V3 strives to provide the highest level of service to our clients. Part of that mission is to communicate information that helps make your project more efficient and cost effective.
The following briefs highlight a specific short topic of surveying that may offer insight or serve as a quick refresher of something that affects the survey component of your project. These topics - developed from many of the questions about survey and layout services we receive - will be added to quarterly. If there's something you'd like to have covered, please let us know by clicking the following e-mail: info@v3co.com. |
My Excavator Will Be Performing His Own Layout - Good Idea or Bad? Your excavator may have construction layout in his contract, but he still needs to start from somewhere. Because earthwork often is the most expensive part of your development project, having a surveyor work with your excavator is a good investment to protect you from future earthwork issues.
Here are several items that a V3 surveyor can perform to help you get the most out of your excavator:
1. Provide Site Control or a Site Control Exhibit to keep your excavators on the same coordinate system as your surveyor and other trades.
2. Building pad locations.
3. High or normal water lines for ponds.
4. The centerline of all roads.
5. The outline of parking lots.
A surveyor can perform the layout of these items to provide a good foundation and framework for your excavator to build from.
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Do I Need Record Utility Drawings?
The answer's typically "yes" because most municipalities will require Record Utility Drawings to be prepared when construction is completed. These drawings show details of the constructed water main, storm sewers and sanitary sewer systems that serve the site.
An engineer usually will be required to review them, determine if the utilities will work the way they were designed, and then sign and seal them. Municipalities will require these drawings before they issue a Certificate of Occupancy or reduce your Letter of Credit.
So here's the key question to consider before you skip this step: Will you be able to obtain occupancy permits or reduce your letter of credit without them?
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How Do I Know What The Crew Did?
It depends on the processes and controls instituted by your surveyor. V3 survey crews are instructed to check in with the site superintendent when they arrive at the project each day. At this meeting, they review the work order request and provide the superintendent with a copy of the survey sketch. Our surveyors always have two copies of the work they are performing that day: one for their use and one for your team.
These drawings generally show a sketch of the site plan with point numbers that indicate the location of their stakes relative to the designed improvements. The numbers are written on the stakes in the field. With the sketch in hand, your superintendent can easily determine what was marked by the surveyor. This allows your field leaders to track the process, understand what's been completed and what's in progress, and puts everyone on the same page.
Below is a sample Layout sketch of what you should expect to receive from our surveyors: |
