The house doesn't fit the lot, but that didn't stop them from faking up a map with the house 4.36' from the side line labeled as a 5' setback, and the house 18' from the ROW labeled as 23'.?ÿ
I staked the corners yesterday, was ready to stake the house but my points were obviously off by 10' so I boxed it. Found my CAD error (wrong offset) and now it is clear the house simply doesn't fit without a variance. The map they are using to get permits is faked up from tax map dimensions or aerial photos or something with neither architect nor surveyor stamp.
Design company - dissolved 2019 but still doing business?
Builder company - dissolved 2014 but still doing business?
Washington's license lookups are all SNAFU after they got hacked a couple months ago. Now they want me to "sign up" for the privilege of looking up public license data. Current account doesn't work. New account won't complete signup.
I'm thinking about driving an hour each way to pull the pins I set yesterday. Tear up the guy's check and move on.?ÿ
Sounds like an official complaint needs to be file with (1) Code enforcement, (2) State Board of Licensure for Architects, and possibly Engineers & Land Surveyors (3) regulating authority for general contractors, (4) Secretary of State for not having a business license.?ÿ?ÿ
I'm not licensed or in your location, but if I were, I would:
-Notify the architect and construction people of the mistake and give them a chance to correct it
-Pull any foundation staking you did from the bad plans
-Bill for at least one trip and work on the site.
If they didn't respond professionally, I would then go to the regulatory agencies.
contact the attorney generals office.?ÿ theyre tasked with consumer protection and fraud.
when no one comes forward to file formal complaints, nothing can ever possibly get done to punish and prevent?ÿ
?ÿ
and i get it, that takes time too.
what a cluster?ÿ ?ÿsorry youre getting to deal with that?ÿ
?ÿ
?ÿ
I'm thinking about driving an hour each way to pull the pins I set yesterday. Tear up the guy's check and move on.?ÿ
I like this idea.
I only staked the boundary so far. The most peaceful thing would be to leave the pins and eat the mandatory recording fee if I have to.
FWIW - The vast majority of states don't require an architects license to prepare plans for single family residence.?ÿ Anyone with CAD and a business card that says "designer: can do it.?ÿ?ÿ
"I staked the corners yesterday, was ready to stake the house but my points were obviously off by 10' so I boxed it. Found my CAD error (wrong offset) and now it is clear the house simply doesn't fit without a variance."
Specifically what are you responsible for? Did you stake the house originally and then find the error??ÿ
@flga-2-2 Took it as a boundary, they asked me to stake the house as an add-on, sent me the plans. In calculating the points I found that the setback was not as labeled on the site plan. The label meets requirements and the geometry does not. It has a very nice disclaimer:
THIS PLOT PLAN IS PREPARED TO SHOW THE DIMENSIONAL RELATIONSHIP FROM BUILDING FOUNDATION TO PROPERTY LINE, IT IS NOT A SURVEY. IT IS BASED OFF ONLINE JURISDICTION COUNTY MAPS AND SITE OBSERVATION.
What am I responsible for? I staked the boundary and need to record a map within 90 days. He would like me to move the house footprint around until it fits and stake the house corners. It appears that he needs a slightly smaller house footprint to fit within the setbacks the way I calculate them.
"What am I responsible for?"
I'd say you're responsible for notifying your client that you disagree with the information you've been given and ask them how they would like you to proceed.
?ÿUpdate: Designer to supply new design based on actual survey.
Update: surveyor changing his stake points to the actual design. It's all gonna turn out fine. I am eating the humble pie of mistaking a 3 for an 8 that added 5 feet to the garage and nothing fit. The designer was correct to a hundredth, no need for a re-design, but his map was hard to follow. Lesson learned is that I would have caught this in Starnet if I had stuck to that procedure for all calcs rather than drawing it in CAD and using "c" to close the figure. Lesson learned that I need to have a second person check, which the builder did. I apologized to the builder and he says of the new map "It's perfect!" apparently because it answers the city's questions and will expedite the permits. Lesson learned that the designer need not be a licensed architect, which also raises the question, how much money am I leaving on the table not being a house designer?
?ÿ
?ÿ
I worked with one once at a federal agency that was a licensed architect (not a landscape architect either) that performed a ton of design surveying & construction staking for projects that were on said federal agency's campus, using only a VRS rover that was an older unit that had very limited capabilities. NOT saying a newer unit would make it right either, but the precision was limited amongst all the buildings and trees plus it was only tracking 2 constellations from what I could tell. But, when said individual took it upon themselves to start eliminating drainage infrastructure from an older road R/W that had been vacated in favor of creating a greenway, with all the asphalt still in place and plenty of grade along said R/W, while there were existing homes were on either side and some with FFE lower in elevation in some circumstances. It was at that point I had to inform that architect that they were really playing with fire from both an engineering & surveying perspective and the board would not allow that. They quickly realized the error but I'm not sure if they ever ceased & desisted as they found a fellow PE to try to dig them out of the mess who I tried to warn about the situation. But it's amazing though what architects think they can do. Most registered landscape architects here have more sense than just plain jane architects - I guess they've seen enough $hi+ go sideways to know their limits
@half-bubble If you got paid for the survey and the setting of the pins, leave them.?ÿ As for the stakeout for the improvements, notify them that the info they gave you does not work and that you will not do anything more until they either obtain the required variances or adjust the design.
A little lesson I??ve learned. Always double check yourself before accusing others. ?ÿLess embarrassing in the end.
