You will usually work with different types of surveyors when you plan out a large construction project. While some surveys take place before and during your planning and design processes, you can also hire a land surveyor to make a construction survey on your land before your build begins.

How does a construction survey work? What are its benefits?

What Is a Construction Survey?

Land surveyors run construction surveys just before you're ready to start work on your site. They use existing survey results and your plans to evaluate your plot in its pre-build stage.

First, your surveyor might mark out the boundaries of your site. They will double-check that your build is suitable for any features on or under the ground. For example, if you have sewer systems on the site, they will ensure that your work won't cause any infrastructural damage and that your build correctly connects up with the system.

You can also have your surveyor run a staking process. Here, they measure and mark parts of the site to match your plans. So, for example, they might mark out building footprints, roads, and utility systems. They use stakes to create a physical set of individual boundaries.

Why Use a Construction Survey?

Construction surveys are a good idea if you are working on a large plot, on undeveloped land, or have had to wait a long time to get to your build phase. Land features and infrastructure can change over time. So, a construction survey rechecks your boundaries and the condition of your land before you start to build on it.

This initial process ensures that your plans meet the site's size and features. You can start construction work with confidence that your plans are still accurate.

It's also useful to add staking to the mix here. Your surveyor uses physical markers to plot out key areas of your site. Your crews can use these markers as visual checks as they work. This helps them stick to your plan's specifications.

If you don't have staking markers, then your crew might make mistakes. They might misjudge external and internal boundaries. They might overbuild or underbuild buildings, for example. Or, they might accidentally damage underground infrastructure if they don't know its exact position.

These mistakes cost you time and money. You'll have to restore the damage and fix building mistakes. Staking helps prevent these problems.

To find out more about the benefits of construction surveys, talk to a land surveyor.