Bulimba has a mix of older Queenslanders, narrow residential lots, renovated homes, new builds and larger properties extending towards the Brisbane River. On many sites, the fence is not a reliable indication of the legal boundary.
A boundary survey removes that uncertainty. A registered cadastral surveyor reviews the title and survey records, re-establishes the property boundaries and marks the relevant corners on the ground.
This matters in Bulimba because much of the suburb was established long before current survey and building standards. Older fences, retaining walls, garages and houses can sit close to boundaries, while ongoing extensions, house raises and redevelopment mean those boundaries need to be accurate.
Brisbane City Council’s Bulimba district neighbourhood plan also applies across the area, with some properties affected by character, heritage, flooding or other planning controls. An accurate survey gives your designer, planner and certifier a reliable starting point.
If you are buying an older property with plans to renovate, rebuild or extend, it makes sense to confirm what you are actually purchasing before settlement.
An identification survey can confirm the lot dimensions and show how existing fences, walls and buildings relate to the legal boundary. This can expose issues such as a garage crossing the boundary, a fence sitting inside the property or an adjoining structure extending onto the site.
Title searches can also identify easements and other interests that may affect your plans.
For properties closer to the Brisbane River or within lower-lying areas, flood and overland flow mapping may also affect future building work. Combining boundary information with a detail and contour survey gives you a clearer picture of the site’s dimensions, levels and existing development.
Older fences often survive several owners, renovations and building projects. Their position can become accepted as the boundary even though nobody has confirmed it.
Problems usually start when someone wants to replace the fence, build a pool, construct an extension or sell the property.
A cadastral survey provides an independent position that both owners can work from. If a fencing disagreement cannot be resolved, Queensland’s Neighbourhood Disputes (Dividing Fences and Trees) Act 2011 provides a formal process for dealing with the common boundary and fencing work.
Encroachments are particularly important on smaller inner-city blocks where structures have been built close to side boundaries.
Common examples include garages, retaining walls, roof overhangs, eaves, stairs, decks, pools and fences crossing the property line.
These issues often surface when a property is sold or new building work is proposed. An identification survey records the relationship between the legal boundary and relevant structures so you can make decisions based on measured information rather than assumptions.
Bulimba has a large number of renovation, extension and house raise projects, many involving tight side setbacks and existing structures.
Building setbacks and boundary clearances are measured from the legal property boundary, not the existing fence. Starting a design from an assumed boundary can result in redesign costs or approval problems.
We can complete the boundary work alongside a detail and contour survey, giving your architect or building designer the boundaries, existing buildings, levels and relevant site features in one survey package.
Where more detailed information is required, 3D scanning can also capture the existing building and site for design purposes.
A new house, pool, garage, retaining wall or boundary wall can leave very little room for error.
Before construction begins, the legal boundary should be established rather than relying on an old fence or online mapping.
Once the design is approved, the same survey information can continue through to construction set out and Form 12 certification, helping the builder position the approved building correctly against the established boundaries.
Some Bulimba properties also have subdivision, redevelopment or amalgamation potential, subject to zoning, neighbourhood plan controls, overlays, lot dimensions and existing development.
Before designing around a proposed new boundary, the existing cadastral boundaries need to be established accurately.
A subdivision survey can then build from this information where the relevant approvals have been obtained. For development sites, we can also combine boundary work with detail and contour information so your architect, planner and engineers are working from the same survey base.
Survey My Block is a Registered Consulting Cadastral Surveyor Organisation with the Surveyors Board of Queensland.
We work throughout Bulimba and Brisbane’s inner east, including Hawthorne, Balmoral, Morningside, Norman Park, East Brisbane and Seven Hills.
Our boundary and identification survey work can include:
Only appropriately registered cadastral surveyors can determine property boundaries in Queensland.
If you are buying, renovating, rebuilding, replacing a fence or trying to resolve a boundary issue in Bulimba, contact Survey My Block and we can advise what type of survey is appropriate for your property.
We also provide detail and contour surveys, 3D scanning, subdivision surveys and construction set out and Form 12 certification throughout Bulimba and Brisbane’s inner east.
In Queensland, a survey of existing property boundaries is commonly called an identification survey. A registered cadastral surveyor examines survey records and physical evidence to identify, re-establish and, where appropriate, mark your property boundaries. An identification survey confirms existing boundaries, it does not create or alter property interests.
We recommend a boundary survey before installing or replacing a fence, constructing a retaining wall, building an extension, or carrying out other work close to a property boundary. It is also useful when purchasing or developing property, investigating a possible encroachment, or resolving uncertainty between neighbours.
Not necessarily. Fences, retaining walls and other improvements are sometimes built away from the true boundary, and the boundary cannot be reliably located by measuring from the kerb. GPS apps, Queensland Globe and online property maps are also not authoritative sources for locating boundaries on the ground. A cadastral survey is required to establish the boundary accurately
The surveyor will review the relevant title and survey information, undertake field measurements and reinstate the surveyed boundaries. Depending on the scope and site conditions, boundary corners may be marked or re-marked, and the survey plan may show relevant fences, retaining walls, buildings and encroachments in relation to the boundary.
A boundary survey provides independent professional evidence showing where the boundary is located and how nearby fences, walls or structures relate to it. However, the survey itself does not determine who is responsible for an encroachment or compel someone to relocate a structure. Where an affected improvement or encroachment is identified, the surveyor may be required to notify the affected landholder, and unresolved disputes may require negotiation, mediation or legal advice.
