At Godfrey-Hoffman Hodge we take great pride in mentoring the upcoming generations of our industry. As professionals, it is important to learn what students’ interests are, and what issues they are passionate about. This helps us figure out what might draw a young person to this career field, and get a read on some of the general trends and attitudes of young people entering the professional world.
The Connecticut Associates of Land Surveyors is professional organization “dedicated to
Continue reading “What are the benefits of belonging to a professional organization?”
Every survey job is different, and it is difficult to determine the price of a job before knowing more about the property/properties involved, and the needs of the client. Here, we break down the steps of a survey job to explain why a survey might cost more than anticipated, and why it is important for the customer to make sure they are making a good investment.
What if there was an affordable, efficient way to get around New Haven? One that didn’t involve getting in a car? And one that lowered your carbon footprint?
Dealing with encroachment issues can be stressful for homeowners, but there are ways to handle these concerns that can provide a higher level of resolution than others. Additionally, there are legal remedies if the homeowners are not able to settle the issue themselves. Any homeowners who cannot solve encroachment issues to the satisfaction of all the parties involved should certainly seek legal advice. But fortunately, most boundary and encroachment disputes never have to come to that.
Elevation certificates (EC) are necessary when your home or business is in a high flood risk area. Your insurance agent uses the data from an elevation certificate to determine your flood insurance premium. FEMA provides a clear and detailed summary of who needs elevation certificates and why here: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/32330 If the data collected for an EC shows that your home is above Base Flood Elevation (meaning that there is a 1% or less chance that floodwaters will reach this elevation in a given year), it may be appropriate to apply for a Letter of Map Amendment. A LOMA is issued when a property “has been inadvertently mapped as being in the floodplain, but is actually on natural high ground above base flood elevation.”
There are many steps that a property owner takes to properly plan a site design. When you’re proposing a site for a septic system, for example, you could be tempted to use the first recommendation from a website or developer. However, not all sites are the same, and you might need a professional survey and an engineered designed septic system. Some sites have special drainage and saturation issues. Other sites have been previously developed or re-purposed. All sites are affected by surrounding lands and may have unique storm-water management issues. It pays to take your time and plan for the best design and locate it in the right position compared to the building structure. Rushing the process would be costly later, especially if your community experiences unusual amounts of flooding.
In this post, we discuss a few drainage and saturation issues that can affect septic design.
Continue reading “A Word of Caution is Warranted for Septic Design”
Since Early America, land surveying has successfully mapped unknown territories and established governmental and private boundaries. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were surveyors, utilizing a number of tools such as a compass, chains, and some early version of a transit or sextant to gather land distances, angles, and elevations. Today, land surveying with drone technology adds an additional layer of land access, monitoring, and precision measurement and documentation.
Continue reading “The Use of Drone Technology for Land Surveying of Construction Projects”
When it comes to commercial solar panels, most businesses think of rooftop arrays on warehouses, or panels put out on vacant land that isn’t being used. However, when it comes to generating large amounts of power via commercial solar panels, one of the biggest resources in the U.S. is parking lots. As Urban Land pointed out back in 2011, parking lots are an ideal location for solar panels. They take up a lot of space, they tend to be open to the sky, and they are literally everywhere. It’s no wonder that, at least along the east and west coast, businesses have been installing solar panel carports and canopies with enthusiasm.
Flooding is one of the costliest disasters in the United States, which is why homeowners need flood insurance. However, you should know that FEMA Elevation Certificates are needed when you buy flood insurance and here is why. Insurance claims have averaged almost $2 billion per year from the years 2006 until 2015 when the last statistics were posted. And from 1980 up until 2013, the average cost was over $260 billion in damages.
Those who live in a high-risk area typically need an Elevation Certificate when applying for flood insurance. This is so that the premium for flood insurance can be determined properly. Even those in a flood zone who make changes to their home such as a garage to living space conversion or adding a room addition will need an Elevation Certificate so it is not solely for new homeowners.
An Elevation Certificate simply determines the elevation of your property. This is important when deciding your insurance premium because the elevation plays an important role in the likelihood of your property being prone to flooding.
According to FEMA, “Flood hazard areas identified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map are identified as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). SFHAs are labeled as Zone A, Zone AO, Zone AH, Zones A1-A30, Zone AE, Zone A99, Zone AR, Zone AR/AE, Zone AR/AO, Zone AR/A1-A30, Zone AR/A, Zone V, Zone VE, and Zones V1-V30. Moderate flood hazard areas, labeled Zone B or Zone X (shaded) are also shown on the FIRM and are the areas between the limits of the base flood and the 0.2-percent-annual-chance (or 500-year) flood.
If your home falls into one of the high risk zones, the Elevation Certificate or EC determines things such as building characteristics, the location of the building, and the flood zone itself. This certificate is used in conjunction with what is called a BFE, which stands for Base Flood Elevation. The Base Flood Elevation works by estimating that there is a one percent chance (at least) that the floodwaters will reach or even exceed the area within a one-year period. For obvious reasons, the more risk you have, the higher the premium may be but the higher your lowest floor is above the Base Flood Elevation, the less the risk you have of flooding and the lower the insurance premium should be.
To get a FEMA Elevation Certificate, there are a few options.
If you would like to learn more about flood insurance or obtaining FEMA elevation certificates through a land surveyor, please contact us today and learn how we can help with a land map and survey.
