Calling in the Contractors

Calling in the Contractors

Two Reasons to Hire a Land Surveyor Before Building a House on a Plot of Land

by Frank Elliott

If you intend to build a house on a plot you have purchased, you should have land surveyors draw up a survey before you begin the construction process. Here are two reasons why it is important to do this.

To prevent boundary-related delays and disruptions

One of the most important jobs that a land surveyor performs is establishing exactly where the boundaries of the property lie. If you decide not to hire a surveyor and do not, therefore, determine where the property boundaries begin and end, you could end up accidentally performing construction work on the land adjacent to your plot, which does not legally belong to you.

If the owner of that land takes issue with this construction work, they may decide to initiate legal proceedings which you would then be required to respond to. This could not only result in your building project grinding to a halt but could also lead to you receiving a very large bill from your solicitor. The costs involved could even affect the progress of your construction work.

All of these costs, delays and stressful scenarios can be avoided; however, simply by hiring one of your local land surveyors to draw up a survey report of your plot before you begin the construction process.

To prevent future damage to the building you intend to construct

In addition to establishing where the boundaries of the property lie, your land surveyor will also draw up an extremely detailed map of the plot. This map will specify the exact location of trees, existing manmade structures and other features. It will also describe the steepness of the gradients on your plot.

This information could prove very useful when the time comes to build your house, as it will help you to avoid positioning your house in an area of the plot which may lead to the structure's eventual deterioration.

For example, if the area on which you originally planned to construct your house is located close to a group of trees, the house could end up developing serious structural problems. This is because the trees' root systems could absorb water from the earth underneath the house's foundation, causing it to then sink downwards (an issue commonly referred to as subsidence).

However, if you have a survey map and are aware of the presence of nearby trees, you could simply choose to build the house slightly farther away from them and thus avoid any structural problems in the future.


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About Me

Calling in the Contractors

Hello! My name is Andy and I have recently finished building my dream home by the ocean. I have always loved swimming and surfing in the sea so the idea of living by the beach has always appealed to me. I used to live in a small apartment but I worked hard and saved as much cash as I could. By the time I reached the age of 47, I finally had the funds to build my dream home. I called in a team of construction contractors who built my house. They were really great guys and I picked up a lot of knowledge during the months they were working with me. I will share some of the knowledge here.