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The day I forgot to check the original survey and redrew a whole property line
Back in 2018 I was working on a small residential plot in Austin and I thought I had the survey down cold. Took my field notes, sat at my desk, and started drafting the lot lines for a fence permit. Didn't double check the original county survey because I was in a hurry and the client was pushing. Turned out I had the east boundary six feet off from the old iron pin that was buried under a bush. Had to redo three sheets of my plot and the owner was not happy about the delay. Now I always walk the actual property and look for those old markers before I put a single line on paper. Anyone else ever trusted a digital file too much and gotten burned by a field reality check?
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juliahall1mo ago
You gotta get out there and kick the dirt yourself. That digital file is just a starting point. After I got burned on a fence line last year, I started doing a quick walkaround with a metal detector before I even open the software. Saves you from redoing all that work and keeps the client off your back.
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xena_kim1mo ago
Quick walkaround with a metal detector" - how often do you actually find buried markers that way?
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verap526d ago
Oh man, I found an old property pin that way last spring. Thought I was digging up a soda can, but nope, it was a brass cap from the 1950s. Probably saved me three hours of re-staking. Of course, half the time I just find bottle caps and rusty nails, but that one win keeps me going.
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