The Effects of Construction Work on an Adjacent Property

Foundation Damage

• If the construction job is a major one, involving extensive excavation and large machinery, it's possible that the vibration and earth-moving can cause damage to foundations and other parts of neighboring properties. This is unlikely unless the properties are quite close together, but it is possible, particularly if the bedrock is close to the surface and faults or grain in the rock run from one property to another.

Dirt and Dust

• Dust that is inevitably thrown into the air during excavation and earth-moving can affect surrounding properties by covering the outsides of houses, drifting inside through windows and in extreme cases coating the leaves of shrubbery and trees so thickly that it compromises their health. Dirt can be tracked by workers and machinery into the public road, from where it will be further tracked into neighboring properties. While a certain amount of this disruption is inevitable, it can be minimized by an aware and sensitive work force.

Noise

• Some aspects of construction can be very noisy, and there is little that can be done to prevent this for neighbors who live very close to the work site. The best that can be done is to limit work to normal work hours, leaving neighbors in peace in the evenings and early mornings. Noise-creating tools include power saws, excavators, cement mixers, generators and hammer drills.

Pipes and Wires

• If excavation is occurring, there is always the risk of disturbing shared gas, sewer, water and electric lines. Contractors are required to locate all of these things prior to excavation by consulting with municipal authorities, but mistakes are still made occasionally. Breakage of any of these pipes or wires can lead to inconvenience at best and extreme danger at worst, such as the case of a broken gas line that is subsequently ignited.

Shade

• Construction of large buildings can compromise the sunlight of neighboring properties. This can be temporary if tarps or structures are being set up that are higher than the actual building, or permanent if the building itself is placed between neighboring properties and the path of sun. This can have a particularly harmful impact on properties that have solar electricity or heating systems installed.