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Volunteer to serve on the Land Development Committee
Committee Description: Assesses the needs of the land development community, reviews issues relevant to land development and particularly issues which may impact cost of land and affordability of housing constructed on land; makes recommendations as necessary to the Legislative and Regulatory Committees; and builds support within the development community for the activities and initiatives of the Association. Reviews all regulatory changes affecting the home building industry and takes appropriate action, keeps the membership advised of pertinent regulatory issues and provides assistance to locals on regulatory issues.
JPH, post: 435520, member: 6636 wrote: Go to nice subdivisions and run traverse down the street, locating monuments. On Saturdays. You might generate some interest, and you'll tie down the subdivision enough so you'll know what you're dealing with when you get calls.
I never would have thought of that.
Adam, post: 435510, member: 8900 wrote: Did you tell him you have the surveys covered or did they make you use someone on the list?
They let me do it, I was actually pleasantly surprised how good the Credit Union was to work with.
Running traverse in a subdivision on Saturday has two problems:
*I'd have to call my helper and see if he's available, else progress would be slow because I'd have to go back and forth between the gun and the pole.
*Work is forbidden on Saturdays.
I can run the GPS unit by myself though.
I'll try ncsecu, nchba, and the building inspector.
NCSpiralGuy, post: 435598, member: 12287 wrote: Running traverse in a subdivision on Saturday has two problems:
*I'd have to call my helper and see if he's available, else progress would be slow because I'd have to go back and forth between the gun and the pole.
*Work is forbidden on Saturdays.
I can run the GPS unit by myself though.I'll try ncsecu, nchba, and the building inspector.
I've got to disagree with this advice about doing a nearly useless traverse on spec. Seems crazy to me. Do real work for real money. There are way better ways to hustle than doing make-work in plain sight with the hope that someone will hire you to do real work.
Develop a presentation, buy your local title company, real estate offices, etc., each lunch and present it to each organization over the next few weeks. You'll spend some money on subs or whatever, but you'll actually get face time and an opportunity to show how you can really serve them. You need relationships with people who need surveys. Over many years in the field, I can count on one hand the jobs I got from "Joe six-pack happened to see me and suddenly wants a survey."
NCSpiralGuy, post: 435598, member: 12287 wrote: *Work is forbidden on Saturdays.
?
A many a bush has been cut on Saturday and a few on Sunday.
Brad Ott, post: 435603, member: 197 wrote: ?
My guess: Seventh-Day Adventists observe the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and can't work on the Sabbath.
I would look up small engineering firms, environmental firms and contractors in your area. I've dropped cards at construction sites to pick up work. For me design surveys for engineers lead to layout work for contractors, subdivisions for developers and many other contacts use my service.
Local builder associations are also a good place to meet potential clients.
Good luck
FrozenNorth, post: 435601, member: 10219 wrote: I've got to disagree with this advice about doing a nearly useless traverse on spec. Seems crazy to me. Do real work for real money. There are way better ways to hustle than doing make-work in plain sight with the hope that someone will hire you to do real work."
You're saying that marketing, which this is, isn't worth 8 hours or so of your time?
I've never actually done this, but I've thought about it. It seems that whenever I have done a survey on a saturday in a subdivision, it's always generated interest from other homeowners, and a few times, some additional jobs.
I'm not saying it's for everyone or even the most effective method, but for someone just starting out, like the OP, it might not be a bad idea, especially since these are small budget jobs that other surveyors in his area might not be interested in.
I'd have to be hard up for some grocery money to do this. A lot of effort to market to no one in particular.
Go get you some construction stakeout. Built my business on it with one relationship and almost no cash. A lot of people don't like doing it for lots of good reasons, but you can step in and compete immediately. And with low over head you can win. But this part time helper situation is a problem. You may need to get a robot or hire another part timer so you hv more options. If you hv gps you can do nearly an entire stakeout job with it.
