While in the office, trying to crank out some office work, most of the telephone calls begin with "How much does it cost......?"
30 years ago.?ÿ I was about to drive my rebar when the elderly lady to south demanded to know what we were doing.?ÿ I politely informed her that we were surveying the platted lot (1857) of her neighbor to the north and I was marking their SW corner and her NW corner.?ÿ After the usual "Who" and "Why" which I never answer except for "You need to talk to your neighbor. I'm not sure."?ÿ This position fell about 4.5' south of an existing woven wire fence that clearly encroached.?ÿ I asked about the fence and she said her late husband had built it on the line.?ÿ Well this area is very old and there are only minor discrepancies in N-S position in the "old town." I asked if she knew the size of her lot and indignantly she answered "50 feet".?ÿ Correct as that is the platted distance?ÿ (minor occasional proration).?ÿ Like a good attorney I already new the answer to what was about to happened next.?ÿ (old school taping up and down the block with Keel, checking the evidence)?ÿ I said "ok, here is a measuring tape."?ÿ I rolled it out to 50'.?ÿ "I'll hold 50' on the fence and you take the end of the tape and walk south on the old sidewalk and let's see where that comes out."?ÿ She agreed that that sounded reasonable.?ÿ When the slack ran out, the end jumped from her hand.?ÿ She glared at me. Bend down, picked the end up and pulled hard.?ÿ I didn't budge.?ÿ She looked East to see that this came to very near the south side of her house. I announced "50 feet!".?ÿ She stared at the location for a few seconds, threw the end of the tape down, walked to the porch stairs and went in the house without saying another word.?ÿ When it comes to platted areas the moral is:?ÿ The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away.
Employed that very tactic in Severy one day.?ÿ The lot was 90 feet, which the adjoiner knew.?ÿ He was occupying roughly 115 feet.?ÿ He was furious.
Why did you pound that metal bar through my cat's grave?
?ÿ
"When surveyor's show up where I'm from back east it means that a development is going up. Is that what you do?"
"Not me, I'm de-subdividing."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm working for a family buying up smaller places and making a big place."
"That's terrible!!!"
?ÿ
You can't win.?ÿ
We have all heard the canned joke from passer bye??s ??is this where the new four lane is going?? ?ÿI then look around like I??m seeing if anyone is listening and say in a quiet voice ??who told you, it??s suppose to be a secret?.?ÿ
I was asked that very question about the four corners being off this weekend at the County Assembly. Also, did it affect local properties??ÿ
Bunch of high school kids walked up and asked "what should we study so we can do that?"
Maybe they were just messing with me, but I was impressed.?ÿ
Bunch of high school kids walked up and asked "what should we study so we can do that?"
First thought most would have is mathematics, but probably english is just as important. I remember being told that when I was their age but I didn't believe it then. I do now.?ÿ?ÿ
On one I had recently for a seller (NOTE - in UK boundaries aren't by coordinates but by general acceptance of what is on the ground -?ÿ in simple terms, don't even think about asking for a detailed explanation!) was to split a plot equally. The owner of the adjacent plot was buying the far half of the split plot. Her own fence had migrated some 5 foot in the previous years so I split what was left. Out she comes - "I should be getting 75 foot, all the plots are supposed to be that wide"
"Sorry lady, you are getting half, that's what it says".
"I need 75 foot, those other people must have their fence in the wrong place".
"Well, go and talk to them" - I don't think she has done!
(NOTE - in UK boundaries aren't by coordinates but by general acceptance of what is on the ground ...)
Not really different than the US.
