What do the good people of this board tell their clients when they see something like this:
This was the initial conversation:
Contractor- My client wants to build a deck and the city is telling them they need to get a survey.
Me- Well, the county GIS shows a potential problem. This could be more than just a boundary survey.
Contractor- But they just want to build a deck!?!
Thanks, again, for all the great response I get here; you guys are the best!
Dougie
May I suggest storing a pontoon boat as an alternative to that deck.
Get It Surveyed
I tell them that if they need a survey I'm their Huckleberry. The survey will show the existing legal boundaries and any apparent encroachments. And right now it looks like those encroachments will open a big can of worms. They are unlikely to get a permit to build a deck until those issues are resolved.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ That's all I can see from that view.
Contractor- But they just want to build a deck!?!
Sometimes getting a survey is like going to the doctor and getting an MRI...there is a reason they only do these things when it is actually needed.
Contractor- But they just want to build a deck!?!
Sometimes getting a survey is like going to the doctor and getting an MRI...there is a reason they only do these things when it is actually needed.
Of course some contractor cheaping out on a survey is why that area looks that way in the first place...
They just want to build a house.
They just want to build a driveway.
They just want to build a fence.
(and if they hire a surveyor, that eats into the budget for the important person in this story...the contractor)
The Building Departments in Mass. always want a survey plan showing offset distances to the lot lines for zoning compliance - even for decks. It has nothing to do with the lines in the town GIS. Any contractor who does not know this is probably not properly licensed by the state. I tell them if they are unhappy about the requirements they can complain to their elected officials. In the meantime, I can provide the survey and plan they need to get their permit - for a reasonable fee, of course.
Depends what I already know about the area.
I don't look at the GIS for much more than addressing, flood areas and zoning.
But, if I don't know much about the subdivision and I clicked on that, I would offer a big estimate for a real boundary.
If I know a colleague that has done a lot of work there, I send them to that surveyor (old Joe's been working there for years). I call and warn old Joe before the "client" contacts them.
You have to be selective when you're busy.
You don't have to take every job and when they start complaining, that's a huge red flag.
Contractor- But they just want to build a deck!?!
Me: You can attempt to build the deck without a permit, then you wouldn’t need the Survey the City is requiring.
The Building Departments in Mass. always want a survey plan showing offset distances to the lot lines for zoning compliance - even for decks.
In Bellevue, WA, the requirement is for a Boundary and Topographic Survey. Tied to city control, including +25 feet all around, plus road frontage (full road improvements for full width, including 100' in each direction from property line), utilities shown, 2' contours, all improvements, etc, etc, etc.
Don’t forget that when it does come to when they are ready to build the deck, Bellevue requires a surveyor to stake it and provide a stamped letter stating that you staked it per the plans and meets the setback requirements.
And then the client wants to know why your survey costs so much...
At least the GIS streets line up with the orthophoto streets. Around here one GIS street line or the other usually runs at or near the center of the orthophoto street, shoving parcel boundaries hither & yon.......
