Retaining wall - DHCA sends letter to repair/replace

[399083453]

Originally Posted by bpollen

I would ask the DHCA how they arrived at the decision that I am the owner. It could be that the subject came up before.

I agree. I would go under the impression that it is not your wall, and let them prove it to you.

[Darrett]

Originally Posted by MrRational

A quality surveyor is about $300. Spend it.

Very much depends. If you get quotes back that are significantly higher than $300, I wouldn't be surprised. In California (Not big city, just rural CA), $300 is enough to get you a site visit but not a whole lot else.

Depending on when the last boundary survey was done, the existing evidence, and the product that you want/is necessitated by the situation, you could easily be significantly higher than that. I've seen residential surveys around here that cost over $2500 because of missing corners and map filing requirements, and the surveyor probably undercharged for the amount of work that was necessary.

Again, I don't live in Maryland so it might be different, but a $300 survey around here at least represents about an hour of time for a survey crew, with no office time built in.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Darrett

Very much depends.
...but a $300 survey around here at least represents about an hour of time
for a survey crew, with no office time built in.

With GPS and the KNOWN coordinates from the other sales over the years it's mostly a formality.
Once in a while they'll have to break through some brush to find a pin
or at worst (gasp!) drive a new one.

$300 fair? Even in Marin County.

[luv4horses]

You should go back and read documents related to your property at the registrar of deeds office. It can be the case that the uphill property has a tiny easement onto the downhill property to build a retaining wall. The uphill property would have caved-in or eroded onto the neighbor without that retaining wall. The uphill property in that case is the resposible party since what is being 'retained' is his land/soil. If you are uphill it is most probably your full responsibility.

[Darrett]

Originally Posted by MrRational

With GPS and the KNOWN coordinates from the other sales over the years it's mostly a formality.
Once in a while they'll have to break through some brush to find a pin
or at worst (gasp!) drive a new one.

$300 fair? Even in Marin County.

Not even close. Coordinates aren't controlling, monuments control. Even if you have coordinates, (which generally you don't, you have bearing and distance), you need to spend some time verifying locations of the monuments you find in reference to block corners and adjoiners. If you have to set a new corner, you have to file a map, which costs significantly more and places liability on the surveyor. In my county, the fee for just filing the map is $800.

The only way a surveyor can do a $300 survey is if there is if he can go out to a known site with easily found monuments and specify that all he's doing is staking a straight line between two unverified corners, and refusing all liability in his contract.

The point is to know what you're getting. A $300 survey is worth exactly what you paid, so don't build it up into something it's not.