While most people think about land surveys in the standard sense, the drawing of the boundaries of a house, in actuality there are various varied and different ways of surveying that service a variety of industries. Property surveys certainly are a large the main business, but there are also surveys and surveyors that service the construction industry, the environmental sector, and many others. The forms of surveys which are conducted would surprise most people, and some things that it might seem are surveys aren't surveys at all. Rather than the standard two-dimensional measuring from one point to another, today's surveys not only measure the land, but also the air and water above and below us.
The most frequent and well-known surveys conducted today are boundary surveys, mortgage surveys, and topographic surveys. An ALTA survey, which is actually a shortened title for ATLA/ACSM, combines components of all three, with a couple of standards help with jointly by the American Land Title Association and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. ALTA surveys are most commonly used for commercial properties; with a universal standard, companies can assure themselves of the amount of thoroughness and become confident when the results are guaranteed by an ALTA survey.
Boundary Surveys are just what the name describes: a survey to establish the true boundaries of confirmed property. Through previously recorded markers and the establishment of new landmarks, a surveyor will establish the true boundaries of a property and then mark the corners and lines of the plot, using markers such as for example iron rods, pipes or concrete monuments in the bottom, or nails set in concrete or asphalt. Previously, piles of stones, trees or other, less permanent markers were used, which led to confusion when the markers were either destroyed or changed.
Mortgage Surveys are simple surveys that, generally, determine land boundaries and building locations. They're usually required by title companies and lending institutions when they provide financing showing there are no structures encroaching on the property and that any structures on the house meet current zoning and building codes. It is very important ensure that you are receiving an officially licensed mortgage survey performed by way of a licensed land surveyor, rather than a mortgage inspection, that is a substandard survey which will not stick to any set standards and is not regulated or accepted as an official land survey.
Topographic Surveys are land surveys which locate natural and man-made features. For example, buildings, improvements, fences, elevations, land contours, trees and streams. They are then measured for their elevation on a particular piece of land, and presented as contour lines on a plot. Topographical surveys are sometimes required by the government. Engineers and architects also use topographical surveys to aid in the look of improvements or developments on a niche site.
One of the largest & most rapidly growing segments of land surveys come in the construction industry. Surveys are crucial tools from inception and planning, to actual construction and maintenance afterwards. Most construction surveys are categorized as the discipline of civil engineering, which might require additional degrees and certifications to be able to conduct. All construction projects begin with the Plot Plan or Site Plan, which sets out the plan for the whole project, including all existing and proposed conditions on confirmed site. As-Built Surveys are conducted many times during a construction project to verify for local and state boards that the work authorized was completed to the specifications set on the plot plan. Party Wall Surveyors Willenhall are a type of as-built survey which collects the positional data on a foundation that has been poured and is now cured. Foundation surveys are done to make sure that the foundation has both been constructed in the correct location and has been built in the proper manner according to the plan.
For existing structures, a Deformation Survey determines if a structure or object is changing shape or moving. By the taking of three-dimensional positions on specific points on an object, then letting a period pass before retaking and measuring the points, a determination of whether a structure is moving can be made.
Although it might seem counter-intuitive, land surveyors may also be in charge of performing Hydrographic and Bathymetric Surveys. Hydrographic surveys collect data relating to any body of water, and the data collected may include the water depth, bottom contours, the direction of the existing, observing and recording high water marks and water levels, along with location of fixed objects and landmarks for navigational purposes. They can also be conducted to assemble information for engineering or resource management purposes, such as for example hydro power plants. Bathymetric surveys deal exclusively underwater, and map the seabed profile.
Geodetic surveys fall under both land and water category, because they map out the shoreline. Thomas Jefferson commissioned a geodetic survey in 1807 because the Survey of the Coast. Progress on the survey moved slowly initially, as they didn't even have the correct instruments to perform the survey until 1815. https://haley-johnson.thoughtlanes.net/history-of-land-surveys-1717815949 exists today because the National Geodetic Survey and its own responsibilities now are the interior lands of the United States in addition to its coasts.
Wetlands Delineation and Location Surveys belong in a category all on their own; they are performed when construction work that's being planned on or near a niche site containing defined wetlands. Local, state, or federal regulations vary, but wetlands are often classified as areas that are completely inundated with water more than two weeks during the growing season. Boundaries of wetlands are dependant on observing the soil colors, vegetation, erosion patterns or scour marks, hydrology, and morphology of the land involved. Data is then collected on the locations of the placed flags and an idea is drawn to reference the boundary of the wetlands and compare it to the proposed boundaries of the surrounding plots or parcels of land and the construction work proposed within.
While there are lots of more types of land surveys, to list all of them and their attributes would create a very long article. The options presented above are simply the most common forms of land surveys, and those that the general public is most likely to come across.