Why Site Surveys Are Essential Before Starting Construction in NZ
Construction projects involve many stages, from planning the structure to completing the finishing touches. However, before you even begin to break ground for your foundation, you need to hire a professional surveyor to conduct a construction survey.
Why are surveys so crucial before starting construction? An accurate survey can improve everything from safety to compliance, keeping your project on track while preventing expensive and time-consuming mistakes.
Why You Should Survey Your Land Before Building On It
Why are surveys vital before construction starts?
Identifying Potential Issues. It can be a challenge for untrained individuals to spot land issues by themselves. Even if a plot of land looks perfectly safe, there could be underlying problems like unstable soil and flood risks. These problems can make your structure unsafe and could put both the structure and everyone in and around it in danger.
A professional surveyor can survey the land and identify all issues that you should know about. Then, when you’re more informed, you can decide the best way to proceed with your project. Taking precautions for these issues will prevent dangerous incidents in the future, protecting your investment.
Ensuring Total Compliance. It’s absolutely paramount that you ensure your plans are fully compliant with Auckland Council and New Zealand regulations. Your development must meet zoning, resource consent and building code requirements.
If your project goes against any building laws, you could face some serious delays and costly penalties. A construction survey helps avoid these problems, ensuring your new structure is legally sound and where it’s allowed to be.
If you’re struggling with resource consent applications, speak to your surveyor for professional assistance. They can use their experience and local knowledge to support you.
Accurate Land Measurements. Before you build anything on your land, you need to know exactly how large your land is and where your property boundaries are. This is because building over your property lines can lead to legal disputes and angry neighbours. Then, you might have to spend even more time and money fixing and redesigning the structure you already built.
Having a construction survey conducted before you build anything will ensure that your structures are positioned correctly without going onto neighbouring properties. When designing your new structure, you should also consider factors like privacy when positioning your building. Having it too close to your property boundaries may be awkward and hinder you and your neighbour’s privacy.
Building a fence along your property lines can also make it much easier to remember where your property ends while improving safety and privacy on your land. If you do plan to build a fence, remember to build it inside your property lines rather than on top of them. This way, you can avoid accidentally going over.
Planning For Utility Connections And Infrastructure. Remember to not just consider the structure itself but also think about utilities and infrastructure. Construction surveys identify underground utilities like water, electricity and gas lines to prevent your construction team from damaging them.
On top of avoiding damage, understanding local infrastructure lets you design efficient drainage and wastewater systems.
Plan on how your new structure will connect to local roads and how you will incorporate essential features like parking spaces. As always, be sure your new infrastructure is compliant and you’re allowed to conduct roadwork.
Improving Efficiency And Cost Management. Identifying issues and opportunities early on will streamline your planning process. When you understand the ins and outs of your land, you can better plan and budget for your construction project.
Conversely, without a survey, you may run into issues with drainage, land stability, etc. These problems aren’t just annoying; they can also be costly and time-consuming to handle.
Surveys are a way for you to learn more about your land before you begin to alter it in any way. With the correct information, you can choose the best ways to reach your goals.
Enhancing Worker Safety. When your team understands the land they’re working on, they can better prepare for potential problems. For example, understanding that the land is unstable will let your construction workers prepare for possible landslides or instability. Everyone can prepare for the risks that are present on the site while getting work done.
Overall, a construction survey empowers you to make your worksite safer. Construction workers who are working in a safe, well-prepared environment are more likely to avoid accidents, stay on task and produce high-quality results.
Having Your Auckland Land Surveyed Before Construction Starts
As you can see, surveying your land is a smart move that can improve safety, accuracy, compliance and more. If you’re planning a construction project soon, we welcome you to contact our team of surveyors at Fluker Surveying.
Along with construction surveys, we also have experience with land development planning, civil engineering and so much more. You can reach us on 09 427 0003 or use our website to send us a message.
Fluker Surveying: Trust us for precise surveying services in Auckland.
