ALTA Survey
ALTA Surveys stands for American Land Title Association Surveys. These kinds of surveys are seriously keen and detailed as they include important information about the property such as property lines, boundaries, real property, liens, land ownership, easements, and encroachments. They are used for gathering information required to issue mortgage insurance or property titles. An ALTA Survey may cost several thousand dollars as it can take several weeks to complete, and it is commonly used by commercial properties. Its goal is to provide consistency and uniformity to the title industry.
A property map should have the following data to be drawn according to the ALTA golden standards:
Boundary lines
Location of the main building
Unrecorded improvements
Topographic Survey
The kind of survey that is an accurate depiction of a property, an area of land, or a defined boundary is a topographic survey. These sites are scaled and detailed and summarized according to spatial considerations 9natural and man-made land features) of the on-site data capture processes. Usually, these surveys require the insights of topological professionals to ensure the accuracy of all the reports provided.
Topographic surveys or any other type of survey help you obtain the correct information and layout of a site. Knowing these kinds of information can save your project a considerable amount of time and money.
The elements that commonly are part of a topographic survey are:
Boundary lines
Buildings and other structures
Trees
Water channels and levels and drainage features
Ground heights and contours
Street furniture (phone boxes, street lamps, traffic lights, traffic signs, benches, bus stops, memorials, trash bins, etc.)
Boundary Surveys are surveys conducted to identify or locate the boundaries of a property. Its focus is greatly on defining the extent of a property site. This should be done by a professional because the measurements should be accurate. It shows the bearings and distances of the property lines, along with the total acreage of the property in a scale drawing. It will also show any existing improvements like buildings, driveways, fences, etc.
In a boundary survey, surveyors sometimes retrace an old survey. If there is no existing survey, they trace the boundary lines and then cut out new lots or tracts. These surveys are usually done before buying or improving a property site.
A boundary survey usually shows:
The lot dimensions.
Improvements (buildings, sheds, driveways, etc.)
Fences
Easements
Boundary Survey
Construction Layouts (aka site layout survey/construction staking) is the process of reading blueprints (building plans) and then marking the locations of all elements on the building site. These elements include the home or building itself, the septic system, and well site if any.
Construction layout usually starts with the underground features, i.e. sewer lines, storm drain lines, plumbing, electrical lines, etc. After which comes the staking above-ground elements. These are usually the building corners and the interior grid lines.
Property owners and hire professionals to do a construction layout to make sure that everything is done the right way. Blueprints are vital property documents, may they be a home or commercial building that is in question.
Construction Layout
You will need an elevation certificate if your home or business is located in a high-risk area. An Elevation Certificate is a document that shows your building’s lowest floor elevation compared to estimated floodwater heights in case an unfortunate calamity happens. It shows the important features of your property i.e. the location, flood zone, building characteristics, and the elevation of the lowest floor.
Elevation certificates are useful documents that will help you evaluate the risk level of your property location and determine the cost of flood insurance premium that you will avail.
To secure an elevation certificate, contact your local floodplain manager. Check if there is already an existing elevation certificate for your property. If you haven’t bought the property yet, it is always a good idea to ask the sellers to give you the document before you settle into buying the property. You may also hire land surveyors to do the job. This way, you can be assured that the surveys will be done in great quality.
Elevation Certificates
As-Built Surveys
As-Built Surveys are documents recording the precise measurements of a built structure—the inside and outside of the building. This is needed because often, the measurements of the structure vary from the original plan or design.
As-built surveys are important because, during the construction process, it serves as a monitoring control to ensure the correct building of the structure as the construction occurs. The information from these surveys is used to extend deadlines or correct errors and violations committed during the construction process.
In general, as-built surveys serve as a foundation of the Geographical Information System (GIS) as it documents the actual location of the underground facilities. It also tells you if appropriate construction standards have been achieved. This survey should be performed by a professional land surveyor to portray accurate data. This way, you will save a lot of time, costs, and effort.