Should this be a concern to them, and what measures should they take before the neighbours begin building? I hope you can answer this soon, just to ease my parent's worries.
Answer -- There may be several considerations with a home being demolished and rebuilt next to your parents' home. There are also several variables that may determine whether the concerns are major or not. I will list some of these variables as well as offer some possibilities and recommendations.
The impact of the removal of an old house and rebuilding near your parents' home will depend on several issues, the first being proximity. Being a semi-rural location, the size of the lot that your parents' home sits on and the neighbours' may be much larger than those in a typical suburb. Many people choose to relocate and build in areas like that so that they can have a larger lot, more privacy and more vegetation between the homes. Since the stability of an older home, like that in question, is largely dependent on the integrity of the soil it is built on, larger lots will be a benefit. If that is indeed the situation, there is less chance that the rebuilding will cause any appreciable damage to your parents' house. If the new home is being constructed within a few metres of your parents', which is typical in many subdivisions, there is more to worry about.
The next consideration is the integrity of the foundation of your parents' current home. It is unlikely that a 60-year-old home in West St. Paul is built on driven piles, or even poured concrete piers, but that is not out of the question. If your parents' home is built on deep piers or piles major movement in the foundation, due to disruption of the soil next door, is unlikely. If their home is built on typical footings, soil movement due to the construction is a much more realistic scenario. If their foundation has any current damage or cracks, particularly large ones that run horizontally or diagonally, further damage is much more likely. If their foundation is level, well drained, and without any moderate to major cracks, there is less chance of further damage.
Demolition of the older home next door may present as much or more chance of damage to your parents' home, depending on proximity and the type of foundation, than installation of piles. The old foundation, if concrete, will have to be jack-hammered or broken up with heavy equipment to be removed. That may cause as much disruption to the soil near your parents' home as installation of piles. You have mentioned your concern with damage from pounding in the piles, but that is not very commonly done in residential construction. Unfortunately, the one location that they often use driven piles for homes is near rivers or creeks, so you may be correct in that assumption. If they are simply drilling deep holes for poured concrete piers, often referred to as piles, then there is much less to be concerned with, due to the lack of vibration compared to driven piles. Either way, the vibration from heavy equipment or the pile driver may cause damage to your parents' walls, ceilings, and even foundation, if it is severe enough.
The major concern with damage will likely be from vibration-related damage to the components of the home. This may be seen in the form of cracks and peeling paint or popping nails in the walls and ceilings in the home. Unfortunately, not all of this damage may be immediately noticeable upon impact, due to storage in the home or gradual progression after the initial shock.
There are at least two types of professionals your parents should be consulting immediately, before the demolition and rebuilding begin. Firstly, they should talk to a lawyer to see what legal options they have should they notice significant damage to their home. The lawyer should give advice on the options available to the homeowners in this situation. Also, the lawyer may wish to contact the new neighbours, or their legal representative, to make them aware of the concerns ahead of time.
Secondly, they should hire a professional structural engineer to inspect their home and document the current condition, prior to construction next door. This should include accurate measurements of the condition and location of the foundation, including any visible cracks or defects. Levels of the corners of the floor structure should be recorded so that changes after construction can be identified and quantified accurately. Any current wall or ceiling cracks should be documented as well as squareness and operation of all windows and doors.
With any renovations, especially major demolition and rebuilding, there is always a certain amount of unknowns, which can only be determined after deconstruction of the old components of the home. Your parents may have a legitimate concern should significant vibrations be felt during pile installation or general construction next door, but they may also find that little damage is done to their home if the current integrity of the structure is good. Documenting the current condition may be critical, should damage occur that may have to be presented to the new neighbours for restitution.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be e-mailed or sent to: Ask The Inspector, P. O. Box 69021, #110-2025 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB. R3P 2G9. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
