While a lot of people think about land surveys in the standard sense, the drawing of the boundaries of a property, in actuality there are several varied and different ways of surveying that service a variety of industries. Property surveys are a large area of the business, but additionally, there are surveys and surveyors that service the construction industry, environmentally friendly sector, and many more. The kinds of surveys which are conducted would surprise most people, and some items that it might seem are surveys aren't surveys at all. Rather than the standard two-dimensional measuring in one indicate another, today's surveys not only measure the land, but also the air and water above and below us. The most typical and well-known surveys conducted today are boundary surveys, mortgage surveys, and topographic surveys. An ALTA survey, that 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; by having a universal standard, companies can assure themselves of the amount of thoroughness and be confident when the results are guaranteed by an ALTA survey. Boundary Surveys are exactly what the name describes: a survey to determine the true boundaries of a given property. Through previously recorded markers and the establishment of new landmarks, a surveyor will establish the real boundaries of a property and then mark the corners and lines of the plot, using markers such as iron rods, pipes or concrete monuments in the ground, or nails occur concrete or asphalt. Before, 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, for the most part, determine land boundaries and building locations. They are usually required by title companies and lending institutions when they provide financing showing that there are no structures encroaching on the house and that any structures on the property meet current zoning and building codes. It is very important ensure that you are getting an officially licensed mortgage survey performed by way of a licensed land surveyor, rather than a mortgage inspection, which 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 instance, buildings, improvements, fences, elevations, land contours, trees and streams. These are then measured because of their elevation on a specific piece of land, and presented as contour lines on a plot. Topographical surveys are occasionally required by the government. Engineers and architects also use topographical surveys to aid in the look of improvements or developments on a site. One of many largest & most rapidly growing segments of land surveys come in the construction industry. Surveys are necessary tools from inception and planning, to actual construction and maintenance afterwards. Most construction surveys fall under the discipline of civil engineering, which may require additional degrees and certifications so that you can conduct. All construction projects begin with the Plot Plan or Site Plan, which sets out the program for the entire project, including all existing and proposed conditions on a given site. As-Built Surveys are conducted several times during a construction project to verify for local and state boards that the task authorized was completed to the specifications set on the plot plan. Foundation Surveys certainly are a type of as-built survey which collects the positional data on a foundation that has been poured and is currently cured. Foundation surveys are done to make certain the building blocks has both been constructed in the proper location and has been built in the correct manner according to the plan. For existing structures, a Deformation Survey determines in case 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 of time pass before retaking and measuring the points, a determination of whether a structure is moving could be made. Although BIM Surveys Richmond may seem counter-intuitive, land surveyors are also responsible for performing Hydrographic and Bathymetric Surveys. Hydrographic surveys collect data relating to any body of water, and the info collected may include the water depth, bottom contours, the direction of the current, observing and recording high water marks and water levels, as well as location of fixed objects and landmarks for navigational purposes. They are able to also be conducted to assemble information for engineering or resource management purposes, such as hydro power plants. Bathymetric surveys deal exclusively underwater, and map the seabed profile. Geodetic surveys are categorized as both the land and water category, because they map out the shoreline. Thomas Jefferson commissioned a geodetic survey in 1807 as the Survey of the Coast. Progress on the survey moved slowly initially, as they didn't even have the proper instruments to execute the survey until 1815. It still exists today as the National Geodetic Survey and its own responsibilities now include the interior lands of the United States and also its coasts. Wetlands Delineation and Location Surveys belong in a category all on their own; they're 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 usually classified as areas which are completely inundated with water a lot more than two weeks during the growing season. Boundaries of wetlands are determined by 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 encompassing plots or parcels of land and the construction work proposed within. While there are lots of more forms of land surveys, to list them all and their attributes would create a very long article. Your options presented above are simply the most common types of land surveys, and the ones that the general public is most likely to encounter.
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