Site Engineering Ready Surveys in North Georgia

“Serving the Greater Atlanta and Chattanooga Area and everything in between”

Complete Data for Civil Engineering Design

Civil engineers can’t design what they can’t see. Before they plan grading, route utilities, design drainage systems, or lay out site improvements, they need accurate data about existing conditions. 

That’s what site engineering ready surveys provide – a complete package of boundary, topographic, and utility information in formats engineers can use immediately.

These surveys combine multiple data types into one comprehensive document. Property boundaries and easements. 

Terrain elevations and contours. Existing utilities and structures. Access points and constraints. Everything an engineering team needs to start design work without waiting for additional fieldwork or information.

What Engineers Actually Need

Engineering design requires specific information in specific formats. Property boundaries define the work area and establish setback limits. 

Topographic data shows terrain for grading and drainage design. Utility locations prevent conflicts with existing infrastructure. Existing structures and improvements affect site layout options.

Engineers also need to know about easements, rights-of-way, floodplains, wetlands, zoning requirements, and any other constraints that affect what can be built and where. 

Missing any of this information creates design problems that show up later when plans hit permitting or construction.

We’ve seen projects delayed for weeks because engineers started design work with incomplete survey data. 

They designed a building location that violated setbacks they didn’t know about. They routed utilities through easements where construction wasn’t permitted. 

They planned grading that didn’t account for actual site elevations. All of this costs time and money to fix.

A site engineering ready survey eliminates these problems by providing complete information upfront. Engineers can design with confidence, knowing the survey data is comprehensive and accurate.

What’s Included in Site Engineering Surveys

The survey starts with property boundaries – precise measurements of property lines, corners, and monuments. 

We verify boundaries against recorded deeds and adjacent property surveys. We locate and document easements, rights-of-way, and any encumbrances that affect the property.

Topographic information comes next. We collect elevation data across the site, creating contour maps that show terrain shape. 

The level of detail depends on project needs – simple projects might need 5-foot contours while detailed grading design requires 1-foot or 2-foot contours.

We locate existing improvements: buildings, paving, curbs, sidewalks, retaining walls, fences, signs. We identify utilities – water lines, sewer lines, storm drains, power lines, gas lines, phone and cable lines. 

Some utilities are visible, others require coordination with utility companies or subsurface investigation.

Site features get documented: trees (specimen trees or complete tree surveys depending on requirements), rock outcrops, streams, wetlands, drainage patterns. 

We note flood zones and regulatory buffers. We photograph site conditions for reference.

All of this information gets delivered in formats engineers use: CAD files compatible with design software, PDFs for reference and permitting, and sometimes 3D surface models for advanced design work.

Why Incomplete Surveys Cause Construction Delays

Construction delays are expensive. Contractors charge $2,000-5,000 per day when projects stop for reasons outside their control. 

Incomplete survey data causes delays when engineers discover missing information after design is underway or when contractors find site conditions that don’t match plans.

We’ve worked on projects where missing utility locations forced design changes mid-construction. 

The survey showed overhead power lines but missed underground water lines. When excavation started, contractors found the water lines right where footings were planned. 

The project stopped while engineers redesigned foundations and the contractor waited. Cost: three days of delay plus redesign fees.

Another project had topographic data that didn’t extend far enough beyond the building footprint. 

When engineers designed site grading, they discovered they needed elevation information 50 feet beyond what the survey provided. 

We had to return to the field for additional data, delaying the grading design by two weeks.

These problems are preventable. A comprehensive site engineering survey provides all the data needed from the start, eliminating delays caused by missing information.

North Georgia Site Challenges

North Georgia terrain creates specific challenges that site engineering surveys need to address. Steep slopes affect building placement, access design, and grading requirements.

 Rock outcrops limit excavation options and add costs if blasting becomes necessary.

Red clay soil drains poorly and erodes aggressively when disturbed. Engineers need accurate slope information to design erosion control measures and grading that manages stormwater properly. 

Underestimating slope or drainage issues leads to erosion problems, sediment violations, and expensive fixes.

Streams and wetlands are common and heavily regulated. Buffer requirements around these features restrict development and affect site layout. 

Missing or incorrectly located streams and wetlands in survey data creates permitting problems when environmental agencies review plans.

Existing development on adjoining properties matters. Where do neighbors’ buildings sit relative to property lines? What about their driveways, utilities, and drainage? 

This information affects design decisions and helps prevent conflicts with neighbors during construction.

Combining Survey Types Efficiently

Site engineering surveys combine boundary surveys, topographic surveys, and utility location into one coordinated package. 

This approach is more efficient than ordering separate surveys because we’re on site once instead of three times, and all the data gets coordinated and delivered together.

Boundary work establishes the legal property limits and easements. Topographic work documents terrain and elevations.

 Utility location identifies existing infrastructure. Tree surveys and environmental features get added as needed.

Everything gets referenced to the same coordinate system and delivered in compatible formats.

Engineers receive one comprehensive survey that answers all their questions about existing conditions. 

They’re not trying to combine boundary data from one surveyor with topographic data from another source with utility information from a third source. Everything is coordinated and consistent.

Digital Deliverables Engineers Can Use Immediately

Modern engineering design happens in CAD software and Building Information Modeling (BIM) platforms. Engineers need survey data they can import directly into these systems without redrawing or reformatting.