JPH, post: 435721, member: 6636 wrote: You're saying that marketing, which this is, isn't worth 8 hours or so of your time?
I've never actually done this, but I've thought about it. It seems that whenever I have done a survey on a saturday in a subdivision, it's always generated interest from other homeowners, and a few times, some additional jobs.
I'm not saying it's for everyone or even the most effective method, but for someone just starting out, like the OP, it might not be a bad idea, especially since these are small budget jobs that other surveyors in his area might not be interested in.
Lugeyser, post: 438841, member: 1249 wrote: I'd have to be hard up for some grocery money to do this. A lot of effort to market to no one in particular.
Go get you some construction stakeout. Built my business on it with one relationship and almost no cash. A lot of people don't like doing it for lots of good reasons, but you can step in and compete immediately. And with low over head you can win. But this part time helper situation is a problem. You may need to get a robot or hire another part timer so you hv more options. If you hv gps you can do nearly an entire stakeout job with it.
I wouldn't touch construction, unless I worked for the construction company itself. Don't know how it is where you are, but hiring out surveying is becoming insurance for them. Lawsuit waiting to happen, even if you did everything right.
JPH, post: 438843, member: 6636 wrote: I wouldn't touch construction, unless I worked for the construction company itself. Don't know how it is where you are, but hiring out surveying is becoming insurance for them. Lawsuit waiting to happen, even if you did everything right.
On the other end of the construction, find local contractors using machine control. I work for one, though not in your area. I've often daydreamed of putting together a business offering these guys packages. The package could be something like:
1. Clearing limits
2. Control network to localize system
3. Any staking they need for curb or utilities
4. As-built drawings
Lots of contractors don't have crews to do these items unless they are pretty large. This would lead into other things like meeting the engineers and developers and maybe snagging their prelim survey work. This could also lead into providing the surface models, which you could sub out to a guy on this board from NC who as I understand is very good at building them, Glankler data prep. There will also be topo work for earthwork balancing, which is pretty gravy on a wide open site. If I wasn't in a great position where I am, in this economy, I would be going for it......
Steve Emberson, post: 438846, member: 181 wrote: 1. Clearing limits
2. Control network to localize system
3. Any staking they need for curb or utilities
4. As-built drawings
That's basically what we're going on most residential site work now. Stake LOD & set control...then come back for sewer/water/storm/curb. The field guys eat a lot less dust when you skip all the site grading. 😉
Steve Emberson, post: 438846, member: 181 wrote: ....This would lead into other things like meeting the engineers and developers and maybe snagging their prelim survey work...
To me this is a much better way to build a client base than than to rely on calls from once in a lifetime users of survey services wanting to split off another "twenny" for Junior's double wide.
Hello, I'm doing a survey through you're neighborhood next week. If you would like your lot surveyed, I can offer you a great deal if you act now.....
(sorry, just joking around. I don't have any constructive advice. I'm sure some of the ideas on the thread are probably tried and tested. Good luck.)
The other day I was at a benchmark getting coordinates of power poles to verify the ties. One pole (the only one mentioned on the datasheet) is on ploni's land, across the street from the benchmark. Plonit came up and asked me what I was doing on her land. (I was parked on the grass, which technically is probably in the right of way, but I'd have to look at a plat to prove it.) I explained about the benchmark and handed her a business card. She told me to wait for her husband. Ploni came by some minutes later, and I asked him if it's okay to get the position of the pole. He didn't really understand, but said it's okay, once the dogs are out of the way. His boy moved the dogs, I took two shots in a few seconds and then got the other pole, and I left.
This seems like it would accomplish the same purpose as surveying a subdivision unasked, plus it benefits other surveyors by updating the benchmark database. Now I have to prepare the recovery reports before I pick the next benchmark.
On rural jobs it would not be too tough to notify the probable locations where access beyond the road right-of-way might be needed. In some nearby cities that might be every lot in every block in all directions because there are about 80 years of "secret" surveys that have never made it into the public records.