Having your property surveyed is an intelligent homeowner move that can prevent legal disputes with neighbors and even help you get a mortgage. Land surveys provide valuable information about a property’s boundaries, topography, and more. There are many different types of land survey services. Here are a few of the most common.
Boundary Surveys
A boundary survey is crucial for any property owner to define their boundaries legally. It prevents encroachments and helps owners get legal recourse against anyone who violates their property. A professional land surveyor Georgia will sift through deeds and other records to find evidence of the property’s boundaries and corners. They will also take physical measurements to assess the property’s size and determine its location accurately.
Whether buying a new home or renovating your current property, a boundary survey is necessary. Mortgage lenders and title companies often require this survey before financing a home or land purchase. These surveys are also helpful in preventing neighboring disputes over encroachments and in preparing for land transfers or construction permits. Boundary surveys are classified as either original or retracement surveys. An original survey creates new property lines, while retracement surveys are used to recreate existing ones. Both are conducted by professional land surveyors and follow strict standards.
Topographic Surveys
Unlike boundary surveys, topographic surveys focus on elevation. Also referred to as topographical land survey maps, these maps illustrate the height, depth, and size of any natural or artificial features on a specified parcel of land and highlight changes in elevation throughout the parcel. These maps are essential for civil engineers, architects, and land planners to create construction plans considering a property’s unique terrain. With the proper insight, builders can avoid serious problems that delay or prevent project completion.
Land surveyors conduct field measurements using a robotic total station or GPS instrument to detail all features within the designated area of the site. Once the data is collected, it can be processed to create a finished topographic survey map, which displays contour lines, utility locations, and physical attributes. Drone survey data collection is also increasingly used to reduce the time it takes to conduct fieldwork and complete topographical surveys.
Aerial Surveys
Aerial surveying is gathering high-resolution photos, LiDAR data, and other data about a place from above using specialized aircraft or drones fitted with cameras and sensors. It can be used for various purposes, including land and property surveys, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure planning and development.
Helicopter aerial surveying is one of the most popular types of aerial surveys. It’s often conducted for several reasons, including vegetation mapping, geological surveying, and keeping track of changes in wildlife populations over time.
Aerial surveying typically requires a high level of technical knowledge of photography, laser scanning, GPS, and other related technologies. Candidates may also be required to have extensive fieldwork experience, especially if working in a helicopter. In addition to ensuring your equipment is well-maintained, it’s essential to have reliable marking tools.
Construction Surveys
Whether you’re investing in a new plot of land and want to understand the exact locations of property lines or starting a construction project, you need a professional to help. A construction surveyor will work with architects and engineers to determine the physical dimensions and positions of structures on a site. They also stake out reference points and markers to serve as the physical blueprint for the project. Construction surveyors rely on various tools, such as levels and theodolites, to measure angles and horizontal and vertical slopes. They also use GPS devices to measure distances and to create visual maps of the data they collect. Construction surveyors also perform as-built surveys at the end of a construction project to compare the built structures with their original design plans. They will use their data to prepare a report of the changes made during the building process and provide accurate information to clients for evaluation purposes.
