Tips For Using A Land Survey To Redesign Your Landscape At Home

While land surveys tend to be performed by topographers and other scientists, you can also use a land survey to help you redesign your landscape at home. Here are a few ways using surveying can help. 

Measuring the Area Correctly

When you want to landscape an area, you need to know exactly how large it is. To do this, you need to perform a survey, because unless your land is flat, measuring the distance from the start of your property to the end without considering hills and dips will result in inaccurate measurements. 

If your land is on a simple slope, you can use poles attached to string to make the measurements. You'll need string and extendable or various sizes of poles to do this accurately. Here's how:

  1. Start at the front of your property, working backward. Tie off the string to a pole and insert it into the ground. 
  2. Carry a second pole with the same string attached and extend it several meters. 
  3. Place that pole into the ground, making sure the two poles are at the same height. 
  4. Now, measure the string's length. That's an accurate measurement. 

Knowing the Dips and Curves 

Part of landscape design is knowing how to incorporate dips and curves. With a land survey, you can measure the slope of the hills on your property, so you know how they fit into the design you're creating. 

While it's easier to use topographic and surveying equipment to do this, you can still measure your hills with the same equipment as before. You'll need to do a little math for this step. 

  1. Start by placing your wooden rod with the tied string at the bottom of the slope. 
  2. Measure the height of the string on the pole; this needs to be the same height where you tie it off on your second pole for accuracy. That means that the first pole may need to be several feet tall to reach the same height as the top of the hill. 
  3. Place your second pole at the top of the slope, tying off the string so it's level. 
  4. Calculate the slop by identifying how high your first pole is and how long the distance is across the string. For example, if the first pole had to be raised 50 centimeters and your string is a meter long, then your slope is a grade of 50 percent.

These tips can help you accurately survey your landscape, so you can make the changes you'd like. Try them; with some patience, you'll be able to measure every nook and cranny. If your property is especially complex, you may be better off hiring a professional like Great Lakes Engineering to take care of the survey for you.


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