Road & sub-base level surveys
Sub-base and binder checked against the road design before the next layer goes on.
GNSS setting out
GNSS setting out for groundworks and civils
Pegs in the right place, at the right level, marked the way gangs work to them. We set out earthworks, drainage, roads and plots with an RTK GNSS rover, and set up site control on Ordnance Survey grid.
In short: we mark the design out on site with an RTK GNSS rover: control stations, earthworks limits, drainage runs and manholes, road and kerb offsets, plot dig pegs and level pegs. Typical accuracy is 10–20 mm in plan and 20–30 mm in level in open sky, checked against control every visit.
- For
- Groundworks, civils, landscaping
- Accuracy
- 10–20 mm plan, 20–30 mm level
- Booking
- Half day or full day
- From
- £325 per half day
What we set out
- Site control: control stations and benchmarks on Ordnance Survey grid or your site grid, with a control sheet.
- Earthworks: strip limits, cut and fill boundaries, batter tops and toes, platform and formation level pegs.
- Drainage: manhole centres, pipe runs with offset pegs, and invert or cover levels marked.
- Roads and footpaths: centrelines, kerb lines on offset, turning heads and junction radii.
- Plots: corner and dig pegs for foundations, ready for the site engineer's final setting out.
- External works and landscaping: fence and boundary lines, retaining walls, drives, patios and levels.
Why use us rather than a tape and a level
On a small job, a tape and a laser level are fine. As soon as the design is on coordinates, the site is open, or the drawing only works from a grid, GNSS is quicker and removes the build-up of errors that comes from measuring off the last thing built. Every point is set from the design coordinates independently, and checked against control.
We've spent years on the other side of the pegs, running groundworks gangs on housing sites. So pegs are offset where the machine won't knock them out, levels are written the way the gang reads them, and anything on the drawing that doesn't add up gets raised before it's built, not after.
Being straight about accuracy
RTK GNSS is excellent for earthworks, drainage, roads before final kerb checks, plots and landscaping. It isn't the tool for brickwork lines, holding-down bolts or anything with a few millimetres' tolerance; that's a total station job, and we'll tell you if what you're asking for needs one.
Who books setting out
- Groundworks contractors between site engineers, or on jobs too small for one full-time.
- Small developers and self-builders starting on a plot.
- Landscapers and driveway firms with designs on coordinates or levels.
- Farms and estates setting out tracks, drainage and buildings.
Need the pipes and ducts recorded before they're backfilled? See as-laid service surveys, often done on the same visit.
How a setting-out visit works
Drawings
The setting-out drawing or design DWG, the grid or control, and the list of what you want marked.
Check the design
We load the coordinates and check the drawing for anything that doesn't tie up before we arrive.
On site
Check into control, set out and mark, then re-check control before we leave.
Record
A short sheet of what was set out, with coordinates and levels, sent the same day.
What setting out doesn't cover
We set out what the drawings show. Responsibility for the design, and for checking the setting-out drawing against the planning consent and boundaries, stays with the designer and the client. Legal boundaries need a solicitor or boundary specialist. Buried services need a utility survey before digging. And GNSS needs open sky, so points close to tall buildings or under trees are set from the nearest open control or with a total station.
Other survey services
See the setting out cost guide for prices.
Tarmac depth surveys
Before-and-after scans that map the thickness actually laid, across the whole road.
Plot & oversite surveys
Slab flatness, brickwork to drawing and drain collar positions, checked plot by plot.
As-built surveys
Finished roads, kerbs, drainage covers and plots recorded, with as-built drawings in DWG and PDF.
Floor flatness surveys
Slabs and screeds scanned edge to edge and checked against SR1-SR3 or your flatness class.
3D measured building surveys
Millimetre-accurate floor plans and elevations for kitchens, extensions and architects.
Topographical surveys
Levels, contours, boundaries, buildings and trees for planning and design, with the full 3D scan.
Dimensure Design Audit
Groundworks and civils drawings reviewed before you dig, on any project: problems found on paper.
Garden surveys
Levels, walls, steps, trees and drains surveyed for garden designers, landscapers and homeowners.
Drone surveys
Aerial mapping tied to RTK GNSS control: scaled orthophotos, levels and contours for whole sites.
Stockpile volume surveys
Every heap of stone, topsoil and spoil measured by drone, in cubic metres and tonnes.
Earthworks volume surveys
Cut and fill against design or a previous survey, topsoil strip depths and muck-shift checks.
Site progress surveys
Monthly drone records of the whole site, compared with last month, for valuations and reports.
As-laid service surveys
Drainage, chambers and ducts recorded in the open trench, with levels and photos, before backfill.
Pre-start condition surveys
Roads, kerbs, walls and neighbouring buildings recorded by scan, drone and photo before work starts.
Drone roof surveys
Close-up roof inspections without scaffold, with measured roof areas and pitches if needed.
Reporting from your survey data
Already have a scan or your engineer's levels? We process your data and report against design, no visit needed.
Setting out near you
Questions we get asked
What is GNSS setting out?
Setting out is marking the design on the ground so the work is built in the right place and at the right level. With an RTK GNSS rover, the design coordinates and levels are loaded into the controller and the rover guides us to each point, which is marked with a peg, pin or paint, with the level written on it or set on a profile.
How accurate is RTK GNSS setting out?
Typically 10 to 20 mm in plan and 20 to 30 mm in level in open sky, checked against site control at the start and end of every visit. That's right for earthworks, drainage, roads and kerbs before final checking, plot dig pegs, fencing and landscaping. Setting out that needs millimetres, such as brickwork lines and holding-down bolts, should be done with a total station, and we'll say so if your job needs it.
Can you set up site control on Ordnance Survey grid?
Yes. We can establish control stations and benchmarks around a site, coordinated on Ordnance Survey National Grid with Ordnance Datum levels, or tie into an existing site grid from your engineer. You get a control sheet with coordinates, levels and witness photos, so anyone can use the stations later.
What do you need from us to set out?
The setting-out drawing or, ideally, the design in DWG with coordinates and levels, the site grid or control details if one exists, and a clear list of what you want marked. If the drawings only show dimensions to buildings or boundaries, tell us and we'll work out the coordinates first.
Where doesn't GNSS work well?
GNSS needs a clear view of the sky. Close to tall buildings, under trees or inside structures, the signal is blocked or reflected and accuracy drops, so the rover can't be relied on there. In those spots we transfer control to the open area or recommend a total station.
Who does the setting out?
Dimensure was set up by a groundworks project manager with 12 years on UK housing and civils sites, including SMSTS and a CSCS black card, so the setting out is done by someone who has run the gangs that work to the pegs. We mark things the way a groundworks foreman expects to find them.
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.