Building column line staking is an integral part of constructing a building. It ensures builders that the structure that are constructing is built in the correct place and that the columns are placed exactly where they were designed to be placed. Any type of construction staking is done specifically by professional land surveyors to make sure that improvements are built in the right area based on the site plan and engineering plans. What happens is that the surveyor uses structural or architectural plans to mark where the columns and other features will be built, marks the dimensions and sizes, and then allows the construction crew to build the improvements at the location without worry of whether things will be in the right place or not.
Surveyors do a lot of different projects on a construction job, but building column line staking is critical since columns are typically a support structure for the property. Being able to mark an entire line that is level and straight for the construction of the columns will allow the builder to ensure that everything is right where it needs to be based on the site plan and for the sake of structural integrity, which is critical in the building and construction process. It is always in the best interest of the construction company or builder to rely on a professional land surveyor for the staking process.
A qualified professional land surveyor has an advantage because they can interpret the plans and then layout the site with temporary markers to fit the goals of the builder, engineers, or architect. The builder will be able to trust that the building column line staking is correct and that everything can continue to be built accurately and reliably because the land surveyor has taken the time to mark everything for the construction crew. Staking, especially column lines, is critical because it requires a coordination of the information provided in a boundary and topographic survey and what is engineered in order to make sure that the site plan matches the actual property built.
Building column line staking is not the only type of staking done. While this will ensure that columns are constructed evenly and at the right distances, there are other types of staking in a construction build. For example, mass grading, curb, fences, storm drains, sanitary sewer lines, utilities, building offsets, sidewalks, roads and even parking lots require staking to ensure that they are all in the right places and that the construction crew can work around them or perform their job correctly. In all cases construction staking should be performed by a licensed professional land surveyor.
Typically all the infrastructure staking is done first and then when the site is properly prepared the professional land surveyor will begin staking column lines. The professional land surveyor will utilize the dimensions and controls of the property to find the exact locations for staking that aids the building process. This combined with accurate engineering, structural and architectural drawings will provide for a painless construction process.
