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Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying

Engineer Service, Land Surveying,

About us

We are a husband and wife engineering and land surveying comapny. Both principles are very hands on and perform the majority of the work required to fulfill the obligations to the client. Please be aware we do ask for deposits. The amount varies but usually amounts to 40 to 50 percent of the total job. Being that most jobs are less than $300.00 the deposit covers direct expenses associated with the completion of a portion of the project. Direct expenses are fuel, materials, labor cost, and equipment maintenance. By requiring deposits we can keep our fees low. Although we are located in Fredericksburg, the majority of our work is in Northern Virginia. We do want you to know that our fees are not increased because of distance so you need not fear that you are paying any fuel surcharges. Many contractors will tell you that if a bid for work seems too low that you may want to avoid that business. That is not always true and here is why. We sell a service, not a product. Our service is worth what we agree upon as a fair fee. Quality of service is not sacrificed because a fee is less than another provider. The service is identical to the provider that wants twice as much as we ask for. Land Surveyors are required by State Regulatory mandates to provide specific actions to accomplish specific tasks regardless of fees charged. Additional Service Areas: Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince Williams, & Portions of Prince George Counties.

Business highlights

Emergency services offered
30 years of experience

Services we offer

Land Surveys.

Amenities

Emergency Services

Yes

Accepted Payment Methods

  • CreditCard
Reviews
5.0101 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
97%
4
2%
3
0%
2
1%
1
0%
Showing 1-25 of 101 reviews
Norman S.
Aug 2020
1.0
Never returned my call.
Response from Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying

"I can't respond to everybody. I have been battling metastatic cancer for 2 years now. The heat and humidity that happened this year would have taken a bigger toll. I try to be responsive but cancer can just wreck your day."


Ashton H.
Apr 2019
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$325
Responded to request for quote during the weekend, scheduled a Monday afternoon appointment. Didn't require me to be home. A team of two, including Mr. Thurber, showed up on-time and performed the work within an hour, locating all property boundaries and taking all needed measurements. By Wednesday I had the updated PLAT for my county permitting.

Cathy L.
Sep 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$325
Mr. Thurber promptly responded to my email inquiry. He provided a quote 2 days later which we accepted. The work was scheduled to be done the following Tuesday. He arrived promptly and explained exactly what he was doing. There were some issues with the boundaries that required him to do some research. He said he would be back the following Monday. He returned on Monday and completed the survey. The markers that he placed will make it very easy for the fence company to complete their work accurately on our property line. I highly recommend this company for responsiveness and thoroughness.

David H.
Sep 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$375
Survey was completed, and although I am in a flood zone the house elevation puts it at a lower risk. Survey submitted to insurers and insurance cost was reduced. Well worth the cost.

Valeria D.
Jun 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
Mr. Thurber was punctual and professional. He had me go over the work I needed before he started and then reviewed work done when finished making sure he had provided what I wanted.

Homeowner
Jun 2017
2.0
$175
If you don't have existing pipes or stakes on your property corners, you should hesitate to hire Jim Thurber. I didn't tell him that I am a manager in commercial construction because I wanted to see how he did. Jim does appear to have a long experience in surveying and provided lots of stories and theories but his product, providing accurate corners based on the lots and neighborhoods around you, is somewhat terrible. When I dug just a little bit below the surface on his statements and actions, there were many more questions than answers. Here is a condensed list of my issues with Jim: upon finding no corners he said he would use the position of my house to establish property corners (trust a house builder to be extremely accurate?!) he then said he could do no more unless I provided the 4 year old survey done by others. He disparaged said surveyor, although that person is now regional surveying director for a very large engineering firm. After I notified Jim that my neighbors surveyor had found a pertinent iron pipe, and I could provide another neighbors existing iron pipes, Jim laid out my corners based on the position of my house instead. I then met with my neighbors surveyor to point out that my back corners differed by 6 inches from the old pipe he had found. Jim stated that based on this, Jim would adjust my corners. Jim later said this was done. I told Jim I didn't see him on my property and he admitted that he asked my neighbors surveyor to finish the job for him. Because of this odd relationship, to this day the survey remains undone. 4 property corners are not established, even offset points are off 3 inches. And I did not receive a plat of the work. I feel uncomfortable to build the fence I wanted to build. There are many more oddities to this story but bottom line, you have to understand what Jim is telling you and analyze whether you think it is right or wrong. Don't make assumptions and question everything.

