Happy New Year!

Happy New Years Eve!

2014 has been a fantastic year for the Hogan Land Services team.  We are thankful for our great clients, amazing staff, and everything in between.

Cheers to a successful 2014, and best wishes to all as we enter 2015!

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Update from our Santa Cruz Office

Hogan Land Services' Santa Cruz location is running full steam ahead!  Meeting other local businesses and supporting the Santa Cruz community is creating excitement for the future as we continue to grow into our new home here.  

Santa Cruz is a thriving community full of opportunity and potential projects.  The connections and relationships we are forming today will lead to a successful collaboration to help you improve the value of your property.

Offering all of the same services, Hogan Land Services is eager to get our foot in the door with all different types of projects.  Whether you have a property out in the country or are looking to remodel a home situated right downtown, we can help ensure your project is managed correctly, built to code, and ultimately turn your vision into a reality. 

We had an amazing sneak peak at a fully collaborative project that is nearing a successful completion.  The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) invited us to view the La Selva Trestle along the County's Branch Rail Line.  This project involved multiple Engineering firms and a rigorous permit processing period.  Now, the end result is a full improvement for the County, the Santa Cruz community, and the Regional Transportation Commission.  Below is a picture from our site visit and everyone agrees, not much beats an office day spent at the beach!

To find out more about our Santa Cruz office, visit our website and click on the "Santa Cruz" tab.

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Top Ways to Improve Your Property Value - Part 2

Time for another installment of "Top Ways to Improve Your Property Value".  In this segment we are reviewing a topic that is difficult for many homeowners to manage on their own.   And in many cases, property and homeowners may not even know a problem exists on their land.

Un-permited work whether done by you, or the previous homeowner can lead to violations against your property, decreasing value until the work is remedied!  This can be in the form of grading or earth movement, un-permited barns or accessory dwelling units, to a deck add-on or sunroom that did not go through the County regulations and process.

While some of these items may look like they increase your property value, unattended violations negatively impact your assets and even the re-sale value of your home.

Hogan Land Services has dealt with many violation resolution projects, and we know they come in all shapes, sizes and circumstances.  

If you are a new homeowner, and are unsure about some work done on your property, give us a call and we can review County records and reports to determine if the work was done legally or not.  If the latter is true, we can help develop and plan and process to get your violation corrected and legalized to County standards.  Even if the violation has not been reported yet, it is important to address the issue and work through solutions to have the work legalized.

The team at Hogan Land Services is determined to come up with creative, cost-effective solutions for all of your property needs.  We know that resolving a violation that you may not have even had a part of is frustrating, and thats why we are here to help!  Even if you are not ready to go through the entire legalization process, knowledge is power - and the experts at Hogan Land Services want you to know everything about your property.

  

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

The Napa Earthquake - A Look Back

The earthquake on August 24, 2014 will be remembered by people in Napa and Sonoma County for years.  The 6.0 registered quake occurred at about 3:20 A.M. and many were awakened by the jolt.

As Civil and Structural Engineers, the team at Hogan Land Services sprang into action.  For two weeks after the quake, we offered a free site review of your home, workplace, or property to assess the damage, and determine accessibility.  We received an enormous response from homeowners all over Napa and Sonoma County.  Some were unsure if their property had been affected, while others reported obvious damage.

The level of reported damage ranged from minor to severe, but we treated every case with extreme care and caution.  Structural damage is a serious issue!  We helped property owners determine the extent of structural movement or damage, and advised how to remedy the issue.  Our goal was to ensure your home, workplace or building was safe - and provide recommendations on how to proceed.

We were happy to support the community in a time of need, and our team of Engineers rose to the occasion with site visits nearly every other day in September.  Below are a few images from the structural damage we witnessed.

                            

Although it has been months since the Napa Earthquake, it is always important to do a visual check of your home 2-3 times a year.  If you have witnessed any movement or cracking in your home, please call us for a site review!

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

We want to wish you all the warmest Thanksgiving wishes from our team to you! 

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Introducing... HLS Santa Cruz!

Being a part of the Hogan Land Services Team, there is one thing we all know to be true, "the only constant is change".  Whether this relates to County protocol, civil design modifications, or even adding personnel to our office, we are always in a state of change.

It has been an extremely successful year thus far, and we have recently created change that will open the door to a new County in order to offer our services to the greater Northern California community.

We are pleased to announce the opening of our second Hogan Land Services office, located in Santa Cruz County!

Hogan Land Services, Santa Cruz will offer all of the same services such as Land Surveying, Civil and Structural Engineering, Septic and Wastewater Design, and of course, Permit Processing.

We are very excited to branch out to Santa Cruz County, and help you develop your dream beach home, or fix-up an older mountain cabin.

For more information, visit our website and click on the "HLS Santa Cruz" tab.  Or call us anytime at 831-419-4051.

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Top Ways to Improve Your Property Value - Part 1

Real estate is often our most valuable asset, and nothing feels better than crossing projects off the home improvement list.  Aside from the honey-do items, what about the assets that your property has, but didn't know could be improved?  That's where we come in.

Over the next few months we will be posting Hogan Land Services' "Top Ways to Improve Your Property Value" and provide tips and tricks for understanding more about your property, and what you can do about it.

This week our post features how to find out what you can do with your existing property.  Can  you build a second unit on your parcel?  Is there potential for commercial use?  Is it zoned for agricultural use?  Did you know you there are ways to change your zoning?

These questions have readily available answers, and once you have the information on what you can do; then you can determine what you want to do!

