In the US, new construction continues to soar. In fact, there were 1.601 million nonseasonally adjusted new house starts in 2021, an almost 28% increase from the previous 120 months.
While there are many exciting elements to building a new house, there are some essential things to consider before you ever consider breaking ground and the actual building starts.
A land survey is one of those important things to do. What is land surveying?
A land survey, sometimes called a property survey, is a detailed look at the property lines and features of the land. Land surveying can be a critical early step in the building process to ensure the land is secure for the building and where to place the new construction.
Read on to learn more about the benefits of land surveying before you begin construction.
Identify Boundary and Property Lines
One of the most important reasons to survey land is to identify the exact location of boundary lines or property lines.
These lines for the property can be important for architects and engineers planning the exact placement of your new home on the property. They want to ensure they meet code requirements and that the construction won’t go over property lines to neighboring property.
When building a home, you’ll also need a land survey to ensure the land is secure for building.
Rights-of-Way, Easements, and Abandoned Roads
Land surveying shows all the relevant information about a piece of property. There might be easements or rights-of-way for the property that isn’t visible and exist from agreements made long ago.
If your property blocks access to another piece of property, an easement may allow the neighboring property to go across your land.
Water
Another important thing a land survey will show is any water on the property. This might include:
- Ponds
- Rivers
- Creeks
- Streams
- Wells
- Lakes
The land survey will only show surface water, not underground water. Showing water is important for decisions about the placement of a new build home.
Utility Lines and Poles
In most cases, a land survey will show where the property’s utility lines and poles are located. It can usually show underground cables and drains as well.
Knowing about the location of any underground utilities is critical before any excavation begins on the property.
It can also be useful for the homeowner to know in case the utility has the right to use a portion of the property for the upkeep of their utility lines.
Ingress and Egress Access
In a situation where roads might not be in place yet or in the planning stage for a property, knowing your access to ingress and egress is important.
The land surveyor can include where the physical vehicular ingress and egress to a public street are located.
Benefits of a Land Survey
Before ever considering construction, a land survey provides valuable information about the land and property lines so that you get the structure in the right location when you’re ready to build.
Before you build, you might also want to see as-built drawings of your future home. Contact us to learn more about our residential drawing services.
