Self-Build Home Tips: Do You Need a Set Out Survey?
Deciding to build your own house gives you complete control over the build process; however, you may need some outside help during certain parts of the project. For example, you may find it useful to hire land surveyors to run a set out survey on your plot. What does this kind of survey tell you and what are the advantages?
What Are Set Out Surveys?
Set out surveys are typically done after plans have been approved and before construction work starts on a building project. Your surveyor basically takes your plans and physically marks them out on your building plot to show where things should go. So, for example, a survey may mark your boundary, the position of excavation points and the location of your walls.
Self-Build Set Out Survey Advantages
While you don't have to have a set out survey done before building, it may be worth doing, especially if you don't have much experience of building a home from scratch. You'll have a plan that shows how your house will look and you'll have a picture in your mind of the finished build. Getting from the plan to your dream house may not be as simple as you think without a set out survey.
This kind of survey essentially puts the plan you have on paper on to the ground on which you'll build. This ensures that your home will end up being built where and how it was supposed to; it'll also make sure that you stick to your plot's boundaries. This could help you avoid problems down the line if your home doesn't exactly conform to its approved plans or if you have a boundary dispute with a neighbour, for example.
In a self-build where you act as your own project manager, then this survey isn't just useful to you but will also help any contractors you employ to take on parts of the build. You may be using different companies and individual contractors at different times to help with different parts of the house. A set out survey gives all of them the same formal and physical points of reference that they know they must follow. This can help you keep your build on track and on plan more effectively.
Tip: If you think you can start your build without a set up survey or a plot mark-out because you know exactly what should go where, then think about what professional house builders would do. Chances are, if you'd hired a house building company to build your home, then the company would do its own set out survey or would hire a surveyor to mark out project guidelines.