Party Wall Cost Calculator

Building work that affects a shared wall, a boundary structure or excavates near a neighbour's foundations is notifiable in many jurisdictions, and the building owner normally pays for both sides' surveyors. Costs scale with the number of neighbours, not with the size of the job.

A terraced extension with two adjoining owners can generate two separate awards and two sets of fees, which is why the neighbour count matters more than the build cost.

How the fees arise

You appoint a surveyor and pay for them. Each adjoining owner may appoint their own, and the building owner normally pays those fees too, plus a schedule of condition recording each neighbour property before work starts. If surveyors cannot agree, a third is appointed and adds further cost.

Worked example

With two adjoining owners, your own surveyor at 1,200, their surveyors at 1,400 each and a 400 schedule of condition for each neighbour: the neighbour side costs 3,600 and the total is 4,800 — 2,400 per adjoining owner, and two separate awards.

An agreed surveyor halves it

Where a neighbour is willing, both sides can appoint the same surveyor, which typically removes one full fee per neighbour. Approaching neighbours informally before serving notice is what makes that possible, and it also reduces the chance of a dispute.

Frequently asked questions