Loading…
7
Retrofitting a 1920s wall in Detroit, my level finally stopped lying to me
Three years ago I took on this old storefront on Michigan Ave and every single course seemed to bow no matter how careful I was with the string line. Last Tuesday I switched from my beat up 4 foot level to a 6 foot Starrett I borrowed from a guy on the next job and suddenly everything clicked. The old building settled so bad that one corner was 2 inches off, but using the longer level made me catch it before I set the third row. I had to tear out 11 courses and relay them, but now the front facade looks dead straight. Anyone else run into walls that just refuse to tell the truth until you switch tools?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
the_ruby1mo ago
Old Detroit buildings are a whole different animal. I did a rehab over on Cass a few years back and the sill plates alone were off by an inch and a half between the front and back corners. Had the same issue till I pulled out a 78 inch level my old man left me. The short ones just let you chase the local bumps instead of seeing the whole damn plane. Ended up snapping a chalk line across the floor and measuring up from that on every single course. Pain in the ass but now I do that first on anything built before 1940. Also check your mason's line for sag, somebody left theirs loose once and we laid an entire wall to a catenary curve before anyone noticed.
7