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Went with a 4 foot level over a string line on a garden wall in Boise, regretted it for 3 courses
Was laying a 30 foot garden wall last month and the homeowner didn't want stakes in his new sod. So I skipped the string line and just trusted my 4 foot level course by course. First 3 courses looked dead on. By course 6 the whole thing had drifted about 3/4 of an inch out of line. You just can't see a slow curve over 4 feet. Pulled it down and rebuilt with a line tied to two bricks on the ends. Took me 2 extra hours but it came out straight. Anyone got a trick for lining up when you can't stake the ground?
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jana_shah24d ago
Gonna have to disagree with going back to stakes and string every time honestly. A 30 foot wall with a slight curve isn't always a mistake, sometimes it's the ground itself not being level and your courses following it. Line tied to bricks works but bricks slide, wind moves them, and on a long run you still have sag in the middle. Better trick is to just check with a transit or laser every few courses against a fixed point like the corner of the house or a fence post, something that isn't going anywhere. Four foot level will lie to you every single time over distance because you can't see a half inch drift in four feet. And if the sod is the issue, you can drive a piece of rebar in the bed and just patch the hole after, no big deal.
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