No survey was required because the building is on the same footprint it was on for 82 years. The dispute is about some vindictive neighbors (also lawyers) and how much old wood could be re-used in the remodel.
Not true. Once you remove the walls, the building is non-habitable. Now all you have is an old foundation. The 'new' building must be built taking into account the current building codes, rules and regulations; not regulations and codes from 80+ years ago.
For example, I made a bid on a home on 1 acre of land in Austin,TX. My inspector found a problem with the septic. End of story, I could not simply modify/repair the problem; I would have to remove the entire septic system and update the entire system to meet current building codes ($50-85,000). Yep, this was a deal-breaker. Too bad, I'd have loved to have that lot.
"The dispute is about some vindictive neighbors (also lawyers) and how much old wood could be re-used in the remodel."
I did not know that. I heard some of the neighbors were in the media also.