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That survey I messed up last month had a 45 degree angle that threw everything off | Drafters - Chatter Central

That survey I messed up last month had a 45 degree angle that threw everything off

I was working on a small commercial buildout in downtown Portland last month, a coffee shop renovation. The architect had this weird angled wall specified at 45 degrees off the main column line. I figured I could just eyeball it with my speed square and lay it out quick. Turns out I was off by almost 3/8 of an inch over a 12 foot run. The framer caught it before they started hanging drywall, thank goodness. I had to redo the whole floor plan layout and it cost me an extra half day of work. The worst part was the site super calling me out in front of the whole crew. Has anyone else had a survey that looked simple on paper but totally tripped you up in the field?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanem373mo ago

The 45 degree thing bit me too on a similar job... I started pulling 3-4-5 triangles off the column line first, then double checking with a cheap digital angle finder from Home Depot before I even laid tape. That extra 10 minutes up front saved me from the redo you had to deal with. I also started marking my control lines with a fine point Sharpie instead of just chalk, so I could see the exact intersection points even in weird light. Framers appreciate when you give them something solid to work off, especially on those angled walls where everything feels off.

elliot_taylor3mo ago

Pulling 3-4-5 off the column line is smart but I'm STUCK on you saying framers APPRECIATE anything. Last crew I worked with would rather cut corners than look at a control line. They'd just eyeball it and say "close enough" until the drywall went up crooked. That Sharpie trick though is GOLD. Chalk lines fade or get kicked off in fifteen minutes on a busy job site. I've seen guys snap a line and then walk right through it dragging their boots before the chalk even settles. Digital angle finders are cheap insurance too, I picked one up after I had to re-do a 45 degree corner three times because my tape kept drifting.

taraanderson3mo ago

Man those angled walls are just the worst. I had a job once where the blueprints had a 30 degree angle off a corner and I must have checked that thing four times with my transit before I even broke out the chalk line. It's something about how the light hits your tape on an odd angle that just plays tricks on your eyes, you know? The framer catching it before drywall is a lifesaver though, I've seen guys have to cut out a whole ceiling grid because somebody trusted the laser level over their own two feet. Still makes me twitch thinking about it.