The land service professionals at Hogan Land Services will explain to you all the allowable uses for your property, and help modify it to maximize value.  If you've been curious about the assets your property may contain, give us a call!

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Don't Let it Wash Away

The rainy season is approaching!  As the rain washes in, there are a few things we want homeowners to be on the lookout for this fall.  Unexpected rain storms can unsettle dry earth that has built up over this hot summer we had.  In this post, we want to demonstrate the importance of recognizing erosion, and learning what can be done about it.

Soil erosion is the action of water flow or wind, which removes soil and rock from one location, then transports it to another location where it is deposited.  Do you think you have seen the effects of erosion?  An extreme example that many people have seen is the Grand Canyon.  

Examples of soil erosion are everywhere, but why do we want Sonoma County residents aware of the issue?  With such a diverse community of farmers, vintners, and wildlife,  soil that is not properly managed can lead to run-off affecting our natural streams and rivers.  The velocity of rain fall can be as great as 20 mph! (1)  The force of the rain breaks apart the dry soil, and causes sediment to be transported away from its original location.  This effects the landscape by creating polluted water as the soil runs downslope with the rain fall.

So what can be done to prevent soil erosion at your property?  If your property is currently undergoing construction, and is larger than 1 acre, a certified QSP (Qualified Storm Water Pollution Prevention Practitioner) must be called to monitor and set up proper erosion management.  If you think you observe erosion at your property, snap a picture and e-mail it to us.  Hogan Land Services has two qualified QSP/QSD staff members, who can easily identify if your property is in danger of eroding.

Effective erosion control is an important technique in preventing water pollution, soil loss, wildlife habitat loss and property loss.


Below are two examples of erosion control management.  Can you guess which one is not being properly managed?

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

(1)http://www.sonoma-county.org/agcomm/pdf/bmp_handbook3.pdf

Falling into Fall

Although summer is official over, Sonoma County is just beginning to see hints of the seasons change.  The rain showers here and there have been a treat, but the reality is still hot and dry days for our survey crew.

In conditions such as these, we try to be extra cautions of our carbon footprint.  From avoiding tall grasses with our field vehicles to curb fire danger, to conserving water for our in-office meetings and events.  As a green company, the Hogan Land Services team is conscious of how a little extra effort and conservation can go a long way.

Here's our latest view from the field as we continue deeper into the Fall season.  Let's all hope for rain on the horizon!

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Closer to Home

This year has been an exciting one so far for Hogan Land Services.  As some of you may know, we changed locations!  In January, our office moved from Farmers Lane to our current home 1702 4th Street.  Our new office is roomy and bright, with a beautiful conference room, and even our very OWN parking lot!

Inside, we have the pleasure of displaying a series of Aerial Survey photographs taken by Mike Hogan's father in 1976!  These photos traveled the County and lived proudly at the Sonoma County Library for years, until they were returned to our office a few months ago.  The collection spans from Ukiah to the San Francisco Bay, and were strategically hung in our office to represent the North to South flow of the photos.

Now to brag a little, we are extremely excited to debut our building signs.  Did you know that business must obtain a permit to display building signs from the County PRMD?  Fortunately we knew someone to handle the job, and now there is no missing us!

Below is a little view into our office, stop on by to see the full picture!

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

The Foundation of it All...

This week's view from the field is a peek at our Structural side.

We love being involved in development projects, and there is no grander transformation than a house built from scratch.  Hogan Land Services has a qualified team of Civil and Structural Engineers on staff, and provide Architectural Drafting and Structural Engineering services for a wide spectrum of projects.

Our experience ranges from the engineering of new homes, to the reconnaissance missions of examining older homes.  Sonoma County is a historic area after all, and some homes are over 100 years old!  Many of these historic homes show their age due to natural settling appearing in the form of cracks and separations.

So, if you are hearing some creaking or seeing cracks in your historic house, do not hesitate to give us a call!  We can determine if the home is settling naturally, or if there is engineering work that needs to be addressed.

For now, we are leaving history behind- and showing you a new construction project overlooking beautiful Sonoma County.

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

All About Vines

Is it really the last week of May?  Spring time breezed by all of us, and now we are feeling the summer time fun!  Here at Hogan Land Services, we love showing off what Sonoma County has to offer - and this of course includes wine!!  

Now your probably thinking, why is a Survey & Engineering firm talking about wine?  Next time you drive along the scenic Sonoma Valley lanscape - take a closer look at the way the vineyards are laid out.  Seems pretty uniform right?  There is actually a lot more than meets the eye.  

Hogan Land Services offers vineyard layout and staking services, as well as full vineyard development services.  Complete vineyard development must take into consideration, water availability, erosion control, and vine management.  As your complete Land Services firm, we are eager and excited to work on these types of projects!

Below are a few photos from our recent vineyard jobs.  So the next time your are sipping some crisp Sonoma Valley wine, reflect on the beautiful vineyards, and the collaborative effort from the dirt to the glass that makes us proud to live in "Wine Country".

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Another beautiful Sonoma County day

Greetings!

Hogan Land Services is getting our Blog "The Field is our Office" up and running.  This is a great way to see what we are up to, where we are, and the types of projects we are working on!  The Hogan Team has been traveling all over Northern California these last few months, but truly, there is no place like home.

The picture below is part of a multiple phase job where Hogan Land Services completed a Record of Survey, topographic mapping, structural reconnaissance, and worked with the Sonoma County PRMD to obtain necessary permits.

Oh did we mention, the work day was also a beautiful day out on the Petaluma River?

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls