Surveying Services for the General Public
Axis Surveys offer a broad range of Surveying and Town Planning services throughout SE Qld and across the border into northern NSW. Our experienced team can help you with any type of project big or small, however, we tend to specialise in small to medium jobs, and utilise a team of proven associated consultants to ensure all aspects of your project are planned and organised. Our experience in dealing with numerous small to medium projects since 1987 is working away in the background to ensure your job or project runs smoothly, and we do what we can to identify potential problems and to assist you in dealing with them. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your project. Initial consultations are free, with all our following work quoted and agreed to prior to commencement.
Contour and Detail Surveys
Contour and detail surveys (also referred to as a topographic surveys), give a true representation of the shape, features and services of a particular site. They normally include manmade improvements, trees and natural features, and if required adjoining property information. Contour / detail surveys are the basis of house and building design, and assist with the determination of council’s definition of “Ground Level”, and are normally related to the Australian Height Datum (AHD), particularly in flood prone areas. Contour / detail surveys are normally only orientated using the existing fencing and not the true boundaries, unless specifically requested or required.
Boundary Survey Work
Remarking or offsetting the boundaries of your existing property in QLD legally requires that an “Identification Survey” plan showing the survey work undertaken be prepared and lodged with the Department of natural Resources & Mines (DNR&M),. Identification Surveys are more common in older areas and when building on or near the boundaries, with cost depending on the age of the property, the size, the location and the characteristics of a particular site, and also its proximity to more recent survey work. Identification Surveys also include the location of any structures or improvements in close proximity to the boundaries, and on occasion will show encroachments (when a structure or an improvement is found to extend over the property boundary), onto or by the subject site. Knowing where your property boundaries are is critical for any setout of new building work or extensions, and particularly if looking at purchasing a property. It is far better to know if there are any encroachments onto or by a property before you purchase it. Please contact us on 33638100, for a quotation or more advice in relation to your particular situation.
Subdivisions
Subdivisions (also known as reconfiguring a lot), also includes boundary realignment, and is the process of making an application to the local authority to create additional lots or realign existing lots, and following the process all the way from designing a layout plan through to registration of new titles. The development process is complex, and with knowledge and experience in this field Axis Surveys is well placed to guide you through the maze of issues in dealing with councils and other regulatory bodies. Using our team of associated consultants ensures all aspects of your project runs smoothly, and is planned and organised to achieve the best result possible. Any subdivision will require a new survey plan that creates the new lots, and this plan must be “Sealed” or approved by council, and then lodged for examination and registration in the Department of Natural Resources & Mines (DNR&M), and Axis Surveys is able to manage this whole process from concept through to the issue of the new titles.
Height Certificates & “Ground Level” Definition
Height Certificates are normally done to confirm the height of floor slabs or roof heights relative to AHD or relative to the Local Council’s definition of “Ground Level”. Determining “Ground Level” is a process that must be undertaken by a Consulting Cadastral Surveyor and should be determined before any design or construction work is commenced as most local authorities have limitations on how high a building can be constructed.
Project Assistance
We offer a wide range of assistance to you with your development project, and can give you as little or as much assistance as you need. We can assist with council pre-lodgement meetings, development applications, arranging and managing other consultants or contractors. Axis Surveys is now an accredited SealSMART Consultant for the Brisbane City Council, which is a new innovation to reduce the time taken for survey plans to be approved by the BCC, once all conditions have been complied with.
Australian Height Datum (AHD) & Flood Level Plans
AHD is in simple terms, the height of a particular spot above sea level. It can be determined by levelling from known Permanent Survey Marks (PSM’s), or by GPS or GNSS observation. AHD is critical in flood prone or drainage problem areas, or when needing to connect into services such as sewer or stormwater , or when determining “Ground Level” for house design purposes. With a known flood level we can mark the level on the ground or prepare a suitable plan showing the extent of flooding on a site.
Location Certificate
This service involves locating an existing structure or feature in relation to the property boundaries and preparing and certifying a suitable plan to accompany the location certificate.
