Helping out a friend find a property marker.....

[nsimeone2000]

Tomorrow I am helping a friend find a property marker, I then asked him for exchange if he would mind me searching his property, he agreed and apparently when the original house was built he said there were these burn pits where people would congregate, I don't know why builders would hang around burn pits to build a house, but its an older area so I am really excited.

The best part about it, my friend is also my boss, and he told me I could have the entire day off to search his property as long as I could find his property marker......I just hope its not raining tomorrow!

Any tips on the general vicinity on property markers? He said he had a general idea but I was curious if there were a certain amount of footage off the road that they would be located.....Also anyone have any idea on how deep they normally are?

In a perfect world I would like to find it at about 8am and search his property until 4pm.

 

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[Tavis]

Well if he has an old deed or something of the like that lays out where he actually owns or where the original property lines were, that would be a HUGE help to you. Other than that, sometimes they went by things like...old roads, creeks or streams, or landmarks for the corners (trees, springs, etc.) Hope that helps you some, good luck with the hunting.

 

[AlaskaAng]

Hi there,

I tried to do the same thing for a co-worker/friend...for the life of me, I couldn't find it. I was using my XLT on very low disc. and found just about everything else. Property markers are typically made of rebar so I tested one for the signal/read-out...still no luck. I felt bad, I felt like I let her down. I've been detecting since I was 12 and really thought I could help.

Good luck on your mission to find the marker...it could save the landowner a lot (prevents a surveyor coming out)...

AlaskaAng

 

[rmptr]

Ns, I can tell you how I've done it before...

Get the plat map that shows the dimensions of the property.
Draw a quick picture with the dimensions.

Measure from approximately where they SHOULD be, if you can find NONE.
That will put you in a ballpark area where they might be.
An adjoining property that has been recently sold should have it's markers obvious...
...if you know some of the measurements of adjoining lots, that could help.

You can use a long no-stretch string and make an arc...

Soon as you can find two, a little bit of geometry and you got it!

Hope that helps!
rmptr

 

[nsimeone2000]

Thats the biggest thing, I don't want to let him down. I was hoping there may be an expedient method because his new neighbor told him the line was further on his property, when the old neighbor gave him an extra 5 feet or so, I was really hoping they would be close to the street. Like 5 feet off the road, wishful thinking huh?

 

[nsimeone2000]

Ns, I can tell you how I've done it before...

Get the plat map that shows the dimensions of the property.
Draw a quick picture with the dimensions.

Measure from approximately where they SHOULD be, if you can find NONE.
That will put you in a ballpark area where they might be.
An adjoining property that has been recently sold should have it's markers obvious...
...if you know some of the measurements of adjoining lots, that could help.

You can use a long no-stretch string and make an arc...

Soon as you can find two, a little bit of geometry and you got it!

Hope that helps!
rmptr

Thank you very much for the tip. I will definitely try this out.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Note that sometimes they also are just not there. Missing, moved or grown into a tree.

I found one on the corner of my property that was leaning against a tree and another that was lying down flat on the ground just under the upper layer of turf.

Search in all metal and look for olf barbed wire, stone piles, large trees or any evidence of old survey tape or posted signs (sometimes just the old nails & scars on trees from where they were).

Good hunting!

 

[stefen]

Tavis is correct in that some legal descriptions describe in a language that is considered to be a 'Meets and Bounds-type' method...or simply landmarks such as: south along Dinkey Creek to the oak tree, then west along the centerline of the Old Wash Road...

First step is to review the legal description that is a part of the original deed for clues to the property corners...then review the County Surveyor's Records of Survey (RS) or Parcel Maps (PM) or the County Accessor's Maps (AP)...

Always begin at a road because its a known or given...

If either show that the property lines extend to the centerline of adjacent roads...look for a nail and tin (or nail) in the pavement...

If either show that the property lines stop at the right-of-way of the adjacent roads...again look for a nail and tin (or nail) in the pavement...or on the top of curb or back of walk...

If either of these prove fruitless, then look in the vicinity of the suspected property corners...

Not all jurisdictions use the same survey methods...the County Surveyor's Records of Survey or Parcel Maps will indicate on the map what has been placed at each corner...a wood stake with a nail, a nail and tin, a car axel, rebar, iron pipe, iron pipe with a centered wood stake with a nail...and so on.

Some cities and counties permit the use of a chisel mark in the curbs or walks...

Usually the top of stakes are a few inches to maybe a foot below finished grade...


Now onto burn pits...our farms in Ohio and Indiana both had burn pits which were basically garbage dumps...just look for cans and bottles...

Happy diggin

 

[WV Hillbilly]

Great replies above . If the property owner thinks he knows the general area of the corners , I think I might just give those areas a fairly quick going over with my detector . Could be there's iron stakes just under the surface that could be found rather quickly . If that failed I would try some of the above posts .
Good luck , I hope you find them for him .

 

[chefrider]

Top o' the morning to ya. Just found this thread and wondered how things were progressing. I might be a little help if you still need it . I was a rodman and an instrument on a survey crew for better than two years. HH

 

[WV Hillbilly]

You can try the detector first in the all metal mode but may need to use a magnetometer that will find the iron survey pins better.

Magnetometer , If my detector won't find a hunk of iron near the surface , I'll heel-stomp it .
Just kidding around , you may be 100 % correct .

 

[nsimeone2000]

Well, I haven't quite had an opportunity to look, he had a family emergency and decided that was more important.

I will keep you guys updated though when I finally get a chance to go take a look for it, thank you very much for the additional information though. I am hoping it will be a breeze, but most things are not so easy.

Thanks again.

 

[d2]

Down here, we live in a very rural part of the state, some of the corners are marked with railroad iron, buggy axles and pine knots drove in the ground. And just about everyone that knows or has an idea about where the corner is is gonna be close within 10 ft or so so you will need to go slow. You will find it...d2

 

[WV Hillbilly]

Well, I haven't quite had an opportunity to look, he had a family emergency and decided that was more important.

I will keep you guys updated though when I finally get a chance to go take a look for it, thank you very much for the additional information though. I am hoping it will be a breeze, but most things are not so easy.

Thanks again.

Since you're going to be waiting for a while anyway , go ahead & check the deeds & plat maps . Should help
you find the corners more quickly when you do go look .

 

[BuckleBoy]

Well, I haven't quite had an opportunity to look, he had a family emergency and decided that was more important.

I will keep you guys updated though when I finally get a chance to go take a look for it, thank you very much for the additional information though. I am hoping it will be a breeze, but most things are not so easy.

Thanks again.

Since you're going to be waiting for a while anyway , go ahead & check the deeds & plat maps . Should help
you find the corners more quickly when you do go look .

I agree! Use the time to your advantage. Besides, a success here might open other doors to you later--detecting or otherwise...