My old foreman told me to never trust a client's hand drawn sketch for a foundation layout

He said it back when I was new, maybe five years ago, and I thought he was just being a hard case. Well, guess what? I just finished a job in Cedar Rapids where the homeowner gave me a napkin sketch with some numbers on it for a garage addition. I figured it was simple enough and went ahead. Two days into setting up, I found a three-foot difference from his property line. Had to tear out all my string lines and start over, costing me a full day of work and a lot of concrete. That old guy was right on the money. You always, always pull your own measurements from the plot plan or the pins, no matter what. How do you guys handle it when a client is sure their rough sketch is good enough?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam_thomas19d ago

My buddy in Des Moines had a client swear their backyard sketch for a patio was perfect. He trusted it and poured a 12x16 slab. Turns out they were off by almost four feet, putting part of it over a utility easement. He had to break it all out. It's exactly what @wendy391 said, that plot plan is the only truth.

anthonys9815d ago

Yeah, I learned that the hard way too. Now I just pull the plot plan myself before we even talk design. It adds maybe ten minutes to the job and saves a whole lot of concrete.

wendy39119d ago

Honestly this is the same energy as people giving you directions based on a landmark that got torn down ten years ago. Trust but verify, every single time. That plot plan is the only thing that doesn't have a memory or make a guess. Saves so much headache to just do it right from the jump, even if the client seems totally sure.