We deliver CAD files in formats engineers specify – typically AutoCAD DWG or DXF files with data organized in logical layers.

Boundary information on one layer, topographic contours on another, utilities on a third. Engineers can turn layers on and off as needed while they design.

Three-dimensional surface models let engineers design in 3D, testing how proposed improvements interact with existing terrain. 

They can calculate cut and fill volumes, check drainage patterns, and verify that designs work with site topography before construction starts.

We also provide traditional paper plats and PDF files for permitting, bidding, and field reference. 

Different project team members need different formats – engineers want CAD files, contractors want PDFs they can mark up, permit reviewers want sealed paper documents. 

We provide all of these from the same survey data.

Coordination with Engineering Teams

We work directly with civil engineering firms to ensure surveys meet their specific needs. Some projects need detailed utility information including depths and sizes. 

Others need extensive tree surveys or environmental feature documentation. Some require multiple site visits to capture changing conditions as site clearing progresses.

Early coordination prevents problems. If we know project requirements before starting fieldwork, we can collect all necessary data in one mobilization.

If special requirements come up after initial survey work, we can return to the field for supplemental information without starting from scratch.

We’re available to answer questions as design progresses. 

If engineers need clarification about survey data, additional measurements in specific areas, or field verification of design elements, we can provide that support throughout the design process.

Timing and Project Schedules

Site engineering surveys need to happen early in project timelines. Design work can’t start without survey data. 

Permitting applications require sealed surveys. Construction bidding requires accurate site information.

Most site engineering surveys take 1-3 weeks depending on property size and complexity. Simple sites with clear boundaries and minimal features can be surveyed quickly. 

Complex sites with difficult terrain, dense vegetation, or extensive existing development take longer.

Weather affects scheduling. Heavy rain makes sites inaccessible and affects survey equipment accuracy. 

Dense leaf cover in summer makes it harder to collect clean topographic data in wooded areas. Winter offers better visibility in forests but can bring weather delays.

Plan for adequate survey time in your project schedule. Rushing surveys to meet arbitrary deadlines often results in incomplete data that causes bigger delays later. 

Better to spend an extra week getting complete survey information than to save three days and create three-week delays during design or construction.

What You’ll Receive

You’ll get a comprehensive survey drawing showing property boundaries, topographic contours, existing improvements, utilities, site features, easements, and any constraints that affect development. 

The drawing will be sealed by a licensed surveyor, certifying accuracy based on fieldwork and research.

Digital CAD files in formats your engineering team specifies. Surface models if requested. PDFs for reference and distribution. 

All survey data referenced to established coordinate systems and benchmarks.

A written report documenting survey methodology, accuracy standards, and any field conditions that affect the property. 

If we identified issues during survey work – boundary discrepancies, unexpected easements, utility conflicts – these get documented with recommendations.

Cost and Value

Site engineering ready surveys typically cost $3,000-12,000 depending on property size, terrain complexity, level of detail required, and extent of utility investigation needed. 

A simple 2-acre commercial site might be $3,500. A complex 20-acre development site with detailed requirements might be $10,000.

These costs are minimal compared to construction budgets and the costs of inadequate information. 

Spending $8,000 on a comprehensive survey that prevents $50,000 in redesign costs and construction delays is straightforward math.

The survey also has value beyond the current project. When you want to expand or modify the site later, you start with accurate as-built documentation of existing conditions. 

Future engineers don’t need to recreate base survey data – they can build on what’s already documented.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t try to save money with bare-minimum surveys. Missing information always costs more to fix later than it costs to collect initially.

If your engineer says they need utility locations, get utility locations. If they need detailed topographic data, get detailed topographic data.

Don’t assume old surveys are adequate. Sites change over time. Buildings get added or modified. Utilities get installed or relocated. 

Terrain gets graded. Vegetation grows or gets cleared. Surveys need to reflect current conditions, not conditions from ten years ago when the last survey was done.

Don’t wait until the last minute to order surveys. Survey firms have schedules and workload. 

Rush jobs cost more and sometimes aren’t possible if we’re already committed to other projects. Plan ahead and order surveys with adequate lead time.

Don’t provide incomplete information to your surveyor. If there are specific requirements from your engineer, lender, or permitting agency, tell us upfront.

 Finding out halfway through that you need additional information requires remobilization and adds costs.

Why Complete Data Matters

Engineering design is only as good as the data it’s based on. Designs based on incomplete or inaccurate survey information fail when they encounter reality during construction. 

Footings end up in the wrong place. Utilities conflict with planned improvements. Grading doesn’t match actual terrain. Buildings violate setbacks.

All of these problems are preventable with comprehensive, accurate survey data provided to engineers before design starts. 

Site engineering ready surveys give engineers complete information so their designs work the first time, without expensive revisions or construction delays.

For more information regarding boundary surveys and other surveying services offered by The Land Surveying Company,

Please call us at 706-237-8319 or request a quote through our online quote form.

The Land Surveying Company provides site engineering surveys for commercial, industrial, and development projects throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky. We work regularly with regional civil engineering firms and understand what design teams need.

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We are a land surveying firm in Georgia dedicated to fast and friendly service in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. We service residential, commercial and industrial surveys.