BUILDING SET OUT SURVEYS
A Building or Construction Set-out Survey is required for all new developments as it defines the exact position of a proposed structure in relation to the legal boundaries of a piece of land. They are a physical transference of a building design onto the land itself for builders to follow during construction.
Building set out surveys for property construction and development projects
What is a building set out survey?
A building set out survey is a critical first step in a construction. It involves a licenced cadastral surveyor measuring and marking out key points of an approved design onto the piece of land it is to be built on. Establishing these key points of a structure before construction commences allows builders to use the marks as a guide and ensures that the structures are built within the title boundaries, in accordance with the plans approved by council.
Why do I need a building set out survey?
Set out surveys ensure your construction is within the legal boundaries of your property, and as per the conditions of the building permit. Builders and contractors can follow your plans and designs precisely with key points of your design established and marked by the survey team to guide the building process from the foundations all the way through to floor heights if required.

What types of construction projects can Realserve set out?
Construction set out surveys are helpful for diverse construction projects such as:
- Extensions to existing buildings
- Buildings of small dwellings to commercial high-rise
- Constructing roads, bridges, and tunnels
- Constructing swimming pools
- New Column Grids
- Shopping Mall Kiosk Construction
- New Fence Construction
- Determining Lease Area extents
- Plant and Equipment layout locations
- Lighting locations
Set out surveys are important for any kind of construction work as it allows builders to accurately visualise how a proposed structure will fit into a space. Builders can follow key points and markers provided on the survey plan, and use these as a guide for complete confidence in construction. This allows for construction to be precise and efficient, saving your time and money.
Our experienced surveyors who specialise in commercial and residential developments can work through the entire process with you. It will ensure you receive everything you need to complete your building project.
Our typical process
We utilise the latest surveying technology to capture our data. Using the latest CAD software programs the data is analysed and processed accurately to produce our topographical and cadastral survey drawings. The equipment we use is state of the art, ranging from traditional total stations to 3D laser scanning or RPA (drone). We only use the latest software tools including AutoCAD & Revit.
Once our plans are drafted they go through an intensive QA process via an independent audit to ensure that what we have captured is delivered to the highest levels of accuracy possible.
In summary;
- Initial consultation to ensure we can meet your needs.
- Agree on a scope of work.
- Our team will undertake pre-site processing & computing of set-out data, typically supplied by client
- Site set-out – A site visit is organised with one of our qualified surveyors with the necessary data transfer equipment. Marks are measured and placed (number of marks in accordance with agreed scope)
- Our highly experienced team will use AutoCAD to draft plans of the marks placed on site, to be provided in PDF and CAD file types.
Building set out survey samples
See some of our case studies

3D Building Scanning to upgrade supermarket loading docks
A national supermarket brand needed to upgrade their loading docks with multiple sites around Australia. See how we used 3D building scanning to help achieve this

Point cloud created by a surveyor for a national hotel refurbishment program
In today’s modern era, the practice of relying on paper-based drawings and floor plans for a hotel refurbishment has become obsolete, with architects increasingly turning to modern workflows to maximise on the benefits that 3D scanning and modelling can offer

3D scanning of shopping centre amenities in Noarlunga, SA
To assist with the planning of a refurbishment program aimed at enhancing visitors’ experience at a shopping centre, Realserve survey technicians provided 3D building scanning services in Adelaide’s south.

3D scanning of a free standing restaurant building in Adelaide
Realserve routinely engages in the practice of 3D scanning buildings that are used for retail tenancies. Our surveyors in Adelaide were engaged to produce a Revit Model and Point Cloud for a free standing restaurant in a shopping centre car park

Using 3D scanning to create a new retail tenancy plan in Sydney
The Realserve surveyors in Sydney were engaged by Lendlease to create new retail tenancy documentation in their shopping centre at Erina Fair. Instead of using traditional survey methods we used a Leica BLK to create a 3D scan of the 130 square metre area.

3D Revit Model of a heritage building in Launceston
Realserve sent a team of surveyors to Launceston to create a 3D Revit Model for a heritage building in the city to help facilitate a refurbishment program.