use GPS to find fencing boundaries ?

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1101

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#214954 5-Jun-2017 12:15

Hi there.

Im trying to work out approx where the boundry is between me & the neighbour at the bottom of the section

I have a survey drawing from when another neighbour wanted to attach to the stormwater drains
That has co-ordinates on it (eg 83.24)

Can I use those co-ordinates & GPS to get a rough idea . The boundry pegs are long gone , Im not sure what a proper
survey would cost (I cant imagine it being cheap)

cheers

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#1794860 5-Jun-2017 12:28

To be honest using a home-user GPS will be just as accurate as looking at Google Earth satellite view and identifying landmarks e.g trees, paths to relate the coordinates to what's on the ground.

The main trick is to figure out what coordinate system those coordinates are recorded in. Once you do that, you could use this website to convert them to something like 'World geodetic system 1984' which you can then plug into the address search in Google Maps/Earth

http://apps.linz.govt.nz/coordinate-conversion/

Another option is your local council's online GIS maps which should show indicative boundaries on satellite imagery

Without getting a surveyor involved, there is always a risk that you'll place the fence a meter or two to the wrong side

elpenguino

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#1794868 5-Jun-2017 12:35

totes, normal gps is nowhere near dependable enough for this job. You need one of the surveyors units with differential correction ($5K ish).

You also need to be authoritative enough to interpret the information.

Depending on the size of the properties, a small error is inconsequential. Could you engage with your neighbour and get their agreement on the fence's location?

If you can't agree , then you need an authority (e.g. a surveyor) to settle the case. Surveyor will cost mid to upper hundreds depending on complexity of the job.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

1101

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#1794904 5-Jun-2017 13:05

The neighbour hired some hack(?) who simply used a laser & pointed that down the section , despite all the trees etc that would have blocked
the laser light .
Basicly , neighbour is going via eyeball . They are determined the laser method was accurate .

I have a survey drawing I was given that does show the laser was off by at least a metre, just from where manhole is in my drawing compared to laser method

= on the subject of manholes ,
There is a open stormwater drain between the sections, partly open , partly large pipes
Neighbors plan is to cover the open stormwater drain(creek) with a wooden deck & cover the manhole with the decking , and have a screw in
trapdoor for access to the manhole.

Can open stormwater drains just be covered up like that ? Even if they have access via a trap door in a decking?
Neighbours are determined to do it & cover the creek with a deck despite me advising against it

the council do occasionally come & inspect the drain & manhole.

1101

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#1794907 5-Jun-2017 13:22

nickb800:

Another option is your local council's online GIS maps which should show indicative boundaries on satellite imagery

That GIS map was sort of helpfull, except the Arial overlay is at least 5+ years out date . Large trees , now gone, make it hard to use.
I guess I'll go by the surveyors drawing I have. Its for several sections but is good start

Cheers

Bung

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#1794916 5-Jun-2017 13:40

1101:
The neighbour hired some hack(?) who simply used a laser & pointed that down the section , despite all the trees etc that would have blocked
the laser light .
Basicly , neighbour is going via eyeball . They are determined the laser method was accurate .

I have a survey drawing I was given that does show the laser was off by at least a metre, just from where manhole is in my drawing compared to laser method

Does your drawing show the drain clearly on one side of the boundary? The open drain may cut across the boundary forcing compromises on the location of the fence.

You can bypass trees that block line of sight. The trick is maintaining a parallel offset. Small errors quickly turn into metres.

Edit I have an as built sewage plan with the inspector's measurements to a boundary peg. A neighbour was telling me that the pipes were on his land based on the aerial imagery until I pointed out that the 2m he was claiming to the South would also be lost from his Northern boundary following that logic. The peg has since been found proving the error matching the image to the map.

elpenguino

3421 posts

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#1794918 5-Jun-2017 13:47

1101:

The neighbour hired some hack(?) who simply used a laser & pointed that down the section

Firstly IANAL

There's the thing, anybody can build a fence anywhere they like. If you disagree and you cannot reach agreement you seek redress through the courts. Unless you're the kind to turn up with your chain saw while the neighbour is at the shops and get busy.

If the 'surveyor' has some kind of accreditation then you can accept that. If not you're back to the courts.

FWIW I wouldn't go building anything over a storm water structure. There's probably an easement on the property so the council could order its' destruction.

