Pro tip: always check the property line pins yourself, because my worst day this month was fixing a 200-foot cedar fence I built 6 inches onto the neighbor's land in Boise after their surveyor showed up.

The homeowner had given me a copy of an old plot map and swore it was right, but I didn't verify and had to pull every post and reset the whole run on my own dime, so what's your go-to method for double-checking lines before you dig?

4 comments

4 Comments

shane_park922mo ago

They swore on an old map? That's a bold move.

smith.nancy1mo ago

OH my goodness, SWEARING on an old map?? That is just BONKERS. I can't believe someone would do that with a straight face. It's like swearing on a map from the 1800s that says the earth is flat. Next thing you know they'll be pulling out a treasure map drawn on a napkin. Unreal.

viola_lopez302mo ago

That "old plot map" thing is a classic trap. Do you just refuse the job now if the client can't get a fresh survey done?

aaronsullivan2mo ago

Man, @viola_lopez30, that old map trap is the worst. Been there, staring at a faded paper map from the 70s while the client swears nothing has changed. Then you find the neighbor's new fence is six feet over the line, or a whole shed is sitting where it shouldn't be. It just turns a simple job into a huge headache. These days, if they can't get a new survey, I have to walk away. The risk is way too high for everyone involved.