the_holly•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Pro tip: Using a laser level for switch and outlet layout saved me 3 hours on my last job

I used to measure every single box height with a tape and mark it by hand for each room. Got a job last month in a new build in Phoenix with 4 bedrooms and a kitchen. First room I did the old way took forever. Then I set up a basic laser level on a tripod and just drew lines across the studs for 48 and 42 inch boxes. Went three times faster and no redos. Has anyone else tried this or do you still stick to the tape?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancygrant1mo ago

That part about catching uneven subfloors is smart, I actually heard a tile guy in Tucson say the same thing. He said he uses a laser to check the floor before he sets any cabinets because the house settles differently in the dry heat out here and the slab can be off by a quarter inch in a long hallway. People don't think about how much that adds up when you're stacking boxes across a whole house.

derek6561mo ago

One thing I noticed on a slab foundation job in Vegas was that the laser level also helped catch uneven subfloors before I hung any boxes. If the line wobbled or shifted from room to room, I knew the slab was out and I needed to adjust my reference point. Saved me from hanging a whole row of switches at slightly different heights that would have looked terrible.