Why Do Surveys Cost So much?
A lot of work that goes unseen is involved in creating the complex legal document that represents your survey. A number of hours may go to research alone. This research unearths deeds and maps that are used in compiling evidence. The next phase involves field work. A collection of measurements taken in the area of the said property often takes a number of hours as well. We then take the field evidence and bring it into the office to compare it to what we found recorded on deeds and maps that were researched. If the comparison is insufficient in coming to a conclusion a second field trip is made to collect more evidence in a larger radius. If then this evidence is helpful in completing our information in office then we are able to return to the property to stake it out.
All said and done you are left with knowing exactly were your property begins and ends. You also receive a legal document signed and sealed depicting the work that was done.
Do you work in the winter?
Yes! The only things that keep us from working outdoors, is if the weather decides to give us a hard time. If it is raining, snowing, extremely hot or cold our equipment can be damaged. High winds also present conditions that can be problematic. However, if there is snow on the ground we just wear our warmer boots and go to it!
The town says I need an "A-2" survey, what is that?
An "A-2" survey only represents the accuracy to which a survey is preformed, it does not describe what is done. The following are a couple examples of surveys done to "A-2" standards:
- ZONING LOCATION SURVEY is a survey that depicts the location of existing conditions or existing conditions with proposed improvements to the property, for the purpose of obtaining building permits.
- BOUNDARY STAKE OUT SURVEY is a survey that depicts on the ground where your property lines are.
While a fence may be the property line, in most cases it was built as a matter of convenience between two neighbors. The only way to know for a certainty if it is accurately placed, is to find as much evidence through town hall research and field work as possible to compare what the deeds and/or map say and or depict.