The Essence of Land Surveying

According to research, land surveying has existed ever since the beginning of recorded history. They believe that it has long been used in making the great pyramids; in which historians believe to be very accurate in the calculation of its land area. It was also used in ancient Egypt in re-establishing lost land boundary markers whenever Nile River overflowed its banks. Finally, historians believe that prominent people back then created this practice in order to have refined sharing of the lands they own.

land surveying

Also, there are verses in the Bible that support the practice of land surveying

  •  Proverbs 22:28 Do not move the ancient boundary, which your fathers have set. 
  •  Deuteronomy 19:14 “You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.
  • Deuteronomy 27:17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 

Now what does land surveying really mean?

Land surveying basically means measuring and mapping lands. It is the science of accurately calculating the land’s area; determining the points of distance between a land and another. The actual purpose of this is to establish land maps and set boundaries for ownership. It is commonly used in the execution of nearly every form of construction.  The system of land surveying has proved itself to be a very important factor in the development of human environment as the earth’s surface continues to change according to the lifestyle of people.

land surveying

Just imagine a world where people freely claim an area of land for their benefit without even thinking of the others. Imagine people crossing over another person’s land because there are no borders that would express the ownership of anyone. Imagine people building any construction they want in any land they prefer. Or just simply imagine your neighbors removing your fences. If this happens, it would lead to chaos. That is why land surveying has been made to follow.

The importance of land surveying is identical to its purpose. It is responsible in the establishment of the maps of every city, region, country, continent or the earth itself. Through this system, there would be definite borders blocking any people from owning what another person owns. With this procedure, the distribution of the vast space of land would be fair enough. Everything would be organized and regulated.  This would mean that the buildings, railroads and even our houses would be made without having any complications if it had undergone land surveying.

As you can see in books, magazines, websites and other things that contain information about our world’s structure, we can see that there are boundaries which separate one place from another. This diminishes the complications in the ownership of lands among people. Since humans tend to get selfish, it is best to have everything in order, up to the issue of allocating land areas for everyone. This is the real essence of land surveying.

Call Macon Land Surveying today at (478) 845-3464  or fill out a contact form request for more information concerning your land surveying needs.

Things to Know When Building Your House

Land Surveying in Building your house

land surveying

It is a very good idea to build your home because you will be able to get exactly what you want instead of when you buy. Of course, you may need to add some things or you may not know what you are getting yourself into.

It is a huge decision choosing the right builder since it is one of the largest personal investments that you will make. Be sure to give an interview to all of the possible contractors and then pick the one that will help make your dream home come true. While you are talking to the possible contractors be sure you ask all of the pertinent questions that will help you choose the best; their how long they have been in the business, experience,  what are the kind of buildings that they have experience building and it would be great if you can see some of their work. It is also crucial to pick house plans which may lead to a good home now and in the future. This is something that your contractor should be able to help you with and they may call on the services of an architect.

Budget in building your house

Before to planning your house design consider these factors; your budget, the size of the home to be built, location of the home, wall finishes, design features that you would like, ceiling height, number of stories, fixture types, exterior finishings, also your time frame. 

If you happen to be uncertain about any of these items, your contractor or architect should be able to guide you through this very important process. They will help you choose the details that are right for you down to the very smallest detail. They may refer you to other consultants for things like finishes, colors, and the like so be prepared to sit and discuss with them for a few hours to talk about all these choices that you may have.This is the reason that your choice of a builder is important. 

If your builder isn’t able to advise you on home location they should refer you to a real estate agent. A real estate agent is familiar with important details like neighborhood home values, school districts, traffic issues, funding options, etc.

Land Surveying: avoids future problems

Another stop you should make is to see a land surveyor. Land surveyors are trained and experienced in identifying features of the land that might have an impact on your new home – called land surveying. Some of these features are flood zones, property line encroachments from neighbors, lot dimensions, and building setbacks. Land surveyors are measurement experts. And, since your home is your most valuable asset, land surveying should be one of your first steps in any new construction.

Avail Land Surveying service from your local surveyor:

Call Macon Land Surveying today at  (478) 845-3464   or fill out a contact form request for more information concerning your land surveying needs.

Welcome to Macon Land Surveying

Welcome to Macon Land Surveying’s website

This site is intended to provide you with information on a Land Surveying Company in Macon, GA. If you’re looking for a Macon Land Surveyor, you’ve come to the right site. If you’d rather talk to someone about your land surveying needs, please call (478) 845-3464 today. For more information, please continue to read. 

Macon land surveying

Land Surveyors are professionals who measure and make precise measurements to determine the size and boundaries of a piece of real estate.  While this is a simplistic definition, boundary surveying is one of the most common types of surveying related to home and land owners. If you fall into the following categories, please click on the appropriate link for more information on that subject:

Macon Land Surveying services:

  1. I need to know where my property corners or property lines are. (Boundary Survey)
  2. I have a loan closing or re-finance coming up on my home in a subdivision or I’m purchasing a lot or house in a recorded subdivision. (Lot Survey)
  3. I need a map of my property with contour lines to show elevation differences for my architect or engineer. (Topo Survey)
  4. I’ve just been told I’m in a flood zone or I ‘ve been told I need an elevation certificate in order to obtain flood insurance or prove I don’t need it. (Flood Survey)
  5. I’m purchasing a larger tract of land, acreage, that hasn’t been subdivided in the past. (Boundary Survey)

If your needs don’t fall into one of the above, don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of it. CALL Macon  Land Surveying TODAY at (478) 845-3464 OR better yet, fill out a Contact Form request to discuss your survey needs.

