Hot take: I think measuring twice is actually a waste of time on simple jobs

I was at a supply shop last Tuesday and overheard a guy lecturing his apprentice about measuring every post hole three times before digging. I get it for complex stuff, but on a basic 40 foot chain link run on flat ground? I just measure once, mark it, and go. Been doing fences for 12 years now and I can count on one hand the times I messed up bad enough to cost me money. That little extra time adds up when you are doing 5 jobs a week. Does anyone else just trust their eye on straight runs or am I the only one who thinks the old timers over complicate it?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_skyler1mo ago

Nah man I gotta push back a little on the measuring once thing. Even on flat ground, your first measurement can get thrown off if you're rushing or the tape is old and stretched. I had a 6 foot privacy fence section end up 3 inches too short last spring cause I trusted my eye and didn't double check the gate opening. Cost me a whole afternoon cutting new pickets. It only takes like 10 seconds to hold the tape again, that's nothing compared to fixing it.

simonw411mo ago

Did you check if the ground was actually level or just looked level?

brian_jackson1mo ago

Wait, I gotta ask @simonw41 - did you end up checking it with a level or just eyeball it? Reminds me of when I tried to hang a shelf in my garage last summer and ended up with all my paint cans sliding off one side cause I trusted the floor looked flat. Took me way too long to realize the concrete had a tiny slope I missed completely.