IMPORTANCE OF LAND SURVEY
Land surveying involves measuring and mapping the world around us using mathematics, advanced software and equipment. If you’re buying a property with the intention of developing or significantly renovating, you need to know about land surveying. If you’re wondering why such a service is needed, you may be surprised to find out that almost every property development project begins with a survey. Here’s what you should know about this important service.
What is a land survey?
A land survey is a process that is used to determine the features and boundaries of a property. It can also be used to determine easements, encroachments, to find out how to develop or build on the land, as well as to maintain local codes and regulations.
How Does Land Surveying Work?
Have you ever seen someone in a hardhat with a tripod and strange-looking stick standing by the side of a road or property? If so, you probably wondered what that person was doing. Well, wonder no more. That person was most likely a land surveyor, and he or she was probably taking a variety of precise measurements with specialized surveying equipment to determine exactly where property boundary lines were located.
Surveyors are often the first people on any construction or development site, measuring and mapping the land. Their measurements are then used by architects to understand and make the most of the landscape when designing, and engineers to plan structures accurately and safely — ensuring buildings not only fit with the landscape but are able to be constructed.
Land surveyors may have slightly different processes, depending on the specific type of surveying they do. Here’s a quick overview of the various land surveyor types and the basic processes they go through to do their jobs:
· Construction or Engineering: This type of surveyor studies changes in property lines and identifies the location of buildings and roads with exactness. They may also survey road topography and grade or determine the appropriate depth for building foundations.
· Geodetic: A surveyor who uses satellite and aerial imaging to measure very large portions of the earth is called a geodetic surveyor.
· Boundary or Land: This type of surveyor fulfils the important duty of determining exactly where property lines are located.
Today, however, the latest technologies have emerged to help land surveyors with their work. While using a GPS system, a land surveyor can take accurate measurements from a large area of land. With this technology, a single survey can do what used to take an entire team of people a long time to accomplish, in half the time, if not less.
READ: The Market Value of Land in Real Estate: How Important Is It?
WHY LAND SURVEYING IS IMPORTANT
On a sloped site, surveyor’s equipment can measure horizontal distances. This is incredibly useful for builders who don’t often have access to the specialised hardware for these measurements. With the correct setup, the surveyor’s equipment can measure distances to within a few millimetres. They can also measure vertical distances which are invaluable in providing for cut and fill measurements when constructing a road, drain, or for setting out excavation for a pipeline. Having the right set out data at the outset is so important as it provides surety to the construction teams, reduces time loss, and allows those on-site to do what they are experts in. Surveyors can also use their knowledge to double-check design plans and create survey plans that have all information required for the set-out of the construction.
As a property owner, you need to understand possible encroachments on your property. A survey identifies where the property lines and corners are so that in case of a dispute you know your exact property dimensions. A land survey also helps you protect your investment since it reveals the exact dimensions of the land and home of the property.
