How to Survey Your Own Property
Land survey is usually conducted be professional surveyors, but if you want to save thousands of dollars in the fees of a surveyor, you can do it yourself. Utilize the information given below to survey your own property.
Read your property deed
Before you formally start the survey, it is important to read your property deed. The property deed describes the boundaries of an estate, while clearly mentioning the city and province where the land is located.
Determine the method used to survey land
The methods used to survey a property vary from region to region, some use Dominion Land Survey (DLS) while others use Lot and Block Survey System – so it is important to determine which method is used in your province.
Locate documents related to your property
After determining the survey method, gather all the documents related to your property. Also find plans for your estate as well as for the neighborhood. Besides containing the description of your property, the plan may also contain notes from previous surveys.
Gather the supplies
Before you go to survey the property, gather all the supplies that you may require to conduct a thorough survey of land. These include a compass needle, measuring tape, string, and plumb bob. Also find an experienced assistant who can help you in the survey.
Determine a specific point to start your survey
Locate a specific point in the description of your property and start your survey from this point. Use the property deed to measure the land accurately and to find the directions and distance. Use a measuring tape to measure the property and mark the measured line with the string.
Usually the proper is measured on a horizontal line, but actual land also includes slopes as well as hills. When measuring a hilly land, use the level to locate the horizontal line. While holding the measuring tape along the horizontal line, attach the plumb bob, tied at one end of a string, to the tape and let it slide vertically down the ground to determine the place where you measure the distance.
Locate the boundary marks
Keep on measuring the land in one direction until you hit the end of the property. See if can find a boundary mark at the end of the property; it may be a pipe or a stake.
Keep measuring the property in all four directions, until you have found all of the property marks. Never move or remove a boundary mark, they are used to allocate legal boundaries.
