| you re currently involved in the construction | | | | and devoid of obstructions. |
| process, for example having a home custom built, | | | | The land surveyor s responsibilities are many, |
| it may be difficult for you to tell the difference | | | | particularly when it comes to dealing with |
| between a surveyor and an engineer. Both visit | | | | engineering. Surveyors are often involved during |
| the site frequently to examine the work as it | | | | the blueprint drawing phase of the project, |
| progresses. A surveyor and an engineer will often | | | | providing GPS coordinates and other data for |
| be found working on the same project; these | | | | inclusion in the plans. This data will then be |
| two professions have complimentary skills, but | | | | referred to by the construction crews. |
| vastly different jobs, though the differences can | | | | Throughout the entire construction process, |
| be difficult to ascertain if you re not a trained | | | | surveyors ensure that the engineering plan is |
| professional. | | | | being followed, often down to mere millimeters of |
| An engineer may be trained in a variety of | | | | deviance away from the plans drawn by the |
| different types of construction, from aeronautical | | | | engineer, checking to make sure that the engineer |
| to architectural, and from mechanical to structural | | | | s structural plan is properly aligned in the correct |
| to electrical. Each type of engineer typically works | | | | location when it is actually constructed on the land. |
| on a particular type of construction project, or is | | | | Often known as as built or construction surveys, |
| involved in a particular step of the project. No | | | | this survey checks the location of every part of |
| matter what type of construction project it is, | | | | the structure against the engineer s plans. |
| the engineer will nearly always need to interact | | | | On the construction site itself, rarely will the |
| with a surveyor. | | | | survey be conducted by a single person. Even |
| A surveyor provides site information to both | | | | with today s technology, engineering projects |
| engineers and architects, allowing them to take | | | | usually require a team of surveyors to generate |
| site specific details into account when making their | | | | all of the distances and angles that need to be |
| plans. For example, the engineer determines how | | | | measured at a given site. This is particularly true |
| much weight a bridge can hold, while the surveyor | | | | as the project is being constructed, resulting in |
| provides input on precisely where the bridge | | | | many more possible measurements than the site |
| footings should be located on the land. The | | | | as vacant land. Wherever you find construction or |
| surveyor is nearly always called upon to survey | | | | an engineering project, you will invariably find one |
| the site before any construction or planning | | | | or a team of surveyors. Depending on the specific |
| begins. The survey undertaken by the land | | | | activities being undertaken at the site, the |
| surveyor provides basis to advise the engineers | | | | surveyors may be conducting a property survey, |
| on the optimum location for the structure. The | | | | a construction survey, an as built survey, a |
| engineer s drawings must take into account the | | | | topographic survey, or any number of other |
| actual lie on the land; the engineer cannot simply | | | | survey types, though you can bet that at least |
| assume that the land in question is perfectly flat | | | | one type of survey is involved in every project. |