Property stakes

[Bobcdn]

We are going to extend our current 1 car garage to a 2 car garage to be used as a woodworking shop. So I need to find the property stakes so that I can determine the width of the addition.

I found the rear stake on the opposite side of the yard and when I measured over the 70 feet its almost a foot over into the next yard. I dug down quite a ways on our side and was not able to find a stake.

I am going to talk to the people next door to see if they know where the stakes are.

Also, does anyone know how far back from the curb the front stake is located?

We called about getting a surveyor to come and locate and mark the stakes and they quoted $500 + tax just to mark them- no paper work! I figure we can dig a pretty big hole for $500.

[Mike in Waubaushene]

It all depends on the width of the street right of way. Call the city office and find out the right of way width. Measure from the middle of the street with half of the width. It's a starting point. If you know where your back corner is, measure up that side until you get to the known depth of the property. Find a good metal detector. That will pinpoint it.

[Donald]

You should get a copy of your original survey plan (it will show lot dimensions and bearing angles). Since you have one rear corner, measure from it to find the street pin location.
Additionally, there will be a survey plot plan which shows location of improvements. Mortgage and municipal agencies want to make sure that improvements are within the boundaries and lot coverage (% age) and setbacks are correct.
Don't assume that everything is according to the book.
PS quite often original survey pins have been destroyed by landscaping, lot grading, etc.
Cheers...DonJ

[dave_k]

Don't go by any stakes you find. property lines are denoted by iron bars in the ground and every property doesn't have one. Sometimes a surveyor has to pull a line off a marker many properties away to locate your exact property line.

If you don't have a legal survey you can get a copy of the latest survey at the land registry office or directly off the land surveyor who laid out your subdivision if you know who did it. You can estimate the property lines on your drawings however you may need an OLS to lay out and verify the building is where you proposed it to be in relation to the true property line. OLS's offer a service where they lay out your building corners and then come back to verify it when you've got the foundation in.

[Lyndsay]

This is probably a one of, but here goes. I had one stake located and wanted to find the other stake 400' away through the woods. Because it is a recreational property, and I was in recreation mode....I took a kite string and after tapping two nails ten feet apart, wrapped the string around the nails forty times. Marked off the 400' mark and tied it to the found stake. The cartoon said the other stake would be in line with 278 degrees on the compass, so I set the compass for 278 and with the string in one hand and the compass in the other.....and when the string ran out ...there was the stake!

[the_other_ken]

A little trick my surveying friends have done. They don't dig down for the pins as they may have rusted away. They carefully dig across the area where the pin should be, pushing the shovel horizontally removing the earth layer by layer. They watch for a round rust stain in the ground and that is where the pin was.

[Bobcdn]

The 'stake' I found was actually a square iron bar.

I also went and picked up a copy of the subdivision plan from 1956 and it shows our lot as a perfect rectangle- 110' deep and 70' at the front and 70' at the rear. There are no angle to deal with.

So when I measured 70' from the iron bar in the rear corner it ends about a foot into the yard next door. The people next door are the original owners so I am going to talk to them the next time I see them and see if they know where the other iron bar is or what they have to say about the property line.

[Rusty]

Somewhere you should have an RPR, Real Property Report. It's the survey that pinpoints your house on your property. It will show how far the corner of your foundation is from the property lines on both sides and the front and back. Do not depend on the pin you found. They are often moved or bent by machinery digging the excavation.

[Darrell Pink]

Hey Bobcdn, $500.00 may sound like a lot to locate your property bars, but it is money well spent. The bar that you found could be a 'witness bar' which usually does not represent a true corner bar. Or it could be a reserve bar again not a true lot corner bar. Your subdivision is older so what I am about to say may not apply. Look for your water service curb stop in your front yard, look to see where your neighbours are. Curb stops are usually within a foot or so of the front property line. Try measuring from the bar you found at the back to the front of your property as well to get a sense for where to start looking. No on second thought, DO NOT GO DIGGING IN THE FRONT YARD or any part of your yard until you call for underground utility locates. You could dig up a whole lot of trouble. Talk to the OLS again and ask for a site plan survey, more money!! The building department will likely require one for the building permit to ensure you meet all the set backs.

[Doug Lunty]

I agree with Darrell - the 500.00 will be money well spent. It appears you may have a boundary uncertaintity with your neighbor - the one foot you are finding. Let a professional surveyor solve the problem. Let him take on the liability. Cheap insurance and peace of mind. I am an Alberta Land Surveyor and have seen too many small problems become big and expensive when homeowners do not get a professional surveyor to establish the property lines.