Posted on

Hiring a Land Surveyor | Corona, CA

When you need to have a land survey done, it can be a daunting task to someone who has no idea what it entails. Its time to hire a professional to ensure that it is done with accuracy and skill. Here are some of the more common questions to ask when hiring a land surveyor.

Can I do my own property survey?

You can complete your own surveys when you measure how much space you have to build a deck or patio. There’s certainly no law against checking how much space you have within your own property. What you can’t do is measure your own property and use those findings as legal documents. Since property is an expensive asset, only licensed professionals can conduct legal surveys to determine legal boundaries that affect property value. Professional surveyors are also skilled and trained at evaluating difficult terrain for construction projects as requested by engineers and lenders.

What does a land survey include?

It depends on the kind of land survey you choose. Most homeowners need a boundary survey that identifies the exact locations of their boundaries with a legal description. They’ll also include any right-of-way access or other easements. More extensive surveys like topography or ALTA surveys assess the terrain, ground stability, natural and manufactured features, and property rights. Do your research and ask questions.

Is a land survey more expensive for a bigger plot of land?

In general, yes. It costs anywhere from $50 to $500 per acre to conduct a survey, but that’s also dependent on how complex the terrain is. Some surveyors may charge a flat fee for a home in a standard-size subdivision, but any unusual or large properties will cost more to survey.

To find out more about hiring a land surveyor, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Posted on

The Teacher Land Surveyors Need Right Now | Corona, CA

Why Thomas ‘Tommy’ Boatright’s instructive videos are what land surveyors need right now.

May 24, 2021 by Emell Derra Adolphus

When Thomas “Tommy” Boatright was around 12 years old, his stepdad introduced him to land surveying and changed his life. The two of them were driving home from church when they made a stop at a local job site in their local neighborhood of Pensacola, Florida. 

“I was wearing my Sunday clothes,” Boatright remembers. “We are walking through the woods following an old wire fence, and he finds an old wooden post.” A corner. “He was so excited,” Boatright says. “Of course, at that age I didn’t care. He explained the history about the corner – but in one ear, out the other.” 

Somewhere along the way in Boatright’s teenage years, his stepdad’s enthusiasm for the land surveying profession stuck. Working part-time on a survey crew, Boatright found his niche in surveying as a “whiz kid” who could build a solution for just about any problem in the field. Now in his video column for pobonline.com, “Tommy’s Surveyor Toolbox,” Boatright is a “whiz kid” at heart with a passion for showing and telling how land surveyors can make their jobs easier in the field.

“I love to teach. I love seeing that light bulb moment in someone else’s eyes,” says Boatright. “I have produced several crew chiefs and techs.”

Among those crew chiefs and techs is William “Bill” Smith III, who says his time with Boatright helped confirm that he was on the right career path.

“I at random was just looking for a job. I thought maybe I will give this a try, and I liked it,” says Smith. “(Tommy) was my first crew chief and pretty much everything that I know I learned from him. He’s always teaching the new guys and stuff, that was a passion of his.”

With knowledge, their working relationship evolved and Smith says land surveying in Florida is better for it.

“I kind of loved it when we would work together toward the end because it was usually myself, who had made crew chief by then, Tommy and maybe another crew chief. So we had three chiefs,” he remembers. “We would just work and not have to talk about it because we all knew what needed to be done.”

“He is one of those kinds of people that don’t mind sharing his knowledge with others,” says Oscar Pittman, Boatright’s former boss at Pittman & Associates. “He’s a born teacher. He’s not shy about it. And he don’t mind helping other people. He’s always trying to think ahead, which is good. And really he’s a good guy to have around.”

Watch Tommy’s Surveyor Toolbox at POBonline.com.

To find out more about land surveying, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Posted on

Land Surveyors and Boundary Lines | Corona, CA

When you purchase land, you are given the size of the plot, but you may not get exact measurements. To get that measurement down to the inch, they need to enlist the services of land surveying companies. When a land surveyor comes to your home, they’ll perform the following tasks:

  • Acquire initial survey from county municipalities. A survey is required for the original plotting of land and will have dimensions pulled from landmarks or stakes around your home, some of which still exist.
  • Use special equipment to pull exact dimensions from different points around the house. Map those points with spray paint or stakes.
  • Sign and file the survey and update it with county authorities and financial institutions.

If a property owner were to make changes on closely approximated land, like mistakenly erecting a fence on a neighbor’s property could lead to trespassing charges and the complete loss of your investment if a neighbor wants to destroy the fence. In order to alleviate any neighborhood headaches, a professional boundary survey would be the ideal solution. A professional boundary survey lays out the exact perimeter of land and is documented and certified by a state accredited surveyor, so there is no discrepancy about where your property ends and theirs begins. Regardless of your intentions on expanding on your land, it’s always a good idea to know exactly how large it is.

In closing, here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Professional land surveyors can determine the exact boundaries of your property.
  • Banks require documentation of boundary lines in order to refinance a home.
  • Before taking on a project, homeowners should know the specifications of their property lines to avoid encroachments.

To find out more about considering a boundary survey, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Posted on

Land Surveys: Are They Necessary? | Corona, CA

When deciding to purchase land it is important to know what you’re buying into, just like any other major investment. How large is the area, what kind of terrain is involved, and what does the surrounding area consist of? To find these answers, it is likely that you’ll need a land survey. I know what some may think – but is a survey really necessary?

When new land is being divided into various developments, it is important to have the land surveyed in order to ensure the land is used beneficially. Not only do surveys help plot out the land but surveyors are used in the design and planning of said land to make room for things like roads, utilities and landscaping. Yes, it may seem like a new-found industry, but we’ve needed land surveying for as long as we’ve had land to develop.

But why are they so intricate to creating our structures? Believe it or not, but it isn’t just about plotting open spaces to place buildings and other structures upon. Surveyors work with lots of other important industries like engineering, geology, architecture and planning in order to create a successful construction site. They measure the land and map it all out before anyone even steps foot on the site. These findings are given to the architects, who create a blueprint based on the needs of the client. Once complete, engineers use those plans to create a structure that will be successful based on the land available. So, as you can see, land surveys are the environmental trackers of structural design.

To find out more about considering a land survey, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Posted on

The Benefits of a Land Survey | Corona, CA

When looking to purchase a plot of land, it is important to know what you’re buying. Unfortunately, this isn’t something that can be seen with the naked eye. There are property lines and various other factors that all play a part in purchasing land in order to build upon it. This is where land surveys come into play. Before you buy land, you want to know how large it is. To find this out, you need to know the precise property lines to determine a plot of land’s acreage and value. Here are a couple of others you may want to consider:

Does it fit your needs?

Your purchase is going to depend on what you want to build on it. If you want to build a house, you don’t want sloped land, but if you want to build a winery, you would for drainage. Having the survey done will not only point out the slope but the directions of the slope.

Yes, even the direction of the slope can matter. People who farm need to pay close attention to whether sloped land faces north or south.

Where can you build?

Building structures like houses, barns, and sheds can improve the land’s usefulness and value significantly. You need to know the location of underground pipes and utility lines. Without that knowledge, you could break ground on a major waterline.

A land survey provides the information that you need to choose the right locations for your structures. What you learn about your land could help you save money and finish your construction project faster.

To find out more about considering a land survey, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.