Oxford Land Surveying

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Welcome to Oxford Land Surveying

Posted on August 9, 2010 by OxfordLSJanuary 9, 2018

This site is intended to provide you with information on Land Surveying in the Oxford & Anniston, AL and Calhoun County area of Alabama . If you’re looking for an Oxford Land Surveyor, you’ve come to the right site.

If you’d rather talk to someone about your land surveying needs, please call 256-733-1733 today. For more information, please continue to read.

Land Surveyors are professionals who measure and make precise measurements to determine the size and boundaries of a piece of real estate. While this is a simplistic definition, boundary surveying is one of the most common types of surveying related to home and land-owners. If you fall into one of the following categories, please click on the appropriate link for more information on that subject:

I need to know where my property corners or property lines are. (Boundary Survey)

I have a loan closing or re-finance coming up on my home in a subdivision. (Lot Survey)

I need a map of my property with contour lines to show elevation differences for my architect or engineer. (Topo Survey)

I’ve just been told I’m in a flood zone or I ‘ve been told I need an elevation certificate in order to obtain flood insurance or prove I don’t need it. (Elevation Certificate)

I’m purchasing a lot/house in a recorded subdivision. (Lot Survey – See Boundary Survey)

I’m purchasing a larger tract of land, acreage, that hasn’t been subdivided in the past. (Boundary Survey)

I need to get some location and grades set on a construction project. (Construction Survey )

I need a survey of a commercial or multi-family site that meets the ALTA Land Title Survey requirements. (ALTA Survey)

If your needs don’t fall into one of the above, don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of it. CALL Oxford Land Surveying TODAY at 256-733-1733 OR better yet, fill out a Contact Form request to discuss your survey needs.

Locating Property Pins for Land Surveying

Posted on August 9, 2012 by OxfordLSJanuary 9, 2018

A lot of land surveying jobs are done to determine a property’s boundary. In order to do this, a surveyor surveys the property and then puts markers on the boundary line called “monuments”.

There are two kinds of monuments – the natural and the artificial.

Natural monuments include trees, large stones or anything made by nature that was already in place before the surveying was done.

Artificial monuments, on the other hand, include pins, stakes or concrete monuments. These are all put in place by human – whether the surveyor, owner or somebody else who meant it to mark the property’s corner. Property pins are also called property markers, surveyor or survey stakes. Property pins for land surveying comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes, depending on the year they were put in.

Centuries ago, surveyors use wooden stakes, gun barrels, mounds of stones and even whiskey bottles. These does not always hold up and can be moved by people, animals or even nature. Because of this, there can be a lot of conflict between old and recent land surveys on a specific property.

The more recent artificial monuments include rods or pipes with an affixed plastic cap over the top. The cap usually bears the responsible surveyor’s name and license number. This does not only let people know that they’re there to mark the property’s boundary but since it has the responsible surveyor’s name and license number, he’s easier to find/ contact in case another survey is done and the new surveyor gets a different result.

In asphalt or concrete areas, surveyors use nails or aluminum alloy caps to establish or re-establish boundary corners.

When placing property pins for land surveying, it’s very important that they are durable and stable. Monuments are meant to stay forever so re-establishment of the boundary corners in the future becomes easier.

How Important is Land Surveying in Today’s World?

Posted on April 28, 2012 by OxfordLSJanuary 9, 2018

Most of you have probably never thought about land surveying until you needed it at some point. Many of us hear about land surveying all the time but never really give it much thought.

Since an investment in land and/or a home will likely be the largest investment you will ever make in your lifetime, knowing where your property lines are becomes very important indeed.

The art of land surveying was developed centuries ago. In fact, it’s one of the oldest professions in the world. The fact that it was used by man at such an early time and is still being used now shows how important surveying is to our survival.

Surveying land has many uses. Boundary surveying, for instance, allows you to know where your property corners or property lines are. This is especially helpful when disputes with a neighbour or with other people arise in terms of where your property ends.

If your family wants to divide a tract of land and transfer ownership to other family members, a boundary survey is the first step to do so. If you’re having a building constructed, it is very important that you have the land surveyed to make sure that you are not encroaching onto other peoples’ property.

A mistaken building location is very expensive to fix so you might as well invest in a boundary survey to prevent this.