Flooding From Excessive Rain Downstream From Earth Dams

rose_hill_dam_failure

The Daily Republic in South Dakota published an article that talks about an earthen dam that recently failed because of a nine-inch rainfall last 29th of July 2010. The heavy rainfall overwhelmed the dam’s capacity causing it to fail.

No injury was reported on the said event. The said damn was built in 1935, as were a number of them during the Work Programs after the Great Depression. In 2007, it was inspected by a Department of Game, Fish and Parks Engineer and he noted that they “were satisfied with the condition of the dam” during that time. It was then again inspected in 2008 and it was said that the dam breach “was caused by an extraordinary natural event and not by any structural weakness in the dam.” (Photograph by Laura Wehde/The Daily Republic).

Earth dams are almost too numerous to count around the country. In fact, you might just be living near one without you knowing it. A great percentage of these dams were built over 70 years ago and, in many cases, the owners today were not the same ones when they were initially built. For this reason, maintenance and inspection of these dams became less popular.

FEMA estimates “there are over 80,000 dams in the United States”, and that approximately “one third of these pose a ‘high’ or ‘significant’ hazard to life and property if failure occurs.”

The South Fork dam, the country’s worst dam failure disaster in May of 1889, took over 2200 lives and almost half of which were under 20 years old. This incident happened in the town of Johnstown, PA, thus it was known as the “Johnstown Flood”. A 37-foot high wall of water hit Johnstown, located 9 miles downstream from the dam. It almost destroyed the entire city as 1600 homes and 280 businesses was flushed away.

In March 1928, the St. Francis Dam in California also failed. This caused a legislation to be enacted in and around the said state. This, and other later legislation led to life-saving advance warning when the Baldwin Hills dam near Los Angeles, California failed on December 14, 1963. Because of the advance warning which enabled the evacuation of approximately 16,500, the casualties from dam failures has significantly decreased to 5 individuals

Even though there have been far less loss of lives in the United States from dam failures since the 1970’s, reports that…

there were 132 dam failures and 434 “incidents” between January 2005 and January 2009.

Of course, It should be noted that the failure of the earthen levees near New Orleans, LA during and after Hurricane Katrina are purported to be responsible for killing more than 1000 people.

Failure in The KaLoko Dam on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii in March 2006 has resulted to the death of 7 people. Two years after the said incident, developer James Pfluegar was indicated for manslaughter and reckless endangerment in relation to the dam failure. The incident had caused the country of Kauai and the State of Hawaii to pay out over $9 Million in of lawsuits after the failure.

Cause of Dam Failures

Heavy rains cause overtopping, which is by far the most common cause of dam failures. Dam spillways and structures are typically not designed for more than a 1-percent chance (aka 100-year) storm event. When a rain event exceeds this, the water starts to travel outside of the control spillway. This causes erosion of the soil on the dam from the excessive amount of water traveling over it. It is also possible for overtopping to occur from smaller rain events because of debris blockage of the outlet structure or spillways or because of settlement of the dam crest.

Foundation defects, including settlement and slope instability, cause about 30% of all dam failures.

Seepage or Piping causes the remaining 20% of the U.S. dam failures. Piping is the internal erosion caused by seepage under and through the dam. This usually happens around structures such as pipes through the dam and spillways. Seepage can also be caused by animals, like beavers, muskrats, groundhogs, and other rodents, burrowing in the dam, by roots of trees growing on the dam, and through cracks in the dam.  All earth dams have seepage resulting from water permeating slowly through the dam and its foundation. But this seepage must be controlled or it will progressively erode soil from the embankment or its foundation, resulting in rapid failure of the dam.

What Should You Do To Protect Home?

Since the failure of a dam causes flood, your best option is to avoid building in a flood zone, unless you elevate and reinforce your home. Have your area surveyed and investigated for dam failure and flood determination so you’ll know if your dream house is safe to be constructed in that certain area.

Do you live downstream from a dam? Is the dam a high-hazard or significant-hazard potential dam? To find out, contact your state or county emergency management agency and/or visit the National Inventory of Dams. There are around 5,132 dams on the National Inventory in Georgia. And among those, 640 are listed as high or significant hazard potential dams.

If you live downstream from one of these dams, find out who owns and regulates the dam. This information should also be available from the National Inventory of Dams.

Next, find out if there is an Emergency Action Plan in place. Again, consult your state or county emergency management agency. (Georgia Environmental Protection Division)

If you want help with investigating a piece of property you are considering purchasing or of one you already purchased, please call Macon Land Surveying today at  (478) 845-3464 or fill out a contact request form.