Any surveyors here?

I have a 40 acre parcel of land, perfect square. 1/4 mike on each side easily accessible, The local surveyor wants $2000.00 to survey it. One corner already has an "official" marker.

I imagine "they" use GPS now days, but how was it done prior to GPS?

PS sorry if this is i the wrong sub section

I had to ask hubby on this one - here is his answer:

-$2000 is about right - or even a little cheap.

Using a metal detector you should be able to locate the metal 'pins' or stakes that were used to mark the corners of the property. Without those metal markers you are really at the mercy of an official surveyor (you really are anyway).

Before GPS, and they still use these, the sight level that uses a prism is used to line up one location with the next location.

If you locate the metal markers on four corners and you are just using this to set up fence or boundaries a then you are good to go. But if you need this information to satisfy a legal requirement then you are pretty much stuck paying the surveyor.

Randy , we need more info.
I was told that it would cost $3000 just for the guy to show up ! So my brother and I did it ourselves. We have three corners but couldnt find the forth but did have a fifth one on the same line as the forth, that is the neighbors corner. One of us would stand at the corner post and the other would walk towards the other corner. The person at the first corner would line up the second person by keeping him in a straight line of sight. Marking the line as the second person walks.
On a 40 acre parcel one side should run north/south and one should run east /west from the corner. If you know the length of the sides,1/4 mile, you can measure out the distance , using a good compass, and get pretty close to the other two pins and from there get the forth. Do you know if the land was ever surveyed? If not you may not find any other pins.
Is it in a subdivision? Do neighbors or the seller know where any other corners are?
Sometimes you can look at a google map and see where the lines/ corners were if you are lucky. Look for a landmark nearby the pins. See if you can find them on the ground.

As Jeanine said this is only a rough survey , if it has to be official you have to have a surveyor.

we are very rural, land has not been surveyed before, this is for fencing. we have a rough estimate, but I want to be as close as possible, to not lose any land or encroach on the neighbors, thanks

for the replies.

It does not make sense that a survey would cost so much. Can you say "monopoly", I knew you could!

I've got a nice old transit and some other surveying equipment. if you pay to have it calibrated, and for me to get to your place, I could do the surveying for you. chances are good this would cost you more than you've been quoted already. and since I have no official certification, it would likely not satisfy any legal bodies.

I am certain that we all appreciate how difficult it can be to make a living now days. Sometimes, when we think that a particular cost is too high it is simply because we do not understand that particular profession.

I don't know how much the school to become a surveyor costs but here are just a few of the costs associated with the job - and all of this is low end cheap stuff.

Transit $5800+ , tripod and stick $650, prism $1000, $$ to stay certified in both the state and county that you are surveying, cheap software for database $780 , research platts at local courthouse, trasportation, fuel, auto insurance and vehicle maintanence to and from location.

Then you have to hope that you will get enough of these jobs to pay rent/mortgage, eat, etc. or maybe just do this part time and try to find another job doing something else so that you can pay bills.

Thanks for the offer, R