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Spent $150 on a 'professional' ground penetrating radar survey in my backyard - total waste

I hired a guy from a local archaeology firm in Austin to scan my yard for old foundations before I put in a garden shed. He charged me $150 and spent 2 hours walking around with this fancy machine. The results showed a big rectangular shape about 3 feet down under my lawn. So I dig there, and it was just a buried concrete birdbath base from the 1980s that the previous owners dumped. Nothing historical, no old homestead stuff, just trash. I mean maybe the tech works on large sites but for a small residential lot it felt like overselling. Has anyone else had luck with these rental GPR units instead of paying for service?
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3 Comments
west.anna
west.anna23d ago
Rent one and practice on known targets first, saves you the headache.
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drew690
drew69023d ago
Yeah the rental units are a pain too. They miss small stuff like that birdbath.
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the_margaret
Renting really does come with its own set of headaches for sure. You pay good money and still end up with stuff missing or not quite right, that birdbath thing is such a small but annoying detail. It's like they rush through the cleaning or just plain forget the little things that make a place feel complete. I've had rentals where the kitchen was missing basic utensils and it throws off your whole trip. Makes you appreciate paying extra attention when you get your own place, even if it means more work upfront.
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