New Construction Immediately Adjacent to my Townhouse

My brownstone is currently detached on one site. My neighbor who owns a detached house next door plans to build a huge condo building right next to my house. It looks like the new building will be almost attached to my property. From what I understood, there will only be 2 inches between the buildings. The currently detached side wall of my house needs some repair; it also has some pipes jutting out for exhaust (for washer and dryer), I am trying to understand how the construction next door will affect me. Should I water proof my side wall before they are starting to build smth? Who is responsible for that? Anyone dealt with a situation like this? What else should I be looking out for? Any help in this matter would be appreciated. Thank you.

deva

in General Discussion 10 years ago

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transworld | 10 years ago

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You probably don’t need to waterproof your side wall, they will install flashing on top so not water will go down there. You will probably gain in term of insulation/heat loss.

Arkady | 10 years ago

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I’d document the process – take pix of at-risk areas such as roof, walls (both inside & out), etc. before & during the work. Get them to put you on their insurance as “named insured”. And see a lawyer before signing any agreements.

deva | 10 years ago

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Thank you! These are super helpful responses. I love this site.

shahnandersen

in General Discussion 10 years ago

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There are a lot of issues here. As workisfun said, you do need to consult a professional. A few points though, if your building is on the side lot line and zoning permits the adjacent development to build to the side lot line, then you have no rights (grandfathered or otherwise) to your vents. You will have to relocate them. I assume the two inches is to comply with the earthquake code and is on your neighbors property.

On the other hand, if they are building a big building next to you, they will most likely be required to protect your property from falling debris, for example, your entrance way in the front (if you have a front yard) and back, your roof etc. To do so, they will need to enter on your property and probably put temporary structures there. That would require a license agreement with you; and here is where you can negotiate for them to fix your wall, relocate your vents, etc. You might even get them to pay all or part for a engineer and lawyer who you should use to negotiate and monitor the terms of the agreement.

workisfun | 10 years ago

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My former neighbor overbuilt 1′ onto my property. The new owners are now moving the wall back. Crazy.

workisfun | 10 years ago

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You need to consult a professional. Even if they have approved plans, they may not be building accordingly. Or maybe they are, and it’s just an unfortunate situation. Careful-the proximity of the construction may force you into non-compliance, when it comes to venting, etc. Good luck.