What does setting out mean in construction?
Setting out provides marks on the ground that the construction company or groundworkers use for a project’s groundworks. It transfers the project’s design plans to the land. This ensures accurate positioning for on-the-ground construction that matches with the approved plans.
Professional setting out engineers have both technical expertise and access to cutting-edge surveying equipment. They can manage more complex tasks, such as marking precise locations for large-scale projects. Rather than using a tape measure, setting out engineers use a total station. This offers accuracy and precision that cannot be achieved any other way.
What projects can benefit from setting out services?
Precise setting out is important for a range of construction projects, no matter their size. Our setting out engineers support a variety of construction teams. This can range from one-off work through to long-term support for large schemes. Whether your project is large or small, our setting out ensures the highest possible accuracy every time.
This process is crucial for projects that are complex or subject to space restrictions or constraints. These include residential or commercial developments, house extensions, roads and drainage projects. Large garden and landscaping schemes can also benefit from setting out services. They will all benefit from accurate positioning that meets their design specifications.
Timeliness is critical in construction so even on smaller developments correct and accurate setting out is vital. Delays or errors in surveying can require work to be redone. This causes knock-on delays for project timelines and can significantly affect your budget. By using professional setting out services to support groundworks, our clients save time and avoid the risk of delays.
- Individual house builds
- Large housing estates
- Bespoke developments of 3-4 homes
- Extensions
- New commercial premises
- Drive-throughs
- Supermarkets
- Showrooms
- Factories
- Warehouses
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Care homes
- Large scale refurbishment or redevelopment of old buildings
- Tourist attractions – we’ve supported zoos, safari parks and distilleries
- Drainage
- Roads
- Bridges
- Tunnels
What does setting out include?
A land surveyor or a setting out engineer can perform a construction project’s setting out engineering. As land surveyors, our experience gives us an understanding of both surveying and setting out. It means we can be involved across your project and be aware of any initial challenges or issues. We can organise work and provide important information to architects, designers and engineers.
Marking the external extent of a development or the individual plot positions on a housing estate.
Setting out the foundation positions to be dug before concrete is poured in.
Setting out the position of bolt boxes, which the steel columns will lock into to create the steel frame for the building.
Marking out the finished floor level for a building to ensure the foundations are poured to the correct level.
Marking level datums on site ensures everyone can work to set levels for the construction.
Marking nails in concrete on the foundations to show the bricklayers where the walls are to sit on the foundation.
Setting out external foul and surface drainage, plus pop up positions inside a building to show where drainage is coming in and out of the building.
Marking positions for cladding and curtain walling on the outside of buildings.
Setting out new road positions and levels.
Marking heights and positions for kerbs and pavements.
Marking the position of groundworks including drainage.
Marking positions for grass, trees, hedging, shrubbery and other natural features.
Setting out the positions and levels for key hard landscaping, including paths, patios, decking and walls.
Why choose Cheshire Surveys
We provide a range of surveys and related services across the North West, Cheshire, North Staffordshire and North Wales.
Passion & technical expertise
25+ years experience
Quality services tailored to your project
Meet our team on site
What is needed to complete the process
Our setting out process is fully digital. We need important documents and information to be able to provide our services. We’ll ask various questions about your project so we can ensure you have these.
We’ll ask who the architect is, plus who the builder and/or groundworkers are. We’ll need to know whether a topographical survey has already been completed. We’ll also need numerous documents to be supplied in CAD formats – we cannot work off PDFs. Some of these documents will come from the architect or structural engineer.
CAD documents we may request:
- Site layout plan
- Foundation or substructure plans (from the architect or structural engineer)
- Ground floor layout plan (from the architect or structural engineer)
- Steel work drawings (if applicable)
How are setting out surveys carried out?
Once we have all the information we need from you, we will prepare and organise work in the office. This reduces the time we spend on site. The setting out engineers and surveyors come prepared with all the calculations needed for the work.
We take the digital version of your plans and work out the coordinates of the points we need to set out. This allows us to check for any errors or discrepancies in the design process that might impact the setting out. It also means we can work more efficiently when we get to site.
We will then arrange the date for our construction site visits.
We use total stations and GPS kits to provide setting out services. An original topographical survey is the starting point for the build, so it’s vital that we work with this for setting out.
We will locate the original survey control reference point installed for the topographical survey. The project’s design plans will have used that information, so this enables us to tie back to that position and set out the plans as accurately as possible.
For our visit, the site must be cleared and ready to start the construction process. If applicable to the work being undertaken, the health and safety measures must all be in place to comply with The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
Issues that prevent us from proceeding:
- Items in the way of the area to be set out
- Other contractors operating in the area to be set out
- Flooding or water logged sites
- Adverse weather conditions such as wind, heavy rain and snow
Speak to our experts
Get free advice or a quote from our experienced team.