Aftab B.
Jun 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,000
Really professional and budget friendly price.

Tom C.
May 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
I highly recommend Jim Thurber and his associate, he performed a property survey for me in Montross Virginia. Jim was very thorough in all aspects of the survey; excellent communication, punctual, answering all question, competing the survey and a reasonable price.

Joan G.
May 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Our times were mixed up. He thought noon n I thought 1. We never met but job was done.

Elizabeth N.
May 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
Weather was uncooperative and we needed to reschedule several times but I was kept informed of reschedules. Work was performed as agreed.

Jeffrey M.
Apr 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$575
Jim was very responsive and addressed all of my questions. I pointed out some specific areas of concern and he took the time to walk me through some of the measurement processes so I would fully understand the information. I had some follow-up questions and Jim answered them right away. This was the second time we hired Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying. They previously provided the same service at a property we were selling. I would definitely hire them again.

Julie K.
Apr 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$200
Arrived on time and was very thorough. I was very pleased with his work ethic and the amount I paid.

Sisay Y.
Mar 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Even though I did not use the service due to a unexpected change of plan, I would hire this company if and when I need the service based on the responsiveness and professionalism of the company.

Scott B.
Dec 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,400
Fine, it was an inquiry.

Stephen O.
Oct 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
Outstanding - very professional, punctual and exceeded my expectations in every respect. Jim Thurber is the 'best' if you want your property surveyed.

Hamid I.
Oct 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$650
It went perfectly.

Eric R.
Oct 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
Outstanding work. Mr. Thurber came a early, started quickly and proceeded to identify all corners of my property, and provided additional stakes along along both neighbors' property lines to ensure proper fence placement.The most important part of his service was somewhat more intangible; He explained how the various parts of Virginia land surveying law worked, which went greatly to explain how a previous surveyor performed a property survey as part of our 2014 home purchase but wouldn't tell us where the borders of our property were, without an enormous additional fee. Mr. Thurber was truly a professional. I would have written this rating sooner but I was busy telling the neighbors how outstanding Mr. Thurber was, and of course, explaining to them why the common property borders are different than the running fence line. If there were an A++ rating he would have earned it.

Aftab B.
Aug 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
Very smoothly. Jim is very honest, thorough and professional in his work. Best of all, his price is the most competitive. I felt extremely satisfied with his efficiency & work quality and felt great to support a small business.

Marilyn E.
Jun 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
unknown

Gregory E.
Apr 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$150
Mr. Thurber and his assistant showed up when they promised and provided exactly what I needed.  It was a pleasure doing business with him and I would not hesitate to hire him again.

Ramon M.
Feb 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$350
Excellent service. Provided advice and a very good output.

ERIC - SUSAN S.
Jan 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
unknown

Nicole C.
Dec 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$550
We couldn't have been luckier to find Jim.  He came to our house and started surveying, only to realize that the entire area was poorly mapped.  So, he went back and performed research over a week including finding paperwork dating back to the 60's required to locate the boundaries of our property.  Unfortunately for us, he found multiple encroachments that were not originally noted on the survey from when we purchased our house.  He gave us great advice to go back to our settlement company and utilize title insurance, and also about what our options were with regard to dealing with our neighbors and if needed, potentially lawyers.  After all the additional research and drafting the plat, his fee did not even change.   We'd use him again in a heartbeat.

Mary C.
Nov 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$350
We were very happy with Thurber Engineering and their excellent customer service. Other places we had contacted were more expensive and would not have the plat ready for at least 10 business days. We needed a quick turn-around and could not be more pleased with the efficiency and quality of the work.

John C.
Oct 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$400
Mr. Thurber was professional, courteous and efficient.
Showing 1-25 of 101

Licensing

State Contractor License Requirements

All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.

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FAQ

Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying is currently rated 5.0 overall out of 5.
Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
No, Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying does not offer free project estimates.
No, Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying does not offer a senior discount.
Yes, Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying offers emergency services.
No, Thurber Engineering and Land Surveying does not offer warranties.

Contact Information

10707 Woodland Dr, Fredericksburg, VA 22407

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