Before buying survey business software, ask the vendor to help you run a completed job through it—not just demonstrate a polished sample account. Recreate the inquiry, find the property, enter time, prepare an invoice, and take the records back out. Use your existing job file as the answer key. Treat the steps below as a
Test Survey Business Software With One Completed Job Before You Buy Read More »
The time to discuss underground utility documentation is before the contractor is ready to cover the installation. For an as-built record—a record of what was installed rather than simply what was designed—make survey coordination part of the work plan. FHWA warns that old site plans and as-built diagrams may be unreliable and that relying too
Before Backfill: Coordinating Survey Capture for Useful Utility As-Builts Read More »
Before using an existing survey to plan an addition or renovation, ask three questions: What was the drawing prepared to show? What might have changed since then? And what information will the agency reviewing your project require? Treat the survey’s date as something to investigate, not a stand-alone answer about whether to rely on it.
Can You Reuse an Existing Survey for a Home Improvement Project? Read More »
A distance calculated between survey coordinates does not always match the horizontal distance measured on site. That difference does not automatically mean either measurement is wrong: one may be a grid distance, while the other is a ground distance. The combined scale factor connects the two. Before a contractor or engineer combines survey and design
Grid Distance vs. Ground Distance: How Combined Scale Factors Connect Them Read More »
If your surveyor is retiring or handing work to another team, the scheduling question is specific: who will finish your project, and when will you receive what you need? Treat a staffing transition as a reason to confirm the plan—not as proof that your project will be delayed. For homeowners, buyers, contractors and engineers, the
Surveyor Retirements and Project Schedules: How to Check Local Capacity Read More »
A survey PDF can display a professional seal without answering the questions that matter at submission: Who authenticated it, can that authentication be checked, and is this the file the receiving agency wants? Before combining a survey with construction plans or uploading a permit package, separate the seal’s appearance from the document’s authentication. The safest
Signed, Sealed, and Digital: Preparing Survey Files for Agency Submission Read More »