He was quoted $150/hr by a local surveyor, and thought it was outrageous. He's got a 50 acre lot, with a lot of tree cover.
I was in a similar situation before I went into business for myself. My boss's client needed a line staked on a property we had already surveyed. The boss asked me if I would like to do it myself because he didn't want to dedicate crew time to it. (I was licensed at the time). I quoted the client $400 for a about 1500 feet of line, mostly wooded. I was going to have to pay someone to help me do it. The client had a fit, then offered me $300 for the work. Someone else did it.
If this guy is a close friend, here is what I would propose.
Go to the site. Set your base line, locate his corners, and take all that information back to your boss. You have essentially saved your buddy a few hours off the bill, without any liability on your part.
As soon as you set something, identify something, or charge for your services, you are treading dangerous waters.
Alternatively, have a conversation with your boss to volunteer your hours, and he can deduct that from your buddies bill.
With just two years of field experience, you can be incredibly dangerous. COGO doesn't solve all the issues you are going to encounter.
So I have to ask this question for discussion
Absolutely yes. This is a boundary determination.
Your next question might be, "What if it is flat and you can see from corner to corner?" The answer is,"It's still a boundary determination." Perhaps it isn't supposed to be a straight line. Plenty of property owners ASSUME their property line is straight. There are many ways that it isn't. For example, I had a job a couple weeks back where to the casual observer it would appear to be a straight line between two corners. Actually, there was a third corner between them about 1.5 feet off of where the straight line between the end two would indicate. Once the flag on that middle one disappears and the client or anyone sees the end two, they will be thinking it's one straight line. Sometimes the client is sharper than that, but we've all had plenty of clients that never look at our work in the field or study the plat because all they are going to do is hand it to someone else to complete a real estate transaction or some other purpose.
Construction v Boundary - Practicing Without a License -
There is a difference between boundary determination and construction staking
Most states do not mandate a license to layout the placement for construction projects. Some folks argue that fence line staking is construction work.
Another case
Tell the guy to shoot it with a rifle scope.
Construction v Boundary - Practicing Without a License -
It is unless the intent is to put the fence on the boundary or a specific small distance from the boundary (four inches for example)
So I have to ask this question for discussion
Well, you changed the situation I presented. There was a survey. The field guy set the corners as determined by the LS. Weren't any other corners between.
without a license"?
B-)
Construction v Boundary - Practicing Without a License -
Bs
I get the feeling that you are talking in circles about the project. I have the thought that you consider your indie work is a better option because of production time. I would have to consider that in the bS category.
In reality, your cost should be higher than the PLS but you have a friend of a friend offering you a deal
that he can save some money and you are basically a low baller in the shadows.
So I have to ask this question for discussion
OK. Trying to adhere strictly to your scenario. Does the field guy know EVERYTHING the PLS did in the total boundary survey project that led to those two specific monuments being set? Does he know FROM HIS OWN research that those two points really are boundary points and not offsets or something else. What if one of those actually was a four foot offset for a specific reason not known by the field guy? Generally, the field guy only knows that he set them.
There are many reasons why the field guy doesn't really know the full story.
But, let's assume he does know all this to be true. He still is surveying without a license.
Construction v Boundary - Practicing Without a License -
In this specific situation what "most states" do is meaningless, only one state matters. In my (unofficial, non-binding) opinion, what the OP suggests doing would be considered practicing without a license in Maryland.
Construction v Boundary - Practicing Without a License -
Any opinion contrary to my own is BS.
without a license"?
>>
B-)
A beautiful analogy.
without a license"?
> >>
B-)
>
> A beautiful analogy.
Yes, true
The difference between RIGHT & PRIVILEGE
Privilege is given and authorized and can be taken away
Right is the freedom that is inalienable and can not be taken away
I'm just a durable monument kind of guy..;-)
Yes, in most states I am aware of the rules in, this would be surveying without a license. Be careful listening to anyone who says otherwise, if you want the definitive answer call the BOR in Maryland.
Construction v Boundary - Practicing Without a License -
The NC Board has issued a policy statement that if the location of improvements is relative to boundary lines, then a licensed surveyor is required to establish the construction control for the site.
" It IS a shame that somebody can't go out there and help this guy out, in my opinion."
I think you just got sold a line. I have no idea what the price/acre is for land in Maryland, or really how some people acquire the wealth they have, but I do know how they manage to keep it. Off the cuff I would say you have two friends too many.
Here is the problem as I see it. Yes, you probably have the tools to stake the line, whether it's the correct line is another story. Two corners unto themselves do not provide any sort of check. To do a check, you would need to survey. The line you are staking is also someone else's boundary. Were a dispute was to erupt over the line you staked, you would be thrown under the bus professionally with potentially dire long term consequences. Is it worth it for a lousy few hundred bucks?
