I want to start a mantra for the Land Surveying Community – “CALL BEFORE YOU BUILD.”

Call A Land Surveyor Before You Build

This 5,300-square-foot house along Ocean Ridge Boulevard North in the Ocean Hammock area of Flagler County was built on the wrong lot.

This story about a property line nightmare was published this past Friday. Imagine that you have built your dream home (maybe not $700k worth) and you find you have built on the wrong lot. As Keystone Homes Vice President Richmond told the News-Journal. “It does happen, but it’s rare.”

Now the neighbor NOR the home buyer want to agree to a solution to help the builder (and surveyor) out. They want to weigh all of their options. Do you think one option is to sue everybody within a shotgun radius? This would be the typical course of action.

While this may be rare, the story does mention that this has happened eighteen (18) times within the last twenty (20) years or so. That’s too many.

More Frequent Property Line Story

What is WAY MORE frequent is that a portion of a home is built over a property line or a side setback line. I’ve seen dozens of examples of this. In EVERY instance, this is an expensive proposition for the land owner. There are relatively simple solutions to these after the fact, but the simple solution is usually not agreed to by your neighbor. Usually the offended neighbor sees dollar signs when this is discovered. First anger, then dollar signs. And rightly so. The decision not to have the property lines marked before adding ANY structure on your lot is ill-advised at best.

Cutting Building Costs in the Wrong Place

Survey of Property Line Problem

Of course, I DO lay some blame on the builders as well, be it a fencing company, a landscaping company, or a builder. These contractors should know that establishing the limits of construction is one of the very FIRST tasks that should be done. So, why don’t they do it? Money. We strive to save money, but sometimes a little money spent up front will save a LOT of money in the end. Again, I’ve seen this happen on lots of occassions on a land survey.

Now, to be fair, this builder DID call a land surveyor and the surveyor got it wrong. This does happen, but it is rare also. So, there is a lesson for us surveyors also. Mistakes happen, but you are also responsible for your actions, especially for your crews actions.

If you’re starting ANY type of building project on your property it is HIGHLY advisable to have a surveyor mark your property lines and any easements or setback lines that are near the planned construction site. Call a surveyor at Chattanooga Land Surveying today at (423) 702-6505 or fill out a contact request.

This site is intended to provide you with information on Land Surveying in Chattanooga, TN and Hamilton County, TN areas. If you’re looking for a Chattanooga Land Surveyor, you’ve come to the right site. If you’d rather talk to someone about your land surveying needs, please call 423-702-6505 today. For more information, please continue to read. 

Chattanooga Land Surveying

Land Surveyors are professionals who measure and make precise measurements to determine the size and boundaries of a piece of real estate.  While this is a simplistic definition, boundary surveying is one of the most common types of surveying related to home and land owners. If you fall into the following categories, please click on the appropriate link for more information on that subject:

Chattanooga Land Surveying services:

1. I need to know where my property corners or property lines are. (Boundary Survey)
2. I have a loan closing or re-finance coming up on my home in a subdivision or I’m purchasing a lot/hour in a recorded subdivision. (Lot Survey)
3. I need a map of my property with contour lines to show elevation differences for my architect or engineer. (Topo Survey)
4. I’ve just been told I’m in a flood zone or I ‘ve been told I need an elevation certificate in order to obtain flood insurance or prove I don’t need it. (Flood Survey)
5. I’m purchasing a larger tract of land, acreage, that hasn’t been subdivided in the past. (Boundary Survey)

If your needs don’t fall into one of the above, don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of it. CALL Chattanooga  Land Surveying TODAY at 423-702-6505 OR better yet, fill out a Contact Form request to discuss your survey needs.