Building Setout Work
From approved building plans we calculate and setout as many corners of a new structure or an extension as required and supply a setout certificate, certifying that the required setout points have been placed in the correct approved location, in relation to the boundaries. Our setout calculations are done within the office to ensure we identify any problems that can be resolved with your builder, Architect or building designer before we go to site. We can often setout a new structure and supply a certificate without needing to replace survey pegs or undertake an identification survey, however, this normally applies in newer areas (less than 10 years old), or when the building works are well clear of the boundaries. In situations where the property is in an older area or where the new structures are to be on or near the boundary (300mm or less, off the boundary), we may need to do an identification survey and remark the boundaries prior to completing any setout work on site.
Development / Project Feasibility Studies
We, our experienced Town Planners and other associated professionals can assist in any stage of the development process from the initial site analysis and suitability, preparing and lodging a suitable application to council, and in negotiating the final approval conditions with council. We can assist with the preparation of project feasibility studies, and lot design and layout. Let us help you to understand what can and can’t be done on a particular site before you commit to buy it. It is simply not worth the risk of assuming you can achieve the same outcome as a close neighbour on your site, every site is different, and the rules change regularly. Get the right advice before you buy.
Unit or Town House Developments
Axis Surveys provides a wide range of services in relation to Community Title subdivisions and in certain situations subdivision can occur without the need for a body corporate. To subdivide a lot to create separate titles within a building or to subdivide units within a building is normally achieved through a Building Format Survey, which would typically include duplex or triplex developments and multi storey buildings, and is commonly referred to as “Strata Titling’”. Town House developments of one or more storeys can be titled using a Standard Format Plan, which in simple terms is a subdivision of land, and in the past was known as a “Group Title” development. Please contact us on 33638100, for a quotation or more advice in relation to your particular situation
Encroachments & Boundary Dispute Resolution
The existence and the extent of an encroachment on or by a particular property normally requires that an identification or part identification survey be undertaken to re-establish the property boundary or boundaries, and to show any encroachments (should any exist). The bulk of disputes between neighbours is usually over the location of a fence, retaining wall, structure, gutter line, building, tree etc, and this can usually be resolved by the undertaking of an identification survey that will show structures on or near the boundary in relation to the actual boundary. Axis Surveys has been involved in numerous disputes between neighbours and do our best to assist both neighbours to fully appreciate the issues at hand and to do what can be done to avoid litigation. Should litigation become the only way to resolve a dispute between neighbours, we are happy to assist our clients through this process as painlessly as possible. Please contact us on 33638100, for a quotation or more advice in relation to your particular situation.
Pre Purchase / Due Diligence Surveys
A pre-purchase property check is a service we offer to property buyers to ensure they are buying the correct property as described on the contract and to perform basic reinstatement of a site’s boundaries to check if there are any likely encroachments on or by the subject property that may require further investigation. An encroachment is a building, structure, retaining wall and possibly a fence that are positioned over a property boundary. This service is similar to engaging a mechanic to check over a car before you buy it. Don’t assume the fences are correct or the improvements on site are clear of the boundaries, have the property checked out by a Surveyor before you buy it. A pre-purchase property check could potentially save a major financial disaster. Your Solicitor has no way of knowing if a property has encroachments unless a Surveyor is engaged to check it out. As a general rule, the older the area the higher the risk of encroachments and the fences being out of position. Have the boundaries checked before you buy a property, as the fences can not be relied upon as being on the boundary.
Town Planning Services
Axis Surveys, through our preferred Town Planning Consultants, can provide desirable outcomes for all types of developments, including subdivisions, boundary re-alignments, multi unit dwellings and town houses, and industrial and commercial developments. Please contact us for more information.
Project Feasibility
Axis Surveys and our proven team of consultants can undertake an assessment or property investigation on a particular site, either before or after you purchase it. We can identify site constraints and opportunities and prepare an evaluation of the suitability of the site for your intended use, including costings and expected timeframes. We can assist you to find the right property by identifying potential problems before you start.Ready to Order?
To order any of our services, or to make an enquiry, please call us or send an email.
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