What is setting out?
Setting out means transferring the designed position of a building from the drawings onto the ground. On the plot, the surveyor marks the axes and corners of the building and sets the height, i.e. the zero level. The contractor then digs the foundations and places the formwork according to those marks.
What the law says
Under the Law on Planning and Construction, before construction starts the investor must arrange for the marking of the building plot and of the regulation, levelling and building lines, in line with the regulations on surveying work. Before the works begin, the investor also files a notice of commencement with the authority that issued the building permit.
So setting out isn’t optional; it’s an obligation. On top of that, it is the cheapest insurance your building can have.
What to prepare
- The design, with the site plan and coordinates, ideally in DWG format;
- known plot boundaries: if the boundaries haven’t been marked, we first do boundary marking, so the distances from the boundary are correct;
- a cleared site, free of vegetation and rubble where the building will stand.
What happens on site
- Checking the data. Before going on site we check that the design matches the boundaries and the situation on the ground.
- Marking the axes and corners of the building with pegs and marks.
- Offset marks outside the excavation, known as profile boards, so the axes are preserved even after the excavator has dug out the corners.
- A benchmark, the point from which the contractor measures all heights.
- A setting-out record with a sketch, as evidence that the building was marked exactly according to the design.
What comes after setting out
When the foundations are finished, the contractor files a statement that the foundations are complete, accompanied by a survey of the built foundations. That survey confirms the building is being built where it was designed. At the end of construction comes the as-built survey for the occupancy permit and registration in the cadastre.