A topographic survey, or topo survey for short, is another important type of land surveying. A topo survey is done to locate natural and man-made features on a particular parcel of land.

A topographic survey is different in that the elevation of the land is surveyed which means it can show man-made underground features, retaining walls, utility lines and etc.

Before you start any kind of construction activity, it’s important to have a topo survey done in the area so they’ll have an accurate record of the land’s existing conditions. Yes, that spot with the new mall in the neighbourhood had to have a topo survey done first.

Now, a flood survey or flood determination – this is very important too. It isn’t evident just looking at a property whether you are at risk of flooding or not.

And, in some cases, even looking at the flood maps doesn’t give you an accurate answer. The flood survey determines the elevation of the home and compares that to the base flood elevation.

This is the only way to be sure you’re not in a flood hazard zone. If you’ve just been told that you live in a flood-prone area, having that confirmed by a professional land surveyor would let you know how to best proceed.

When getting flood insurance, insurance companies would require an elevation certificate from you. A land surveyor would be able to assist you with this.

If a company wants to invest in another state, or if there is a national lender on a commercial project, they will likely need an ALTA Land Title Survey done before anything is constructed.

An ALTA Land Title Survey is a lot like a regular boundary survey except that nationally accepted ALTA Standards are used to guide the surveying effort.

Land surveying standards vary widely from state to state and an ALTA Land Title Survey is used to cut down on this variation. Also, an ALTA Land Title Survey typically is more involved than the state standards variety. Because of this, an ALTA survey can be more anywhere from 50% to 200% more expensive than using the state standards only.

If you need this type of survey, I suggest seeking an experienced land surveying company who is familiar with these additional requirements.

In summary, there are many uses for a land survey and for seeking the services of a land surveyor.

If you’re unsure of your situation, consult Oxford Land Surveying at (256) 733-1733 today or go to the Contact page and send us an email.

Land Surveying: Estimating the Cost

Posted on April 12, 2012 by OxfordLSJanuary 9, 2018

Land surveying, to put it briefly, is the science and art of establishing or re-establishing property corners, property lines and/or boundaries. There could be different reasons why someone wants a chunk of property surveyed.

The single most common is to evaluate if a piece of land is vulnerable to flooding, to subdivide real estate to sell or deed to family members or determine if there are any encroachments. This might happen if a neighbour disputes that you’re using a piece of his lot or viceversa (for more about this, read this page).

The Cost of Land Surveying

If you have to have a chunk of property surveyed, first thing will come to mind is “how much would it cost?”There are numerous factors determining how much land surveying on your land would cost. The fact that this type of service must be performed by a professional contributes a lot to the overall cost of the service, but choosing a non-professional to survey your land is dangerous and probably illegal for the non-professional.

This is why you ought to take a good look around before settling with a surveying company. If you must work within a particular budget, discuss this with the surveyor up-front. Often he may be able to offer cost saving steps to get the work you need done within these cost limits.

The shape of the land also needs to be considered. A square or a rectangle piece of land is somewhat quicker to survey than an odd shaped parcel, or one with many different sides. With the latter, the surveyor will have to take more time in surveying the curves and the bends which means the cost of the service would go higher. The actual size of the land is also key factor here.

Keep in mind that the cost of land surveying will likely be proportionate to the time and effort that the land surveyor would spend on the project. If the land that you’re having surveyed is not accessible, or has thick vegetation, then the total price of the survey might go higher.

This is true of the climate conditions which could affect the work. Surveying in hot weather is somewhat slower to keep from putting the crew members in danger. Also, most surveying cannot be done in the rain.

When getting a quote, bear in mind that surveyors base the estimate on expected conditions at the site. These conditions could change, bringing about additional costs. Always ask about these potential additional cost scenarios.

All that being said, competitive prices are also to be expected, this is why we recommend selecting a surveyor in accordance with his experience and reputation rather than on the price he writes on a piece of paper.

Mostly it is far better to invest a good amount of money on a survey that’s well-done rather than choose a company with a very “affordable” price but have the survey repeated because the results were wrong.

To sum up, it is recommended to discuss the expenses of the survey before you ask the surveyor to get started on his work. It’s also wise to receive a contract that lets you understand what is expected of the land surveyor. This is one of the most important steps in getting your land surveyed.