Measured on the ground,
marked where you can see it.
One visit, one plan
Sites
Which sites a visit suits
A visit suits a house plot, a garden boundary, a builder's setting-out, or a small land purchase within 40 km of 14 Ferrow Lane. You do not need a quote before anyone comes. The hour on the ground shows whether a boundary survey, a pin reset, setting-out or a topographic survey is the right next step.
A plot before you build
The plot is still empty. Stakes may already be in, or they may not. The corners are walked, any pins are looked for, and a house footprint can be marked for the builder to set out from. Setting-out for a builder is one visit, with stakes and offsets, at $720.
A boundary read two ways
A fence or a hedge can sit off the recorded line. The deeds are read with you, and the old pins are looked for under turf or paving. A residential boundary survey covers up to 1,000 m², with pins found or reset, and a plan that Ines Calloway signs.
Land you are about to buy
Before a small land purchase is completed, the ground can be walked. The slope, the corners and anything an old plan does not show are noted on site. A topographic survey covers up to 2,000 m², with levels every 5 m and a plan with contours, at $1,650.
Not for us: court disputes and estates over 2 ha; we will name someone who does them.
The hour
How the hour on the ground is spent
60
min on site
5
stages
1
plan
0–10 min
At the gate the deeds and any old plan are read together. Hana Sørli has already pulled the record, so the papers in your hand and the papers in ours can be set side by side before anyone walks. If a pin is named, its place in the record is noted before the search begins.
10–25 min
The line is walked with you, looking for the pins already in the ground. Turf, a flower bed or the edge of a driveway often hides a cap. You can point out the fence and the corner you want checked. Nothing is shot until that walk is finished.
25–40 min
Tomasz Reyes sets the tripod and shoots the pins and the corners. The total station is on the lot only for this middle part of the hour. Felix Marlowe stays on the line with him and marks each point that has to be found again before the team leaves.
40–50 min
What was found is marked with stakes, string and caps you can see. The string is the line. The caps sit on the pins. Nothing important is left that exists only on a screen. From the plot, the marks are where they were set.
50–60 min
The field sketch is folded out, and both sides agree what, if anything, comes next. The sketch and a written note are yours that day. A further survey is booked only if you ask for it. The measured plan then follows within 10 working days, as a PDF and one paper copy.
On the ground
Most of the hour is walking. The instrument only comes out once we have seen the line.
Owners & builders
Two kinds of client, one visit
Owners
Corinne Abara asked about a neighbour's new fence on her plot. It sat 40 cm inside the line. On the visit the deeds were read at the gate, the boundary was walked, and two old pins were found under the turf. The marks left behind were stakes, string and caps, so the line could be seen from the garden without waiting for the plan.
“The fence was new and it sat 40 cm inside the line. The two pins were under the turf. Once they were capped I could see the line from the garden.”
Corinne Abara, owner
Builders
Merrow & Daughters Build asked for setting-out on a 1-in-8 slope. The house footprint was marked in one visit, with stakes and offsets, before the digger came. The string was there for the crew to check. The fee for that visit is $720, the published price for a builder's footprint.
“It was a 1-in-8 slope. The offsets and the string were marked before the digger came, and the crew could check the line without a second visit.”
Rhea Merrow, Merrow & Daughters Build
Take away
What you leave with
Three things leave with you, and each one can be held or seen on the plot.
The field sketch is folded out in the last part of the hour and stays with you that day, together with a short written note of what was found.
The marked line is the stakes, the string and the pin caps left on the ground. They remain after the team is back on Ferrow Lane, so the boundary is not only a file.
The measured plan follows within 10 working days. You receive a PDF and one paper copy. An extra folded A2, posted, is $25. If a survey is booked within 60 days, the $180 visit fee is credited in full.
Fees
Fees, hours and area
Six prices, in USD, for work within 40 km of 14 Ferrow Lane. Each row is the service, what it covers, and the price.
| Service | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Site visit, the hour on the ground | 60 min on site, field sketch, written note | $180 |
| Boundary survey, residential plot | up to 1,000 m², pins found or reset, signed plan | $1,250 |
| Pin reset | one missing pin with an existing record | $160 per pin |
| Setting-out for a builder | house footprint, one visit, stakes and offsets | $720 |
| Topographic survey | up to 2,000 m², levels every 5 m, plan with contours | $1,650 |
| Extra paper copy of a plan | folded A2, posted | $25 |
The $180 visit fee is credited in full if a survey is booked within 60 days. The office is open Mon–Fri 8:30–17:30. Field visits run Mon–Sat, with start times from 7:30 to 15:00. Travel beyond 40 km is quoted before booking. The office is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Notes
Stories from the field
Stories and field notes from work around Brookmere. A story is one plot that was measured. A field note is something to have ready before the team arrives. The stories are the fence that sat 40 cm inside the line, a footprint on a slope, one garden divided for two houses, and the pin under the driveway. The field notes are what to have ready at the gate, and why spring and autumn fill first.
FAQ
Before you book
Do I need to be there?
Yes. The middle of the hour is a walk of the line with the owner, and the closing minutes are the field sketch agreed together. If you cannot be there, book a start time when you can, Mon–Sat, between 7:30 and 15:00. Priya Nandakumar takes the booking.
What if it rains?
The visit still goes ahead when the ground can be walked. Rain does not change the five stages or the $180 fee. If you would rather wait for a dry morning, say so when you book and Priya Nandakumar will offer another start time between 7:30 and 15:00.
Will you talk to my neighbour?
A neighbour is spoken to only if you ask, and only about the pins and the line. Court disputes are not taken, and neither are estates over 2 ha; someone who does that work will be named. On the visit itself the hour is spent with you.
Is the visit fee credited?
Yes. The $180 for the hour on the ground is credited in full if a survey is booked within 60 days. That survey may be a boundary survey, a pin reset, setting-out or a topographic survey booked from the visit.
How far do you travel?
Plots within 40 km of the office at 14 Ferrow Lane, Brookmere, are the work of the firm: house plots, garden boundaries, builders' setting-out and small land purchases. Beyond 40 km, travel is quoted before booking. There is no fixed travel figure, because the journey sets it. Sundays and public holidays the office is closed.
Request a visit
Book an hour on your plot
Send the address of the plot, and the deeds or an old plan if you have either. Name two dates that suit you.
Field visits run Mon–Sat, with start times from 7:30 to 15:00. Priya Nandakumar replies within one working day.
The visit is $180 and is credited in full if a survey is booked within 60 days.