Good explanation. I'd like to add not just adjoiners matter, such as when you have multiple splits of the same parcel. I've come across problems on those as well with significant errors whether field or office errors.
As a land surveyor I can answer this without even watching your video. Two surveyors survey the same property. Why do they vary? Knowledge , skill and application of technologies. I have used old transits to my normal carlson rt6 RTK receiver I use every day. I use a combination of techniques I have learned over my 30 years in the business. To follow someone in the past you need to know how they did the job. That is the knowledge. Example . As surveys before 1960 typical were tape and transit jobs, I just staked the corners on a property today. Plat was 1889. No joke. RTK on Earl Dudley network all 4 streets. It was a rectangular , mostly square subdivision. Granite curbs installed in 1920s. As usual I found surplus from one street to the other. That is because when this was first platted the guys measuring it used a compass and a tape. Had 8 feet of surplus from curbs on east and west and 3.5 feet on streets north and south. GPS is the best way to get the overall picture. Total stations are accurate but its over long distances of overall accuracy GPS is better. GPS is circular error. So if your signal is locked on and your getting a good state plane correction then your overall accuracy is gonna be way better than a total station even at 1 degree of angular accuracy. For a modern survey that must meet minimum state standards GPS eliminates angular error. 28 years ago a did a 65 area boundary of HWY 64 in Oakland , Tn. Used a topcon 3b and a HP48 dc. Closed a 8 leg circuit at .56 hundreds after going 12k feet. That is a angular closure of about 1/21000 , Within limits but not that good. We had trees and a few close backsight and foresights do to a curving road. GPS when used correctly eliminates that error , at a price of a little grid to ground accuracy. About 0.06 th max error. Proper technique is knowing when to use a total station vs GPS , when to follow the survey law vs following your gut . ( Always apply the law first - your gut instincts only work if you can find evidence to say your right). In TN it is simple. Monumentation , distance then angle. So even if I find land with surplus or a shortage , always follow the rules. Two surveyors measure the same land wrong only because one or both did not do the real research , have proper field knowledge , and one or both could be lacking common sense. Some variation is normal as long as they both mostly agree. I can run a 4bang horizontal loop two times in a row and still have small variations in overall mearsurements. Add in total station error and Oops I bumped a leg and it can get worse. Also beware the GIS surveyor. He uses other peoples plats and maps to make a map that is not verified in the real world on the ground. Over the last 5 years I have had to fix so many projects where the state plane was not right, the grades on the plan the engineer Goggle GIS'ed in , plans not properly reviewed. It gets frustrating always having to fix other companies mistakes for the contractors building the projects I work on.
Thank you for your very informative comment. And you made an excellent point about the frustrations that can come with those type of project mistakes. Thank you again.
There's a lot of ways that can happen but shouldn't. Most common I heard was a lot split, say 40 acre lot split into 2 20 acre lots, line set from one side but they didn't check the rest. Then it turns out that it wasn't actually 40 acres but, let's say 36. Now there's a problem and someone loses the acres that actually never existed to begin with.
I tell you the truth. The surveyors that I've worked with before. Do not want you to take the time to investigate the boundary. You are only allotted so much time to finish a boundary survey example ten acres should only take you less than 2 hours to do. Don't worry about getting information from the adjointed properties it takes too long . It was once said there are good boundary surveyors and bad boundary surveyors pick your one
Thank you for your comment. As with any industry, there are certainly good and 'bad'. We pride ourselves on going above and beyond when it comes to property disputes. Thank you again.
I bought a used .metal detector from a pawn shop, and found all 4 survey"pins" placed there in 1954. They were 5 or 6 inches underground, still inbeded in concrete.
I need help! I just bought 201 deeded acres in West Virginia. The 20 year old servay says it is 180 acres. 21 acres loss is a LOT! No way the deed and servay is that far off. Help.
Why do you think you own 201 acres. The original deed was likely a rough estimate considering the size of the property. You did do a survey before buying the property right?
More than likely the old survey was an estimate, but we can’t guess. If you have it surveyed (I suggest), I would be sure they check all the surrounding parcels & pull deeds to match all corners up. Sometimes these old monuments/corners can be 2-4ft deep & often overlooked- leading to the surveyor “setting a new corner” keep in mind- The first corner set (20 yrs ago- if still there & found) could be found years down the road from another surveyor- rather it be you or any of your neighbors- this is where problems can come into play- if old monuments can’t be found. One way to make sure that doesn’t happen- Seeing a yellow Schonstedt in their hand. Good luck!
Just curious, today with GPS is it possible to use this method to get a more accurate survey? Also, has there been any time/ or cases where the surveyor had to reference or work off the "Benchmarks" established by the US Geological service?
Back when a local bridge over lake Pontchartrain was being built the builders were encouraged to use the Geo survey reference markers as they were more accurate. This advice was ignored. On the far shore there was an alignment error of over twelve inches!!
Great question! RTK GPS (the quick type of GPS) is actually less accurate than total stations in most cases. Another great question! Yes, surveyors still work off of USGS (and other agency) benchmarks. But this is changing with the concept of "passive survey control" (Google it).
So the only way to know for sure is to pay for a survey of all the neighboring properties along with the one you are interested in. It's already expensive to do just one and most individuals don't have that much money. Everything is about money and those of us without a lot are just screwed.
All the states I've worked in, surveyors have right of entry. Even so, I ask and only once had to have someone forced to grant entry. Most people are ok with it, some are not. GPS is a tool, nothing more nothing less. With typical consumer grade, the accuracy just isn't there. My current phone claims about 3-4' on a good day but in reality it's still not consistent and the error circle is more like 15'. There are also other things with GPS that can cause errors. I'd say you can use it to get a general idea of where to look, and maybe you'll end up in the right spot.
@@sicsempertyrannis1849 I was trying to draw a park near me for an event we were planning. It didn't need to be accurate, of course, but I got measurements off Google Earth to make a reasonably scaled drawing of the park and nearby town buildings. Google Earth said it was exactly 43' from a critical point to the edge of the parking lot. When I was there I got curious and put a measuring tape to the distance and it was exactly 43'; I was shocked. I measure office space for a living so I know how to use a tape to the nearest quarter inch. I started using Google Earth in my work in a pinch and it has never been wrong. I don't understand how it can be so accurate.
How can a non trained check for items they don’t know exist . Professionals should have published standards and have credential’s that Backup that claim .
I agree. Every professional surveyor goes through years of education and experience to become licensed. But just like other professions, there are differences between surveyors.
Choosing a reputable surveying company and relying on the expertise of the licensed surveyor is always important. But I would recommend asking lots of questions before hiring any surveyor.
