Boundary Surveys
Boundary Surveys are the most common service we provide to clients. These surveys are what most people associate with land surveyors. This is for good reason, too! The expertise Professional Land Surveyors have, through years of education and experience, qualifies them to be the only ones who can locate your boundary lines. After we complete your boundary survey, you will know exactly where your boundary corners are and be furnished a plat – a graphical depiction of the work done. Though it sounds simple, it is a actually a complex, four-phase process which is why surveyors must be licensed by the state in which they practice. (Foresight Land Surveying is licensed to practice in both Oklahoma and Arkansas.)
Phase 1: Research
After we determine you need a boundary survey, the process starts when you provide us with a copy of your deed to your property. If you would prefer, we can obtain a copy from the County Courthouse. We may also research adjacent properties to identify any discrepancies that we may encounter such as gaps or overlaps between descriptions as well as any easements or encumbrances of public record.
Phase 2: Investigation
This is when we physically survey your land. Through the use of GPS technology, robotic total stations, and other equipment, we collect the evidence of your boundary lines. We recover existing monuments (property corners), physical features that may indicate an encumbrance, and permanent improvements that will appear of the final plat. We may also survey monuments of nearby properties to help determine the reliability of any found monuments on your land or to help re-establish them in case they were disturbed over time.
Phase 3: Evaluation
All our years of education and experience come into play during this phase of the survey. The collected evidence is evaluated and a determination is made regarding the true location of your boundary corners (and lines). Using a combination of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, the corner positions are calculated. Steps 2 and 3 may be done in the field on the same day, but conflicting data may exist and a more in-depth analysis may be required. In this case, the field data will be taken back to the office for evaluation using AutoCAD or other computer programs. Once a corner’s position is calculated, we’ll return to the field for a final search for any existing monumentation and if nothing is found, a new corner monument will be set.
Phase 4: Deliverables
The final step is the Plat of Survey, which is culmination of all the work done. This is an official record of our work. This plat will graphically show the shape of your land, bearings and distances around its perimeter, and contain other important information including, but not limited to, the legal description of the tract of land, certifications attesting to the survey’s accuracy and correctness, and notes about any discrepancies that may have been discovered over the course of the survey.