Hopefully this won't turn (more) septic for you and your neighbour's relationship.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

Amosnz

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#1794925 5-Jun-2017 14:27

I have a friend who works at a surveyor place (he's in IT), he organised a guy from there to come find and mark my boundaries as a cashy. He had all the pro gear and cost a couple hundred to do. If I'd wanted the survery to be registered for legal exercises it needed to go through the company, but I wanted to know just for my own interest.

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nickb800

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#1794926 5-Jun-2017 14:29

In short, if the aim is to disprove the neighbours' hack with a laser, then anything short of a surveyor won't cut it - it would just become he said she said. If you care about the 1 meter or so, then you probably have to go the surveyor route, and sounds like you'll have trouble getting them to chip in for it.

Is the stream and manhole on your property? Covering it up sounds dodgy, but if it wasn't on my property then I would probably let it slide for risk of agitating the relationship further. If it's on both properties, then I think it's fair to check in with council, to ensure that you aren't liable if they were to prosecute/fine for covering the waterway (not sure that's possible but I'd want to cover my behind just in case).

andrewNZ

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#1794944 5-Jun-2017 16:13

never mind, I need to read before I post.

neb

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#1794992 5-Jun-2017 18:06

1101:
Im trying to work out approx where the boundry is between me & the neighbour at the bottom of the section

Is this a benign or hostile situation? I've just had a pile of work done that required getting access via the neigbour's section, I donated a bit of time on the digger to getting a some stuff done on their section and everything was fine. I'm lucky enough that they're very nice neighbours and were OK with it, but resolving it in an amicable manner was much better than trying to sort out where the boundary line ran and who had to deal with what.

1101

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#1794993 5-Jun-2017 18:13

1101

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#1795000 5-Jun-2017 18:29

I managed to get that pic off the council site (above)
The trees are no longer there , in bottom corn of section

It clearly shows manhole & stormwater on my side at the bottom . Same as on the survey
drawing I had.
Never been an issue untill now, with previous neighbours allways been the assumption the stormwater/creek was good enough boundry, as 1M either side isnt
usuable anyway.

Its all friendly at this stage, but he clearly isnt happy about his crazy plans running into disputes .
They also want to use my section to give the diggers easy access , thats OK but not when the section is water sodden, it will get torn up.

I had a another look at the fence they ran the laser off, even that is obviously not straight (curves in ), something that an idiot
would be able to see. Again, the sort of thing that no one cared about till now, the fence was just put where it was easiest given the open drains.

They are convinced the laser sighting was accurate and were the old fence ended was dead on the boundry.
Its just a land grab on there part,as they admitted to . If they want to cover the stormwater, that does affect me I guess.

I'll go & see the council tommorow.
Neither of us will want to pay the big $ for a proper survey, so will have to be a compromise , rather than a land grab.

Bung

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#1795007 5-Jun-2017 18:42

Maybe you could ask the Council how confident they are that the manhole is placed as shown.

I have a sewage easement and the line of the pipe is known but the placement of the manholes is not exact. Last time they couldn't find it they added a new one as it was easier than digging to find the existing one.

neb

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#1795009 5-Jun-2017 18:44

1101:
They also want to use my section to give the diggers easy access , thats OK but not when the section is water sodden, it will get torn up.

It's not just when it's water sodden, any digger going across it before summer returns is going to churn it to paste. Rule of thumb at the moment is at least 4-5 days of good drying weather (ideal is sun + wind) before you can do much with a digger. What I've had to do is scrape the top layer of sodden earth off the section, wait a few days for it to dry at least slightly, and then replace and re-surface with clean (dry) topsoil that can be raked flat and re-sown with grass seed.

Obviously this depends on the soil you're on, it's all clay here so drainage is a problem. Two days after heavy rain it's still like walking across toothpaste unless you're scraped the top layer off first.

lapimate

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#1795048 5-Jun-2017 21:05

1101: ... Neither of us will want to pay the big $ for a proper survey, ...

But you will need only 1 boundary line verified by a certified surveyor won't you, ie not a full survey? Not expensive in my experience, and besides neighbour will have to share the cost because they cannot proceed without a survey if you object and they can't point out the boundary pegs. Being too forgiving may give you problems later if you ever want to sell your property.

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