"Well it was bound to happen and one night it did......."
After nearly 30 years, it finally happened. We surveyed the wrong lot. Can't blame anyone but myself.....dammmmmmit.
About three weeks ago I met the client at her home. Last week we swung by near the end of the day and did enough reconnaisance to determine how to set her corners. Showed up today to finish the job. Before leaving, I called her to let her know we were done. She said she would come out to look. About five minutes later the phone rings. It's her. She said she couldn't see anything. I asked where she was. She said she was in her front yard. That made no sense. I was the one standing in her front yard.
The rod man asked me how long I'd been suffering from Alzheimer's. Told him if I could remember that I wouldn't have Alzheimer's. While he laughed, I walked one block east to find the client in her front yard. I was very red-faced, of course. Explained what had happened and fell all over myself apologizing for doing something so stupid. Told her we would immediately start on her lot. Walked back to the truck and drove over to her lot. That's when I remembered we didn't have all our equipment with us as all we needed to do was set up, shoot in four corners and be done. No metal detector. No shovels. Red-faced again. Left with a promise to be back tomorrow and get the job done correctly.
BTW, 1000 attaboys will be awarded to the first correct answer to the challenge: Name the country/trucker song that contains the lyrics at the top of this post.
Garth Brooks - Papa loved mama
After 10 years of field work, I am ashamed to say I surveyed the wrong house last year.
I would think twice about going out without all the tools. it always bites me when I go out without everything.
Years ago we were hired to survey a child care center at X and Y streets. Everyone knows that child care center, so I set it up and off went the survey crew. Then I got the title report, for the child care center hidden at the north end of the adjacent shopping center that you can't see from the street. I learned my lesson.
Jerry Reed - She got the goldmine, I got the shaft
Tyler Durant
Gets the Attaboys.
Papa drove a truck nearly all his life
You know it drove mama crazy being a trucker's wife
The part she couldn't handle was the being alone
I guess she needed more to hold than just a telephone
Papa called Mama each and every night
Just to ask her how she was and if us kids were alright
Mama would wait for that call to come in
When Daddy'd hang up she was gone again
Mama was a looker
Lord, how she shined
Papa was a good'n
But the jealous kind
Papa loved Mama
Mama loved men
Mama's in the graveyard
Papa's in the pen
Well it was bound to happen and one night it did
Papa came home and it was just us kids
He had a dozen roses and a bottle of wine
If he was lookin' to surprise us he was doin' fine
I heard him cry for Mama up and down the hall
Then I heard a bottle break against the bedroom wall
That old diesel engine made an eerie sound
When Papa fired it up and headed into town
Well the picture in the paper showed the scene real well
Papa's rig was buried in the local motel
The desk clerk said he saw it all real clear
He never hit the brakes and he was shifting gears
Mama was a looker
Lord, how she shined
Papa was a good'n
But the jealous kind
Papa loved Mama
Mama loved men
Mama's in the graveyard
Papa's in the pen
> After nearly 30 years, it finally happened. We surveyed the wrong lot. Can't blame anyone but myself.....dammmmmmit.
Ya mean to tell me this is your first time doing that??? You got some catchin up to do with me my friend B-)
Did you call the other lot owner and offer them a good deal on a survey?
Did a half of a 1/4 1/4 section. Can't remeber if it was the wrong 1/4 or wrong section, but it sure as heck was wrong.
Back in the early '70's
a crew chief for the same company where I worked surveyed the wrong lot ON PURPOSE. It seems that when he was doing his recon he "noticed" a very attractive, skimpily clad young lass lying beside the pool in the adjoining lot. HMMMMMM. Needless to say the boss wasn't happy and he went back on his own time to do the correct lot. A couple of us felt sorry for him and went with him. Of course the free beer didn't hurt.
Andy
Jerry Reid - East Bound and Down! 🙂
Free Surveys, Well, almost
About 25 years ago went to xxx address on second street to survey lot. Yup, it should have been xxx THIRD street.
BUT THE BAD THING WAS, when I wnet to the house to let the client know I was there to survey her lot, the elderly lady who answered went into near coronary condition. When I say she was elderly, I probably should have seen ELDERLY!. Anyway she thought that her son had ordered the survey so he could sell the house out from under her.
It is kend of amusing now, but to that elderly (ELDERLY) woman, who was facing being evicted from her own property by her two-bit son, . . . well
Geezer:-X
:good:
The stupidest I ever felt on the job is when we went to a subdivision and were looking for a particular benchmark to tie into. The property owner came over and asked us what we were doing in that area of the subdivision. Turns out we had the map upside down. Doh!
Free Surveys, Well, almost
And then there was a firm that surveyed and staked lots 1 and 3, the contractor found flags on lot 2 and started building ...
Back in MI in the mortgage survey megabuck times of mid 90's, I was to do one on a new house construction in a new subdivision. No problem.
I go, find the house. Even the posted building permit had the right address, owner, lot number. Cool. 80x120 lot, measure it up. I'm outta there in 20 minutes.
5 yrs later I get a call from the 3rd owner of that house. The one that I was supposed to do, not the one on the mortgage survey that somehow found their way into their possession. This house changed ownership 3 times in 5 yrs, and somebody finally figured out it was the wrong house. Mostly because my drawing showed the attached garage on the left, and it really was on the right. That was the house next door.
Opps. But these folks were really pissed off. To avoid any potential legal action I just met them on site, explained the situation, measured up their house in another 20 minutes, and gave them a new drawing. For free. A drawing of which did not contain my seal or my signature, but they were happy nonetheless.
Sad sad sad story and no excuses.
Chit Happens :-O
The most places I've surveyed that were not intended all were by realtors that got the address wrong.
No more, 2nd house on the left or at the end of Loop 12 stuff. None of that relying on any address only survey orders. Must have existing property description and containing deed these days.
Had a few crew chiefs I added "wrong way" to their name. They know who they are.
The first big goof was when I led the guys to a monument in the middle of nowhere. Said, we are surveying the East 200 acres of a bigger tract, this is your NWC and beginning point and to head east and at sysy feet you find another just like this one. Gave them the deed sketch with all the current deed info. I had to leave them at it and get to a meeting with another client. They headed west and surveyed the west 200 acres. The dimensions matched real good but the witness trees they found did not.
You just simply take down all stakes and flag and kick some dirt over the monuments not apparent to the actual property.
I always looked at surveying the wrong property as an investment for the future. When the call came for me to survey that property, the job was mostly an overdue dividend.
Nowadays I send someone out with a GPS unit in hand that has been preloaded and say, start at the "X" and look for "Ys".
Did that as crew chief back in the 80's. The Sub was the second phase and numbered as "II", in roman numerals. The lot to be surveyed was number 11 (eleven) but my brain read it as II (two) and... :-$
