Spent 3 days fighting a wall that kept going out of plumb before a job foreman pointed out my string line was touching a brick

Been laying for 5 years and never realized the line sagging a quarter inch could throw off an entire 40-foot wall, has anyone else had a simple setup issue cost them half a work week?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan.cameron25d ago

Man, I used to roll my eyes at guys who blamed the string. Thought it was just an excuse for bad layout. Then I had a foundation pour come out 3/4 of an inch off over 60 feet. Took me two days of head scratching before I realized my line was dragging on a wet spot in the mud. Never doubted it since.

bailey.sandra25d ago

My buddy Frank out in Ohio builds custom homes, and he told me a story that reminds me of this. He was framing a $600k house and kept chasing a 1/2 inch bow in a 40 foot wall. He rechecked his levels, rechecked his square, even blamed the lumberyard for warped studs. @morgan.cameron, he finally noticed his mason's line was touching damp earth near a corner form, and it had stretched just enough to throw his whole layout off. He had to tear out two days of work and start fresh with a dry line. He said he felt like a fool, but now he never pulls a line without checking the ground under it first.