We’re known for our reliable, quality service and attention to detail.
How much does setting out cost?
The pre-site visit calculations and post-site visit processing of the setting out survey works are charged at a standard hourly rate. We charge a site visit fee and then for each hour we are on site. There is a minimum site visit plus 2 hour charge for each visit, even if we are there for less time.
We will only carry out visits under instruction from the client who is paying for the service. The construction site should be ready when our setting out engineers arrive. Site visits can be longer if the site is not ready when we arrive or issues are identified once on site. We require a full 24 hours’ notice for cancellation of a booked visit.
We will also charge for the materials we need to complete the setting out. These will depend on what is required for the project. They can include wooden pegs and stakes, nails, plastic straws, flags, short steel pins, road pins and spray paint,
Our rates schedule and details of charges are shared with all prospective clients before we start work. We follow a standard pricing structure for sites within a 30 mile radius of our office in Great Barrow. For sites beyond that the visit fee increases proportionally.
Examples of setting out prices
Supermarket premises
Our setting out engineers carried out numerous site visits over a 6 month period. They provided setting out services for all the groundworks and the steel frame installation for a new supermarket building.
Estimated cost: £5000.00 + VAT
Small housing estate
This new housing development consisted of 6 houses and an apartment block. We carried out the setting out for the foundations and brickwork for each plot and the apartments. We also set out the estate’s internal road and parking areas. Once the groundworks were completed, we returned to the site to perform as-built survey checks.
Estimated cost: £6000.00 +VAT
Large agricultural barn
We assisted the groundworkers with setting out for the floating bolt boxes for the barn’s steel frame. This required one day on site plus working out time in the office.
Estimated cost: £950.00 + VAT
Large residential extension
This private project consisted of a side and rear extension on a property. We carried out setting out for the strip foundation and the nails in concrete. It required just two site visits.
Estimated cost: £750.00 + VAT
New house with basement and pool house
This large property project included significant work for the detached house and the pool house in the garden. Our team supported the project over two years, with visits as and when required on a call-off basis. We performed setting out for all the groundworks, including basements, house foundations, pool excavation and building.
Estimated cost: £5000.00 + VAT
Landscaping project
A retail company with land surrounding their premises was creating a new wildflower meadow and woodland. We set out the position of key features on the planting plan, including trees for the woodland area.
Estimated cost: £1000.00 + VAT
Who we work with
How we work
Step 01
Request a quote
We’ll need your project’s address and a site plan. We’ll then get in touch for a consultation to confirm site details and understand exactly what your project needs.
Step 02
Quote accepted
Once your project is confirmed with us, we’ll arrange a convenient date for your survey.
Step 03
We complete your survey
We’ll visit your project site to carry out the survey. We can meet you on site if needed. We will then process the survey data and create a survey drawing.
Step 04
Receive your survey
We’ll share the survey data with you, usually within a few days. We use industry standard file types and can issue all the drawings in multiple formats.
Topographical Surveys
Accurate, scaled plan of a site’s terrain, and a record of the position and levels of both manmade and natural features.
Measured Building Surveys
3D site survey of a building’s layout and structure that can also be used to produce floor plans, elevations and cross-section drawings.
As-Built Surveys
A fully up-to-date record of what has just been constructed, ensuring it matches the proposed plans. Useful for producing further plans that require an accurate site layout.
Boundary Surveys
Clearly understand your boundary lines, remove uncertainty around neighbouring land, and prevent disputes.
Floor Level Surveys
Quality survey check for various floor construction stages, from existing floors to newly constructed slabs.
Garden Surveys
Highly detailed, specialist topographical survey for garden landscaping and redesigns.
GPS Surveys
Ideal for covering large open spaces, like fields, or where access may be restricted or challenging.
Ground Investigation Services
Reliable and accurate location data for ground investigations like CBR tests, boreholes and trial pits. We record data and mark out investigation and monitoring points.
Movement Monitoring Surveys
Tracking and recording movement or alterations, such as crack monitoring and land movements, in either a built structure or a landform.
River & Floodplain Surveys
Surveys of riverbanks and beds, as well as adjacent floodplains. We record water levels and significant features for flood risk assessments and erosion monitoring.
Road Surveys
Comprehensive record of current road layouts and levels, including kerbs, street furniture and road markings. Ideal for visibility splays and new highways designs.
Setting Out
Geocordinated setting out services for building groundworks and steelworks for new housing, commercial and industrial sites.
Surveys for Land Registry Title Plans
Site surveys for creating Land Registry compliant plans to record areas of sale, transfer, correction or first registration.
Volumetric Surveys & Terrain Models
Measuring the total amount of stockpiled, extracted or collected materials and aggregates. Suitable for construction, calculating and auditing.
