I got a call from the project manager of one of those chain manufactured home outfits (not knocking them) that has been told by a regional bank that his latest project in a neighboring county needs a "foundation survey". Then, at closing, it will require a "final survey". I haven't seen a two-stage foundation/final survey scenario since the early 90's. The project manager told me "that in all of his *four years* of project management he'd never even had to request a survey", let alone a two-step survey.
The project is a fairly hilly and thickly wooded 14 acres, so it's out of my range of economical feasibility (I'm totally solo). I suggested that he call the stamping surveyor (in yet another county) of the subdivision/parcel cut/previous survey and he may be able to help him more than I could.
I see three pluses with this phone call...
1) maybe banks are starting to require surveys for new construction again like somebody else suggested about a month ago (In GA maybe? - that would be NICE).
2) my yp.com/bing.com highlighted ad brought me a phone call.
3) I was able to help somebody without expending too much time or energy just by having local knowledge.
🙂
Friday was a pretty good day!
Carl
Locally there is one bank that requires 3 trips to the property before closing on a new home.
1. survey property and show dirt pad
2. locate concrete pad
3. locate finished improvements
They want $500 or less and will usually understand what is charged for the property survey.
They do not understand being charged for the other trips.
> Locally there is one bank that requires 3 trips to the property before closing on a new home.
> 1. survey property and show dirt pad
> 2. locate concrete pad
> 3. locate finished improvements
> They want $500 or less and will usually understand what is charged for the property survey.
> They do not understand being charged for the other trips.
Interesting. This is a very rural county, so their building inspections office does not requirements plats for setbacks, etc. at excavation. I told the PM that 14 ac would easily be over 1K, but didn't get into specifics or discussing the return trip. He seemed to understand, I'm not sure that the bank would. Kinda sounded like the survey costs were going to have to be dealt with by the home owner solely, but I'm not sure.
Carl
On a residential construction loan, there are usually three to five "draws" or progress payments to the contractor/owner. Having a surveyor visit the site a couple of times saves the bank a couple of trips, and they end up with a survey which is far better for them than the typical "mortgage location". I have to say that it is only the older "small bank" loan officers who get this concept and still use it.
Building departments around here require an initial site survey/site plan, a foundation as-built (to ensure the zoning and setbacks are met) and then a final survey to be prepared.
Tom
> Building departments around here require an initial site survey/site plan, a foundation as-built (to ensure the zoning and setbacks are met) and then a final survey to be prepared.
>
> Tom
I sure wish they did here. That would increase the work load for us smaller shop guys.
Same here as Tom. If a house is shown on the site plan is within 3 ft or less the builder has to get a foundation survey required by the city to get permits. Also some of the older plats around here have ffe's (houses in a flood zone on the older flood maps) and they also require one. So they are easy jobs, go out and shoot the form boards draw it up and send it to the city. I always love it when I do 5 or 6 in a day, half a day in the field and half the day in the office, easy day easy money.
In over 25 years there has only been one occasion like what you describe. Trip one was create the boundary of the tract to be mortgaged, including the driveway off the main road and the location of the existing sewage lagoon. Trip two was verify the location of the concrete work on which the doublewide would be placed. Trip three was to verify the doublewide had, in fact, been placed correctly.
> In over 25 years there has only been one occasion like what you describe. Trip one was create the boundary of the tract to be mortgaged, including the driveway off the main road and the location of the existing sewage lagoon. Trip two was verify the location of the concrete work on which the doublewide would be placed. Trip three was to verify the doublewide had, in fact, been placed correctly.
Really? Odd. Now I've been to a house site as many as 5 or 6 times if I did the larger boundary, cut off, foundation stake-out, foundation survey, final survey... but only maybe 10 or 15.
But under the Foundation/Final survey scenario, I probably did as many as 100 in the first half of the 90's with my dad. It was very common here locally. Like somebody else said... I'd like to do more, it would keep me busy! 🙂
Carl
My dad has a manufactured home, and he was told he needed a foundation survey, but from what he told me, it is something that a structural engineer does. The issue isnt where the foundation is (at least in his case) but whether it is structurally sound...
> I got a call from the project manager of one of those chain manufactured home outfits (not knocking them) that has been told by a regional bank that his latest project in a neighboring county needs a "foundation survey". Then, at closing, it will require a "final survey". I haven't seen a two-stage foundation/final survey scenario since the early 90's. The project manager told me "that in all of his *four years* of project management he'd never even had to request a survey", let alone a two-step survey.
>
> The project is a fairly hilly and thickly wooded 14 acres, so it's out of my range of economical feasibility (I'm totally solo). I suggested that he call the stamping surveyor (in yet another county) of the subdivision/parcel cut/previous survey and he may be able to help him more than I could.
>
> I see three pluses with this phone call...
> 1) maybe banks are starting to require surveys for new construction again like somebody else suggested about a month ago (In GA maybe? - that would be NICE).
> 2) my yp.com/bing.com highlighted ad brought me a phone call.
> 3) I was able to help somebody without expending too much time or energy just by having local knowledge.
>
> 🙂
>
> Friday was a pretty good day!
>
> Carl
That Would Be To Confirm It Has An Actual Foundation
Quite a few years ago a manufactured home was installed in my neighborhood on a gravel foundation at grade. It has not fallen over yet or blown away, but I would be skeptical of lending a large sum of money on it.
Paul in PA
