Survey Works provides foundation surveys for commercial builders, general contractors, residential construction teams, and property owners across Texas. A foundation survey documents the actual location, elevation, and orientation of a newly poured foundation against the approved site plan and boundary lines of the property. The deliverable is a sealed drawing, prepared by a licensed land surveyor that confirms the foundation sits where the design intended and that any deviations from the plan are captured in the project record.
Foundation surveys are typically ordered immediately after the concrete is poured and forms are stripped, so the finished foundation can be documented before the next phase starts work. The deliverable supports certificate-of-occupancy review, the architect and civil engineer's as-built record, and any downstream decisions that depend on knowing where the foundation ended up.
What a foundation survey documents
A foundation survey captures the as-poured position and elevation of the foundation elements in the field, compared to the layout the construction team worked against. On a typical project, the survey covers:
- Horizontal location of foundation corners, perimeter walls, and key reference points
- Top-of-foundation elevations at specified locations
- Slab-edge and building-corner offsets relative to property lines and setbacks
- Anchor bolt locations and top-of-bolt elevations where structural steel is involved
- Deviations from the design layout, called out on the deliverable for the project record
The final drawing gives the design team, the owner, and the inspection authority a common record of what actually got built, compared against what was designed.
When clients order a foundation survey
Most foundation surveys are ordered on commercial and multi-family projects right after the foundation pour and before structural framing begins. A general contractor orders one to confirm the foundation is within tolerance before committing the next trade to work on top of it. An owner or construction manager orders one to document as-poured conditions for the project record and the lender. An architect or civil engineer orders one to verify the foundation matches the design and to flag any deviations that need a design response before framing proceeds.
Foundation surveys also come up on residential custom builds, on projects subject to a flood elevation requirement where the finished floor has to sit above a specific base flood elevation, and on sites where setbacks or easements make the as-poured position especially sensitive.
How a foundation survey compares to a form survey
A form survey and a foundation survey are two stages of the same quality-control process on a concrete build, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably even though they describe different moments in the project. A form survey happens before the pour, verifying that the concrete forms are positioned correctly so the resulting foundation will match the design. A foundation survey happens after the pour, documenting where the concrete actually ended up.
"A foundation survey confirms where the concrete actually ended up compared to the layout. On commercial foundations, we see differences from the form survey in the majority of pours, which can be caused by form movement, vibration, or normal placement conditions."
— Rick Kinsaul, PLS
The variance Rick describes is not atypical on commercial foundation work. The point of the foundation survey is not that the concrete moved, but that the project has a documented record of where it moved to, so the design team can confirm the result is within tolerance or respond if it is not. On projects where both a form survey and a foundation survey are run, the pair gives the owner and design team a full picture from formwork to cured concrete.
Survey Works has run foundation surveys across Texas for over 10 years, on commercial, civil, and residential projects. Every project runs through the same process, with the tolerance bands and deliverable format the design team specifies.
For a foundation survey in Texas, Survey Works has the expertise to deliver the sealed as-poured drawing the project needs, on a schedule that fits the construction sequence.