umaprice•1mo agoProlific Poster

So I built a raised bed and realized I'd been leveling ground wrong for years

I spent like 4 hours last weekend digging out this spot in my backyard for a 4x8 raised bed. Used a level and everything, checked it maybe 6 times. Looked perfect to my eye. Then my neighbor Jeff walks over and asks why my bed is sloping toward the house. I told him I leveled it, he just kinda smiled and pointed at his truck. He had a laser level he picked up at Harbor Freight for like 30 bucks. We ran it across the area and sure enough I was off by almost 2 inches from one end to the other. Turns out my ground was so uneven that the level was just following the slope instead of showing me the real difference. Has anyone else discovered they've been making some simple task way harder because of a tool they never thought to use?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan_fisher991mo agoTop Commenter

A string level is only good if you already know the ground is flat. I learned that the hard way building a deck a few years back. I used a 4 foot level on the ground for a whole afternoon and then my framing was all messed up. A water level or a laser level will show you the real difference between two points even if the ground is sloped. I bet a lot of people think a level on the ground is enough but ground is never actually level to start with.

xenar141mo ago

Totally agree, happened to me with a garden shed foundation. Spent a whole Saturday leveling the ground with a 4 foot level, thought I was a genius. Then I put down the first course of blocks and realized the whole thing was off by like an inch and a half from end to end (seriously, so frustrating). A buddy lent me his water level after that and it was a total game changer, showed me exactly how much the ground was actually sloping away. Now I never trust a level on bare dirt, you just can't.