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Building footprint on survey

P

Phil C

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Joined
Mar 10, 2022
Messages
34
Location
Bath, Maine
Hello, what does the building footprint on a survey represent, face of structure, finish face of exterior walls, or am I splitting hairs?
 
Welcome Phil,
Here's a definition taken from National building code for building area. Probably jives with the national building code
Building area means the greatest horizontal area of a building above grade within the outside surface of exterior walls or within the outside surface of exterior walls and the centre line of firewalls.
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Does that answer your question?
 
You’re kind of splitting hairs. The outline should show a reasonable location of the building, but there should be dimensions available to get it more exact. A lot of surveys i have seen show the dimensions in feet and tenths of a ft.
 
A survey by a land surveyor is not governed by the building code. What does the surveyor say he measured to?

When hiring a survey with a specific purpose of satisfying a planning or building code requirement it would make sense to address this issue but you cannot make such an assumption.
 
In our neck of the woods, it is typically to the face of the foundation.

As Mark pointed out, depending on the objective of the survey, it could be different though.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback! To add to my question, I have survey, and just wondering if I should make the foundation/face of framing the dimensions indicated on the survey or the finish face of the building which will likely be a few inches bigger. I think I came across this years ago and I am pretty sure it is the face of structure, but not sure enough.
 
If you’re only talking 3-4 inches … err on the side of caution. Use face of the finished wall. Might avoid an awkward situation later.
 
Phil C said:
Thanks for all of the feedback! To add to my question, I have survey, and just wondering if I should make the foundation/face of framing the dimensions indicated on the survey or the finish face of the building which will likely be a few inches bigger. I think I came across this years ago and I am pretty sure it is the face of structure, but not sure enough.
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Typically it is to the face of exterior wall. BUT, you will need to talk to the Surveyor.
 
I've always tried to keep the walls at least a foot inside the setback lines to allow a margin for errors.

I believe that a surveyor would measure to the face of the siding, which is usually an inch or two outside the foundation. Virginia surveying regulations just say "to principal walls".
 
I've been seeing the front of the house about a foot behind the build line which is pretty much the norm on plot plan surveys.
 
Pcinspector1 said:
Does anyone allow a stoop box or concrete stairs to be past the build line?
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This is what our policy is based on what has been enforced before. No pier or post past the setbacks. if less than 2', we consider the structure as landscape and don't regulate it unless it crosses the property line. In the case of a staircase coming from the building, it's a case by case judgment call. hope it helps
 
No one has mentioned ALTA surveys and their standards. Used in court to settle Title disputes and locations of features.
 
Paul Sweet said:
I've always tried to keep the walls at least a foot inside the setback lines to allow a margin for errors.

I believe that a surveyor would measure to the face of the siding, which is usually an inch or two outside the foundation. Virginia surveying regulations just say "to principal walls".
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Finally someone with some common sense! KILLS me when Architects design a house or contractors build right on the setback, easements etc lines. Its not a perfect world. Take an old 1925 subdivision for example. Lets assume those old surveyors set those old corners within tenth of a foot with chain and transit, and lets build right on the setback line, probably half drunk when they were out surveying. Always best to suck it in, amen.

My subdivision I am building right now is 1975 there is several tenths of a foot floating around. I sucked in my footing .5' so my visible stem wall is even further from the setback.

I shoot the foundation where plausible but a lot of the time its just shooting the siding/stucco, etc. Unless a customer is splitting hairs over an inch then I would be charging them to get out the magnifying glass at $250 an hour.

Its always best to hire a land surveyor to stake the building envelope, that way you put any liability into the Land Surveyors pocket. .
 
Too Bad the approach that William Penn used for Philadelphia wasn't the standard Approach.
Billy learned from the Great London Fire (Code Lessons there as well?) that people were fighting for years over a fraction of an inch after the Fire
So we (Philly, home of the Best Cheese-Steak Sandwiches) have an Area Standard where we have an "Extra" 3 or 4 inches per 100 feet for the surveyor to APPLY at their discretion
 
Genduct said:
Too Bad the approach that William Penn used for Philadelphia wasn't the standard Approach.
Billy learned from the Great London Fire (Code Lessons there as well?) that people were fighting for years over a fraction of an inch after the Fire
So we (Philly, home of the Best Cheese-Steak Sandwiches) have an Area Standard where we have an "Extra" 3 or 4 inches per 100 feet for the surveyor to APPLY at their discretion
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LOL! I say screw the survey all together get a damn beer and Philly Cheese Steak! I hate Surveying been in this ridiculous trade for 11 years my dad for 40. Its a needed trade but educating the public is the worst part about the job. The worst class of people is the California Bay Area! They can and do fight over an inch and their neighbor is always the ahole. "My neighbor a complete ahole" 9 times out of 10 they are the malicious ahole. "I have a boundary dispute with my neighbor they are building a fence" ok shoot me the site details and i will get back to you. NEXT CENTURY SUCKAAA.
 
Genduct said:
Too Bad the approach that William Penn used for Philadelphia wasn't the standard Approach.
Billy learned from the Great London Fire (Code Lessons there as well?) that people were fighting for years over a fraction of an inch after the Fire
So we (Philly, home of the Best Cheese-Steak Sandwiches) have an Area Standard where we have an "Extra" 3 or 4 inches per 100 feet for the surveyor to APPLY at their discretion
Click to expand...
Just lean the rod man! There is that 3 or 4 inches. Depending how hung over the crew chief is HAHAHA might work out in your favor
 
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