Building a Shop

[Huskerplowboy]

Yup, they spread out the load under the posts to prevent (or slow down) the poles gradually sinking further into the ground.

 

[Duffster]

Husker,

Not sure if you got it squared in yet or not so please forgive me for asking and please don't take any offense but,

Do you know how to get the diagonal measurement using the A squared + B squared = C squared method?

Using this method you should be able to square up a site like this in a ~hour.

If you are still working on this I think I can make a diagram that would show how to do this.

 

[Dargo]

I'm a land surveyor and yep, those cloth tapes will really stretch. Over 0.10' in 100 feet. Everything we do that requires accuracy, which building layout falls under, we use a steel tape that we call a "chain". Just about everything we do is in 10ths and 100ths of a foot and not in inches.

Is there any regulating authority over licensed surveyors? The reason I ask is because when I went to build my guest house I discovered that the surveyor I used when I originally built my house was off by almost 5' (yes, five feet) on a 12 acre lot. When the error was brought to my attention I called and wrote the original surveyor, Morley and Associates, and inquired about the error. After all, I'd paid them thousands for the original survey and elevation certificates (they were off by over 4' on the elevations as well!). All I got was an extremely crude cussing by the owner of Morley and Associates and told that they were "accurate enough".

Because of his errors, I ended up spending several thousand dollars with another surveying company to correct all of the previous errors and get everything properly recorded. I didn't spend a lot of time pursuing the issue, but I never was able to obtain any basis as far as how accurate a survey and/or elevation certificates had to be by a surveying company. Since I was lucky enough to not have put any fence close to an incorrect property line and my buildings just had to have updated elevation certificates an attorney told me that I likely couldn't do anything about the incompetence of the original surveyor. I did discover another homeowner who used Morley and used his incorrect elevation certificates and ended up building their home too low, forcing them to buy flood insurance forever or have their home torn down, raised, and rebuilt. Again, just curious as to how accurate a survey has to be.

 

[dodge man]

As far as I know, all states have some kind of agency that regulates surveyors. Like many things, surveying is not black and white. It is possible that the original surveyor used a different bench mark for elevations than the second one. Its hard to say with out knowing the exact situation. What sounds like the problem is they didn't handle your situation well. When people call me with a problem on my work, I try to adress is right away and if I made a mistake, I correct it right away, usually at our cost.

I assumed when reading the OP's post on laying out his building that he had computed his diagonals, if not you can find stuff on line to figure it. I would actually ignore staking the actual building corners and stake offsets, which in this case is batter boards.

 

[Duffster]

I would actually ignore staking the actual building corners and stake offsets, which in this case is batter boards.

I was getting to that. LOL

 

[Dargo]

Husker,

Not sure if you got it squared in yet or not so please forgive me for asking and please don't take any offense but,

Do you know how to get the diagonal measurement using the A squared + B squared = C squared method?

Using this method you should be able to square up a site like this in a ~hour.

If you are still working on this I think I can make a diagram that would show how to do this.

My 2nd barn was built by an Amish crew and I can see your formula written out all over scrap lumber in pencil. That 'old fashioned' math method must work just fine because all the steel (which is cut pretty well square) fit perfectly when they skinned the barn.

 

[dodge man]

I've seen sloppy layout and what it does to the results. I have seen cranes sitting on a job site and when they go to put up the steel it doesn't fit. Thats when people start pointing fingers.

 

[Duffster]

I've seen sloppy layout and what it does to the results. I have seen cranes sitting on a job site and when they go to put up the steel it doesn't fit. Thats when people start pointing fingers.

Isn't it always your fault?

 

[flusher]

The board is part of my laser leveling system I'm playing with. I have a dewalt rotary laser level and detector. I clamp the detector on that board so its the same height above the blade as the laser is above the desired grade. The detector has about a 3" window where it'll detect the laser line, so if I can keep it beeping, I'm within 3" of level.

First time I tried it, I just tried listening for the beeps by running at low rpms, but the 2320 would struggle as soon as it started cutting much without being rev'd up. This weekend, I duct taped an old Ipod ear bud over the speaker on the detector. If I plug the ear buds into the input jack on my Work Tunes radio earmuffs, I can hear the beeps over the engine even at full bore in a heavy cut.

Very clever way to do land leveling on a budget.

Not too different from the rig my neighbor uses to level and grade his surface-irrigated alfalfa fields.

It a D-7 Cat pulling a laser-leveling gannon box.

Here's the tripod carrying the rotary laser.

 

[flusher]

Question for those who have built pole buildings before:

Which would you install first, the wall steel or the roof steel? I can think of reasons for both but thought I'd pick a few brains out here too. I'm currently leaning towards doing the roof last to avoid a large wind-catching "sail" on top of some spindly legs with minimal bracing.

If you install the roofing first, just be sure the overhang is sufficiently long so you don't get rain running down the inside of the wall panels. I didn't pay attention to this detail and had to retrofit some narrow pieces of steel roofing to increase the overhang on the 20x28ft equipment shed I built last year.