Yeah, drones are great for the big-picture stuff, but when it comes to easements and property lines, I wouldn't rely solely on them either. We ran into something similar when we bought our place a couple years back. The drone footage was awesome for figuring out where we wanted the garden and shed, but then we realized the fence line wasn't exactly where the online maps showed it. Turned out our neighbor's fence was actually about 3 feet inside our property line—surprise, surprise.
Honestly though, how accurate are those online mapping tools supposed to be anyway? Sometimes they're spot-on, other times they're just...confusing. And don't get me started on navigating local records—feels like you need a degree in archaeology to dig through some of those county websites. Maybe I'm just cheap (okay, definitely cheap), but paying for a surveyor felt painful at first. But looking back now, it saved us from a lot bigger headaches down the road. Anyone else run into weird discrepancies between online maps and actual surveys?
"Honestly though, how accurate are those online mapping tools supposed to be anyway?"
Haha, glad I'm not the only one scratching my head over this stuff. When we started building our place, I trusted those online maps way too much. Thought I had everything perfectly planned out—until the surveyor showed up and casually mentioned our "perfect" driveway was partly on the neighbor's land. Oops. Lesson learned: online tools are great for rough ideas, but when it comes to property lines...trust but verify.
Yeah, those online tools can be way off sometimes. I once double-checked property lines for a solar install, and turns out the neighbor's shed was partly on my client's land. Awkward conversation followed... they're handy starting points, but definitely not gospel.
Yeah, I've run into similar issues more times than I'd like to admit. Those online mapping tools are great for a quick glance, but when it comes to actual property lines or easements, they're just not reliable enough. Had a project a few years back where the homeowner was convinced their fence marked the property boundary—turned out they were off by nearly three feet. Doesn't sound like much, but when you're planning setbacks and permits, every inch counts.
Honestly, your shed story doesn't surprise me at all. I've seen driveways, fences, even entire landscaping features built over property lines because someone trusted an online map without verifying. It's always awkward having to break the news to a homeowner or neighbor that something they've invested time and money into is technically encroaching. But better to catch it early than deal with legal headaches down the road.
I always recommend clients get a proper survey done if there's any doubt. Sure, it's an extra expense upfront, but compared to potential disputes or having to relocate structures later on... it's worth every penny. Glad you caught that shed issue before the solar install went ahead—could've been a real mess otherwise.
"Had a project a few years back where the homeowner was convinced their fence marked the property boundary—turned out they were off by nearly three feet."
Been there, done that. Learned the hard way myself when we bought our place. The previous owner swore up and down the fence line was accurate, but nope—survey showed we were encroaching about two feet into the neighbor's yard. Thankfully, our neighbors were cool about it, but it still cost us a weekend of moving fence posts and replanting shrubs.
Online mapping tools are handy for rough ideas, but they're definitely not gospel. They're great for figuring out if your pizza delivery guy is lost, but not so much for deciding where to build your new deck or shed. A proper survey is worth every penny, even if it stings a bit upfront. Better to pay now than deal with angry neighbors or city inspectors later on... trust me on this one.
