur]

I don't think garage roofs are expensive to construct as there's not so much demand for extras like insulation or whatever. And the building tends to be pretty small compared with the roof on a house.

[Alex_225]

ingenieur said:

I don't think garage roofs are expensive to construct as there's not so much demand for extras like insulation or whatever. And the building tends to be pretty small compared with the roof on a house.

True, it's literally a shelter rather than a draft proof, insulated building. Even still, there was another sage over hte pump for the pool. Builder says it's faulty, owner said builder broke it. They parted ways with a £6k pump needing to be replaced. So I'm not sure getting a roof out of them as well would have been an easy task! haha

[Mr Tidy]

I would have thought Party Wall legislation would apply:- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent...

[TonyF1]

Difficult without pictures but have they calculated for the pitch roof side loading onto the outside wall?

[Jamescrs]

Interesting post as I have a very similar garage setup.

My garage (and the neighbours) is a concrete panel garage with a dividing wall in the middle which has maybe a 4 inch gap between the top of the wall and the roof. My side is well maintained, a few years ago I had the window taken out at the back as it was rotten and solid panels put in, new roof on my side as it leaked, new facias and a new door put on. so mine doesn't leak and I store a car in it along with my tool box and other bits, I have electrics in my side.

My neighbours side has a new door and facias but I believe their roof leaks quite badly and as it's rented I doubt the landlord really cares, the person living there does store his work tools in the garage and bikes so I guess he considers it ok too.

It doesn't bother me but I have wondered what happens if in the future the landlord decides to knock down the garage on their side or they sell up and someone else wants it gone? I guess I would expect them to make good the wall for my side of the garage with proper panels and a gutter etc?

[surveyor_101]

Alex_225 said:

For info, the neighbour on the other side doesn't own the property, she's elderly and was a nun so it's owned by the church.

Interesting, it sounds like a design should have been formulated and agreed by both parties for the structure to be supported and be in keeping with asthetics.

Having lived in a church property and dealt with them also seeing what they pay their surveyors, they don't care and don't look after their stock and they don't care. They proposed a 1 man band to repair the roof on my property taking the waste in hi pickup and 3 guys working on the second floor from ladders!

Maybe god be with them

[vaud]

surveyor_101 said:

Maybe god be with them

With that H&S they soon will be with God...

[surveyor_101]

vaud said:

With that H&S they soon will be with God...

Doesn't apply the the church, they are above the HSE, I asked the contractor to provide a method statement and he said he would, a week later the church surveyor contacted me saying he had now declined the work and they were having to get someone else who would use a scaffold and skip at greater costs.

They also served me section 21 in retaliation as they would need the property vacant to complete the works! As tenants even chartered surveyors don't get to mess with their trusted contractors!

I had agreed to rent the property for 2 years as my wife's family were in with local church and the trainee victor guy had left. They had a clause that even override the assured period so they could claim it back a 2 months notice if needed for minster of religion! Thats what they did but they sold it after the repairs.

it was 70% of market rate in a very good area.

Edited by surveyor_101 on Thursday 21st July 11:06

[vaud]

surveyor_101 said:

Doesn't apply the the church, they are above the HSE, I asked the contractor to provide a method statement and he said he would, a week later the church surveyor contacted me saying he had now declined the work and they were having to get someone else who would use a scaffold and skip.

They also served me section 21 in retaliation! As tenants even chartered surveyors don't get to mess with their trusted contractors!

I'm confused - were you hiring them or was the church? If the latter whey would you have needed to ask for that?

[surveyor_101]

vaud said:

I'm confused - were you hiring them or was the church? If the latter whey would you have needed to ask for that?

Because I am chartered surveyor and he was a shower and was going to open up the roof above my daughters bedroom so had to be done safe and right.

I have done some house building but not my thing I work on large infrastructure and civils, I did them a favour as they wouldn't be able to afford my day rate but its clear they don't qualify their contractors or bids which us why the roof was leaking in the first place.

They were paying to fix a roof leak that in reality they had caused as it was a flat roof extension over a garage badly done to accommodate a previous vicars mother!


The other issue of note that is that he was taking waste away from my residence without the correct waste transfer notice and this can lad the resident in hot water!

Edited by surveyor_101 on Thursday 21st July 11:12

Edited by surveyor_101 on Thursday 21st July 11:21