Common Surveying Questions
Here are some answers to common survey questions.
This is probably the most common question we get and unfortunately, the answer is “It depends”. Its a common misconception that a property survey involves going to the property and digging up the property corners. Although field work is a step in the process, a considerable amount of research goes into a project before and after the field work has been done. The price of a survey is driven by the amount of time our surveyors work on the project, and the more data we are able to collect either in the office or in the field, the quicker the job will be done. We are happy to provide an estimate; however, it is just an estimate since there is no way for us to know if surveys have been recorded properly, property corners are in the correct place, if neighboring parcels coincide with your property, etc.
Although we can get by with just your address, the more information you can provide the better (see previous FAQ). Your deed, old surveys included in the stack of papers you got when you closed on your home, locations of strange pipes and steel rods sticking out of the ground in the corners of your property, old fence lines, etc. are always a good start. Please feel free schedule a free consultation appointment with one of our surveyors in our office and bring your information with you.
We will do our best to accommodate your request; however, our surveyors try to work as efficiently as possible and that may mean shifting projects around a few hours or days in our schedule to make best use of our travel time (our biggest expenditure).
Unfortunately this is not usually possible. A person with any kind of knowledge of property lines can find what appears to be a property corner; however, there are no assurances that the property corners are correct without a Professional Surveyor performing a certified boundary survey of the property. Be careful of anyone who promises anything different. Think of consulting a friend or the internet vs a Doctor to diagnose a medical issue.
When Wolverine provides a certified boundary survey for a customer, that survey is recorded with the County for a fee of $30 typically. Recording a survey is not mandatory, but it is a standard business practice that helps improve the amount of survey data available for our research, County GIS, and other public entities. Is also a valuable resource for future surveys of your property and parcels around you. Wolverine typically records the survey at cost, but you are welcome to record it yourself.
According to PA 115 – 1976, a surveyor has the right of entry to public and private lands or waters in the State of Michigan (except buildings) for the purpose of making a survey. Completing a survey on a parcel often involves verifying the neighboring property boundaries as well as locating section corners which could be thousands of feet away. We are very mindful of this unfortunate, but necessary intrusion on your neighbor’s property and we make every attempt to minimize our presence by carefully filling in any small holes and replacing the sod of any holes that we dig, not driving on neighbors property, asking permission if someone is home, etc.
Although our job is more difficult and time consuming with snow on the ground, we still are able to be just as accurate as we are in the summer. Since it does take a little longer in the winter, it will cost a little bit more to do a survey with a good amount of snow on the ground. This small price increase is usually offset with scheduling since our schedule in the summer months are loaded with construction staking projects.
A quote will usually be sent to you in one to three days. Some quotes take longer if the boundary information is complicated. Using the “request a quote” button on the top of our survey web page will usually speed up the process.
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