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Lot survey/house layout
Posted by MightyMoe on December 10, 2019 at 5:27 pmThis summer we staked a lot, the lot was in an older part of town with new street improvements. A total reconstruction of the streets on three sides of the block, excavated, new walks, sewer, water, ect. Basically the streets were striped, trees, brush gone, the lot was leveled, the old house was demolished, so even though it’s in an old part of town it’s open like a hay field around the lot.
Yesterday afternoon get a call that a contractor wants a house layout for the new construction on the lot.
OK, not sure why for a small lot like this, the pins are all intervisible, there is nothing out there to keep anyone from setting up a string line and placing the new foundation, but we can do it.
When?
This morning they need to move dirt, no plans,,,,,,,,,,,,not even dimensions for a house.
What the…….
Just show up and puzzle it out?
holy-cow replied 4 years, 9 months ago 10 Members · 13 Replies -
13 Replies
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Contractor: I need you to find me a rock
Surveyor: Here you go
Contractor: That’s a nice rock, but not quite what I’m looking for…
Ad nauseam
I hope everyone has a great day; I know I will! -
Years ago I worked for an engineering firm that had contracted a large “urban renewal” project similar to what you describe. And the pins were all well marked after the paving was completed. The builder called us to mark the building limit lines and side lot set back, which I did with rebar and well marked lath. It was understood the builder was going to use these to layout his foundation footprints.
A whole block (about six or seven houses) was constructed and then the whole world blew up because the City inspector wouldn’t give final approval because the houses were over the set-back lines. My boss was heavy on me because it appeared as though I had screwed something up.
Turns out the foundation crews used the set-back lines I had staked without allowing for the finished brick veneer on the homes. Every one of them was 5 or 6 inches over the line. After many meetings my boss patted me on the back and told me I hadn’t done a damned thing wrong. That was a good feeling for a young surveyor.
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Here they go by the foundation so the siding on the wall can hang over a bit, even brick, there are different limits on roof overhangs, anyway all that is up to the contractor.
I was in a fight with a contractor that said I had staked a sewer inlet wrong. Met contractor and the head design engineer onsite, seems the contractor used my curb return stake for one side of an inlet and one stake for the inlet, it made the thing 45d to the street line. Why guys in the field would set a curb inlet 45 degrees to the curb line is anyone’s guess/
The contractor said the second inlet stake wasn’t there to line up with, me kicking around in the dirt uncovered it. All the stakes marking the hubs were still there too, just knocked over and covered up.
Clearly they had messed up and the engineer was pissed. He was going to make them pull it all out of the ground and redo it. I looked at the mess and said I could redesign the curve and make it sweep across the inlet as it is, it would be flatter than design but would work. The contractor was my best buddy after that, not that I wanted him to be. I still drive by that intersection and shake my head, I can tell it’s a bit wonky, but I don’t think anyone else can.
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OK, not sure why for a small lot like this, the pins are all intervisible, there is nothing out there to keep anyone from setting up a string line and placing the new foundation, but we can do it. That’s a regional thing. In my area builders have surveyors layout houses but travel one hour north across the Virginia border and builders look at you like you are nuts if you suggest paying a surveyor to layout a house foundation.
This morning they need to move dirt, no plans,,,,,,,,,,,,not even dimensions for a house.
I always require the plans a few days in advance, I hate doing calcs in the field.
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Posted by: @mightymoe
This morning they need to move dirt, no plans,,,,,,,,,,,,not even dimensions for a house.
He probably wants a rough idea where the house pad should be. ????
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It will be Thursday, they are excavating for the house today and tomorrow. We stake houses and buildings for private owners, those houses are generally large with numerous corners and I understand why a contractor would want us involved, keep them in the setbacks and layout a complicated design.
Buildings are normally office buildings, a gym, condos, structures like that.
Public works with hold backs and certified payrolls are placed in the circular file.
I’ve stopped bidding, it is a chase your tail exercise anymore. Maybe someday some sense will reappear in the public works area, but I’m not holding my breath.
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@flga-pls-2-2
That’s usually our first step, some rough stakes for excavation (2′ outside of the footers). Of course I’d need to know the house layout and plans for driveways, garages, ect. Something.
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When I started out in this business in British Columbia we would stake out single family housing for excavation, then for foundation layout, then certify the formwork before inspection. We did those jobs at the rate of 5 a day, 5 days a week.
I probably haven’t done 5 such jobs in 24 years of practice in Oregon, Washington, and Oklahoma. Single family res just never gets certified. I have no idea how they enforce setback laws.
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Stake the boundary, if there’s problems cite and show any encumbrances File an ROS to protect yourself.
If you’re the construction surveyor that’s a whole ‘nother ball game, protect your client, do a lot of engineering surveying so the job is built according to plan and if the plans suck offer solutions. Setback lines not of record when you filed your ROS, meh, not your problem, let the architects and engineers sort it out. But help them as much as you can to make a successful project, it’s called being a value added service.
Around here setback lines concern the concrete pad only; eaves, architectural treatments, gutters, chimneys, etc. are allowed. No big deal in 1 acre McMansion lots but in a 1/8th acre high density subdivision it means you can’t walk around your lot without stooping or tripping. Sad if you’ve paid $200,000 for a supposed housing parcel. But as I’ve said it’s not our fight, the Planning Agencies are at fault.
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@norman-oklahoma
Depends on the city. Many will require a foundation to be staked, and the inspector will look at the forms before the foundation is poured. Then they will often make you as-built the foundation after the fact (along with heights and impervious surfaces, etc.).
In Kirkland the other day, an inspector required additional fire protection because two foundations were at 9.98 apart rather than the required 10.00, so some do care.
-All thoughts my own, except my typos and when I am wrong. -
I have done plenty of foundation surveys, but these are all on commercial buildings and are demanded by the lenders, not the inspectors.
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Eight weeks ago we wrapped up a new subdivision super fast because the world was going to end unless the contractor could start work one day after the plat was recorded. Drove by the site today. All that has been accomplished could have been done in one or two working days. But, we looked like heroes by getting our part of the job done on time.
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