Am I the only one who used to skip the layout step?

I built a set of built-in shelves for a client in Phoenix about six months ago and just eyeballed the studs and level. The whole thing was off by almost half an inch and I had to shim and fight it for hours. Last month, I forced myself to spend the extra twenty minutes with a laser level and a story pole, marking everything out on the wall first. The second set went up in under an hour, perfect and square. That tiny bit of prep time saved me a whole afternoon of headaches. Anyone else have a step they used to rush that they now never skip?

3 comments

3 Comments

beng519d ago

Honestly I get it, but sometimes you just have to move. I've had jobs where the walls were so out of whack that my layout marks were a lie anyway. Ended up fitting pieces by eye against the ceiling and floor because nothing was true. Now I check for level in a few spots first. If it's bad, I skip the full layout and go right to scribing.

viola_garcia569d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you fit pieces by eye against the ceiling and floor? That's wild! I can't believe nothing was true at all, that must have been so frustrating. I'd be so stressed trying to make that look right without any good lines to follow. It makes total sense you check first now, that's a smart move. Scribing straight away sounds like the only way to deal with a mess like that.

owens.laura9d ago

Ever try to hang a picture on a wall that's just... not a wall? My last place had a corner that looked like a drunk person built it, no joke. I put up a shelf and the gaps were so bad I just filled them with caulk and called it art lmao. Makes you wonder what the builders were thinking sometimes.