Phone Ap, GPS, and property lines

I need to build a fence between my property and the neighbor. We have the corners staked by a surveyor but with a huge hill between the two stakes so going by line of sight isn't possible. I was going to have the property line staked - about a quarter mile but the surveyor wants over $1200. Is there anyway to lay out a straight line using a phone ap and GPS?

I know it shouldn't be too hard but I need some guidance to get started.

If you go to Modern View and do a search for this topic you will get several returns. This has surfaced here before. The general consensus if you beleive it was that the apps are not good enough yet. Would I like to write a $1,200 check? Heck no. But if the fence line is off due to using some rough estimate phone app, $1200 will look like a mighty fine price to extract yourself from that mess.

As a fence builder for over 20 years I can tell you that with several fiberglass rods and a helper or two you can achieve a straight line between two points over a hill. Line up 3 stakes on what you think may be the line and continue them towards the far point. when they do not intersect with the far point either move the line til it intersects the other point or start at the far point and repeat previous step. being careful to place stakes in ground plumb makes a difference.

I believe the easy way is to set a transit in a location that 'seems' to be on line where both points can be seen from top of hill.
Sight one corner and spin 180 and see if it hits the corner in question... it wont on the first try unless you are really lucky. You then move the transit left/right until you get online. Tedious but cheap....

Check your equipment rental places.

Now-a-days there is likely a 360 degree vertical laser of some sort to lay a visible beam up and down the hill.

Purchase a laser level with tripod bracket they are cheap. I have a Bosch from Menards, and it has a bracket with a tripod screw hole, but many options are possible. At the top of the hill, set up a tripod to attach the level. Level the tripod so the tilt axis is level 90 degrees to the tilt. Adjust the bracket so that it aligns with the tilt axis. Set the level on the bracket, and pan (rotate) and tilt to shine on the first way point. Turn the level around in its bracket to shine the opposite way, not the pan, just the level. Tip the tilt (only) until the spot shows on or near the far way point area. It will not be perfect, but don't pan to get there. If the hill is centered between the points, move the tripod 1/2 the distance of the error to the second point and try again with both re-finding the first way point, and then the second (the bracket allows turning the level 180 perfectly). It will need to move farther if the tripod is closer to the second way point, or less if the tripod is closer to the first way point. After two or three repositionings of the tripod you will be very close. Agree with your neighbor in writing Copied and witnessed that the marker you place and the fence you build, is a convenience fence only and not a boundary. Then relax because you saved 1000 bucks, and have a nice level. Jim

On X app is really close. Couldn't find one of our property corners....downloaded the app, walked right to it. We knew where other 3 stakes were so we were fairly sure it was correct. Same issue, big hill, trying to install fence. App had free trial......

Do you have a neighbor that uses gps for farming just have him bring his tractor and buy him a six pack

Waas gps is pretty good, but wont be quite good enough. Many hiking type dedicated gps units have this, as do very simple tractor mapping or light bars. They get within 3 feet sometimes better, sometimes not so good.

RTK is the type of gps that will be good enough to do this. Maybe a farming neighbor as such a unit. They cost $10k plu, and need a yearly subscription to a local radio signal as well. They get less than 3 inches.

What most phone and tablet have is simple gps, which isnt very accurate. Some if you sit still for 10 minutes they get more accurate, but over time there is drift so in one way they get more accurate, in another they get less. Its hard to depend on them to be closer than 10 feet.

Do you get along with your neighbor, have him help you with the other cheaper poles or transit rental and when you both agree set your stakes.

Paul

If you try to use a compass, and sometimes with a GPS app, remember that true north, and magnetic north are two distinctly different lines. Declination is the angle of difference between the two. If you don't correct for declination, your compass line will not correspond to the actual line on the survey. There are declination calculators all over the web. Also, look at your survey plat - it should note what the bearing of your property line is. But I like the 3 or 4 rods and a helper method, especially in a 1/4 mile or less, when both pins are already set.

Accuracy for GPS on phone is typically 1-2 meters, but with clear view of the sky and all measurements taken at the same time the precision should be good. Set it to coordinate mode, measure each stake with the phone in the same position and cardinal direction, calculate what the center should be and measure it.

Not sure about the type of fence or relationship with the neighbor, but they would have to have it surveyed to dispute the location is what I have always been told by the county.

Accuracy for GPS on phone is typically 1-2 meters, but with clear view of the sky and all measurements taken at the same time the precision should be good. Set it to coordinate mode, measure each stake with the phone in the same position and cardinal direction, calculate what the center should be and measure it.

Not sure about the type of fence or relationship with the neighbor, but they would have to have it surveyed to dispute the location is what I have always been told by the county.

Phone apps only get you in the general area. I use OnX for hunting and it can be off 50 or more feet.

How does $1200 for a surveyor compare with this list?

1) Attorney fees for defending against the neighbor's lawsuit.
2) Cost of removing and replacing the fence in the correct place.
3) Bad feelings generated by #1 and #2

All over saving a few bucks instead of doing it right.

I would contact your local Building Department Inspector first. Find out what you can and cannot do. They also have computer mapping tools and websites that may be able to assist you.

I had the same issue last fall. I ended up paying the surveyor $400 CASH to just toss some stakes every 50' or so. I made sure to state I wasn't looking for any plat updates or anything. Just stakes between two points. I also made sure it was the surveyor that previously surveyed it so they already had the points saved...

(quoted from post at 09:49:19 03/24/21) How does $1200 for a surveyor compare with this list?

1) Attorney fees for defending against the neighbor's lawsuit.
2) Cost of removing and replacing the fence in the correct place.
3) Bad feelings generated by #1 and #2

All over saving a few bucks instead of doing it right.

Click to expand...

You can "do it right" and then go thru all of the above anyways.

Do the GPS on phones get their coordinates from satellites or just from the local cell towers? Coordinating off cell towers may not have the same accuracy as satellites.

Can you and your neighbor can both agree on a single boundary line without the survey?

Can I borrow $1200? Its just a few bucks.

Agreed.

I have another property line that we could see the markers and I had the neighbor on that side help we set the corner posts. A year later I heard he was running his
mouth talking smack about me because the fence wasn't on the property line. Next time I saw him I told him he was free to remove my fence and put his own up anytime he
felt the urge.