INDIVIDUALS

Lot and boundary surveys are needed by people who may be interested in adding to their home, building a wall or fence, suspect that a neighbor may be encroaching onto their property or simply to know what the boundaries of their property are. This involves research for subdivision plats, Records of Survey, Deeds, corner monument records and other information prior to beginning the survey. The survey involves searching for and locating existing monumentation, which then is diagnosed and calculated prior to setting the corners of the boundary.

Many times when one wants to build an addition to their home, the local government involved requires a boundary survey with the improvements that exist on the property shown to confirm that required setbacks and other zoning matters are met. The drawing will also need to show the proposed new addition or improvements. This may also involve elevations so that the information may be provided to an Architect for use in design. When financing or refinancing a home, the lender will probably check to see if the property is located within the flood plain. In many areas, FEMA has established "Base Flood Elevations" (BFE). In these areas it is required that a survey be performed from known bench marks to determine the existing finish floor elevation of the house and garage, the lowest adjacent grade, the highest adjacent grade and take 4 digital photographs. The FEMA elevation certificate must then be filled out with all elevation information and the photographs attached. This is a time consuming process requiring the initial bench mark research, the field survey, and preparation of the elevation certificate. Should the results of the survey find the floor above the BFE, this could save a great deal of money for the owner or possibly at least lower the cost of the Flood insurance. Note that as of July 1, 2013 we no longer offer this service. A new elevation certificate is now available as of February, 2016.

When you purchase property, you should insist on a survey. You can not expect the previous owner, or the Realtor to know where the property corners are. They may tell you "it's right over there by the pole or that water meter" but they really probably don't know. And if you think you have found a corner marked by a rebar or pipe, there is no way to know it is actually your corner. The reason most do not have a survey is due to the people involved in the closing expressing that it is quite expensive. Compared to the other costs involved, the cost of the survey is a bargain.