Cost guide
Setting out cost
What GNSS setting out and site control cost by the half day and full day, what's included and what isn't.
Guide price: GNSS setting out costs from £325 for a half day and from £550 for a full day, including the RTK GNSS rover, pegs and marking, control checks and a record of what was set out. Site control on Ordnance Survey grid costs from £395. Before VAT, with travel included within 50 miles of Corby.
| Job | Guide price | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Half day (up to 4 hours on site) | from £325 | Drainage run and manholes, a drive or patio layout, a plot's dig pegs |
| Full day (up to 8 hours on site) | from £550 | Estate road and kerb offsets, earthworks limits and batters |
| Site control on Ordnance Survey grid | from £395 | Control stations and benchmarks with a control sheet |
| Coordinates from dimensioned drawings | quoted | When no design DWG with coordinates is available |
| Regular weekly visits | quoted | Priced on the programme |
Guide prices before VAT. Standard timber pegs, pins and marking paint are included; profile boards and large quantities of timber are charged at cost.
What drives the price
How much there is to mark
A drainage run with six manholes is a half day. An estate road with kerbs on offset, junctions and turning heads, plus its sewers, is a day or more. Tell us what you want marked and we'll say which.
The drawings
A design DWG with coordinates and levels goes straight into the rover. Drawings that only give dimensions from buildings or boundaries mean working out coordinates first, which is office time.
Control
If the site already has reliable control, we tie into it at no extra cost. If it doesn't, establishing control on Ordnance Survey grid is a separate item, and it's worth doing once properly at the start.
How our prices compare
Published UK rates in 2026 put an experienced site engineer with equipment at around £600 a day (THS Concepts' setting out guide price, checked October 2026), and labour-only setting-out engineers on long contracts are advertised at £300–£375 a day without equipment (ContractorUK listing, August 2026). Our full day includes the rover, checks and the record.
Included on every visit
- RTK GNSS rover and controller
- Drawing check before we arrive
- Control check at start and finish
- Pegs, pins and marking paint
- Record of points set out, same day
- Groundworks-experienced operator
How it works: GNSS setting out. All services: price guide.
Setting out across the area
Questions we get asked
How much does setting out cost?
With Dimensure, GNSS setting out costs from £325 for a half day and from £550 for a full day, including the RTK GNSS rover, control checks at the start and end of the visit, and a record of what was set out. Establishing site control on Ordnance Survey grid costs from £395. Prices are before VAT, with travel included within 50 miles of Corby.
What does a setting out engineer cost per day in the UK?
Published rates in 2026 put an experienced setting-out or site engineer supplied with equipment at around £600 a day, while labour-only setting-out engineers on longer contracts are advertised at around £300 to £375 a day without equipment. Our day rate includes the rover and the drawing checks.
Is it cheaper to hire a rover and do it ourselves?
Sometimes, if someone on site is trained and confident with the controller, the coordinate system and the checks. If not, a single peg in the wrong place costs more than the visit. Many of our clients book us for the critical first set-out and control, then work to the pegs and stations themselves.
What costs extra?
Working out coordinates from dimensioned drawings when no DWG is supplied, profile boards and timber beyond normal pegs, evening or weekend work, and sites outside our standard travel area. All are agreed before booking.
Book a scan or ask a question
Send the drawing, the location and when you need it. We reply the same working day with a fixed price.