Warning: Don't skip checking ceiling heights on an as-built

I was at a site last Tuesday for a remodel job and noticed the ceiling height on the drawings was 8 feet. When I got there with my laser, it was actually 7 feet 6 inches. The original drafter must have just copied the old plans without measuring. Has anyone else caught big mistakes like this from just trusting the original set?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarcooper23d ago

My buddy Jake caught this exact thing on a fire station job last fall. Drawings said 10 foot ceilings in the apparatus bay, but when they went to install the overhead door tracks, they realized the actual height was only 9 foot 4. Cost them an extra two days and a grand in rework to get shorter tracks and redo the concrete stops.

mark_hernandez1223d ago

That Jake story is a perfect example of why I always double check with a physical tape measure before ordering anything. On a warehouse job in Phoenix last year, the plans showed 14 foot ceilings in the storage area but the actual was 12 foot 8 because someone forgot to account for the sprinkler pipes and ductwork hanging down. Ended up having to swap out the racking system halfway through the install. Its not just about the big stuff either - I've seen door headers measured wrong by 3 inches which threw off the whole drywall layout. These days I won't even send a material order until I've personally verified every single height on site with my own laser.