Hi All,
I recently undertook a site survey for a new garden design which is causing me a few headaches. I knew that the survey was going to be difficult, as the garden is quite large, with many different levels and slopes, few right angles (especially where boundary fences meet), and quite uneven boundaries (very few straight fences). To make things worse the garden wraps around the house, and the house itself is a strange shape and at an angle to the majority of the garden.
I have been regularly measuring gardens for over 10 years, so while all this is challenging it shouldn't be beyond my capabilities. BUT to make things really difficult the garden is so overgrown and filled with so much debris and random (sometimes large) items, that getting accurate measurements in some parts of the garden is virtually impossible. There are too many bushes and tree branches to use a laser measure and running a tape has been very difficult. Unsurprisingly, when we came to draw the footprint of the space in Sketchup, a few discrepancies have emerged as we worked our way round the boundaries, and I don't think that returning to re-measure will make much difference. We tried overlaying the sketchup model with an aerial view photo taken from Google Earth, as this sometimes helps, but in this case the photo is too blurred.
Does anyone have any advice, please? Would an ordnance survey map help? Does anyone have experience of a similarly tricky site that they managed to find a solution for? I think if I could get an overview of the boundaries then I should be able to work out where the errors lie in angles and boundary shapes. I don't think that the client has any architect drawings of the house or plot of land made before it became a rubbish dump/jungle, as this would be my other preferred method of filling in the gaps.
Many thanks.
Matt
Views: 87
Replies
May not be excact measurement but will only be a meter or two out.
If I find it I will let you know.
Dont know if google maps does it.
There's www.gridreferencefinder.com
This is free mapping with a measuring/ drawing tool built in
Brilliant...this will change my life. Thanks
Paving Superstore said:
This measuring function is available on Google Earth: http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en_uk/earth/
Google Earth will provide measurements with its Ruler function,
Mark a site up in GE, then generate a KML file and feed into a suitable App and you will get area calculated to quite an accurate level (in what ever units you need).
Upgrade to GE Professional and it will do for you without an App.
We've been quite fortunate as the Google have updated our area with more recent images that are less than 6 months old and much more defined.
I can look at a site from anywhere and have the basis for a quote instantly, saves a long trip to site until absolutely needed.
wow. we like that. nice one
Paving Superstore said:
Thanks everyone for your very useful replies. I like the look of www.gridreferencefinder.com and wasn't aware of the ruler function on Google Earth, so between them I think I should be able to fill in the blanks on my survey. I'm relieved there is an alternative to returning to the site with a machete and flame thrower to clear away the jungle!
Thank you again.
The guy I use is really reasonable. The client pays direct. No one has ever said no!
My concern is the accuracy of using an online map. When I submitted a planning app for a client recently, I couldn't get the survey (professional) to sit over the OS base plan precisely.
But that's just my opinion!
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