Ever noticed a construction site where everything remains untouched and there seems to be no progress, but every worker is busy? They might be in the process of getting a set-out survey put in place. This is where the engineers locate various site boundaries and columns that are needed so the structural parts and the overall foundation will be stronger.
Experts at these jobs will need to determine the level and length of the entire building with the benchmarks. They are going to do blueprints to dictate the specific height of the property if it’s near the road, and the excavation work will depend on the survey results.
Without the proper markings or benchmarking, the house or commercial property won’t be stable, and they may be standing on a slope that will cause damage in the future. The survey essentially transfers the plans and designs into the land, and multiple processes may be required as the work progresses.
Why does this Become Important?
One of the primary reasons owners are calling the surveying and setting out experts is to ensure that the construction workers will remain inside the boundary of the property. This will prevent excavations from neighboring lands and prevent headaches and lawsuits down the road.
Primarily, this is only required when there will be a need to build an annex building or a high-rise residential property in an area. They are also needed when there are tunnels and bridges to be constructed in a specific area.
You might neglect the importance of setting out the boundary at the start, especially if you’re trying to build a single townhouse or a small-scale residential project, but not getting these services later on can result in extra expenses.
There will also be other owners who just know someone who can do the job “cheaply,” but they might be the fly-by-night types. If you ever need the expertise of a professional, the good thing is you’ll be able to go to a site that offers land, elevation, monitoring, and measured building surveys. Make sure to choose a company that’s reputable, and that has known to be reliable at the same time.
Without the help of the pros at the start, you may be dealing with inaccurate and wrong setting out that will cost you a fortune, even if you initially think that it’s a small plot. Layouts of the planes, roads, drainages, and electricity lines should also fit within the construction area so everything will fall into place more smoothly.
Who Does the Surveys?
Land surveyors might be your first option when doing these jobs, but there are engineers who also do this as part of their daily roles and tasks. These experts have decades of experience, knowledge, and training in setting out the site and leveling everything out.
They will run updates, reports, and charts, oversee that the construction is proceeding as intended, liaise with the architects, and organize the work of various contractors. However, know that the engineers might sometimes be the surveyors themselves, or if not, they will have to call a more specialized consultant and work alongside him or her.
Equipment Needed for the Site
One of the signs that you need to look out for if you want to know if there’s a setting out going on is the appearance of the total station. There are mounted tripods everywhere with EDMs or electric distance meters and modern theodolites on them.
Aside from these pieces of equipment, a telescope will also have to measure the current horizontal and vertical planes in an area to see if it’s ideal for the construction of a property.
Reading and writing the slope distance is one of the most common inclusions in these kinds of jobs. The theodolites are going to work with the EDM to measure the distance of the nearest slope, and this will then be keyed inside a mapping software to provide various data on where to do the markings and data points.
Nylon strings will do the job for a smaller home construction project, and there might be no need to call a pro to do the job. However, it’s going to be a different story when it comes to building condominiums, hotels, and other commercial properties. The demarcation lines will mark the boundaries, and the pegs are going to be visible at various points. Lime powder is also going to be used for the markings.
