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. |
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Helping you put the "super" in site superintendent
Your site superintendents are critical to your projects' success. He or she can be the conductor of a symphony or the ringmaster of a circus. Giving them the right tools to do their job effectively can determine which role they'll play.
V3 surveyors are more than just another trade on your site. We work with your superintendents to determine the most efficient way to do our work on your unique site, improve the flow of infrastructure improvements, and minimize re-staking.
Here are five things we do to improve site productivity:
1. We take the time to review our proposal with your superintendents. Your supers need to know how we bid our work so they have a clear understanding of our scope and role in the project.
2. We'll discuss with them their preferred way to communicate and forward copies of layout drawings and work requests.
3. We'll work with their schedule as much as we possibly can. Our agreements state that we need 48 hours notice to be on site, but we will try to accommodate requests for next-day activities whenever possible because we understand emergencies come up.
4. On bigger sites, we'll install a V3 mailbox at the construction trailer. Your superintendents can use this to pick up or drop off copies of work order tickets, plan sets from our office and layout drawings when no one is on site to receive them.
5. We'll work with them to determine the most efficient way to utilize our services and available site visits. If your supers contact us to request re-staking, for example, we may be able to minimize or eliminate this cost if we can perform scope work at the same time.
For more information on other surveying related topics, please contact Matt Kwiatkowski at 630.729.6226 or mkwiatkowski@v3co.com.
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Why do I need an Anchor Bolt Survey?
Once the foundation has been poured and the anchor bolts have been set, most clients ask us to perform an Anchor Bolt Survey. This survey shows differences between the center of a bolt pattern and the proposed column line intersections. Any discrepancies can be identified at this point and framing structures can be modified on the ground before they go up, saving a lot of time and aggravation in the field.
In addition, V3 surveyors will usually ask you for a copy of the shop drawing from the steel fabricator. This drawing, which shows proposed anchor bolt plate locations and plate details, is overlaid into the Anchor Bolt Survey so you only need to refer to one drawing to get the information needed to manage column placement and minimize installation headaches..
For more information on other surveying related topics, please contact Matt Kwiatkowski at 630.729.6226 or mkwiatkowski@v3co.com. |
Why don't you just use GPS for all layout?
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a fantastic navigational tool. Originally developed by the Department of Defense, it's evolved to the point where it sits on the dash of most cars and we obey its every directional command.
GPS has great surveying applications. We use it to accurately locate and map virtually any place on earth. So why not just use it on every project without limitations?
Here are a couple reasons why not:
1. GPS needs unobstructed access to satellite signals for optimum accuracy. It can't get accurate results under trees, inside buildings or near objects that block satellite signals. Surveyors often need accuracies of +/-0.02 foot (1/4 inch). We can get these kinds of results with GPS, but only under unobstructed conditions.
2. GPS provides fast, accurate horizontal results but good vertical results take much longer. The way GPS uses satellites and geometry to establish locations makes it more difficult to obtain vertical accuracies. Excavators can use GPS in their machines to grade entire sites within tolerance. But their vertical tolerance is often +/-0.10 foot, much greater than surveyors can afford to be off on a sanitary sewer or building foundation.
V3's surveyors use GPS equipment daily and understand its applications, capabilities and limitations. It will remain an important tool in our toolbox that will continue to be used when appropriate for your project needs.
For more information on other surveying related topics, please contact Matt Kwiatkowski at 630.729.6226 or mkwiatkowski@v3co.com.
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