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Always thought a 4-foot level was overkill for residential chimneys
Last month in Cincinnati, a client wanted a 30-foot chimney on a new build. My boss insisted on the big level for the whole run. I argued it was slow. But after checking it, the plumb was perfect all the way up. Saved us a ton of time fixing it later. Anyone else have a tool they fought against that ended up being essential?
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the_riley1d ago
Come on, is it really that big a deal? Sure, @ivan462 says it's standard, but for a house? Sounds like a lot of extra work for maybe a tiny bit of error. Most things are close enough, right? I've seen plenty of chimneys built with a regular level that look just fine.
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That 4-foot level is actually the standard for masons. A 2-footer is for checking individual bricks. The long one gets you the true line over multiple courses. On a 30-foot run, a short level would let errors stack up. You'd be chasing your tail by the tenth course. The big level is slow but it's the only way to build it right the first time.
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nancyramirez15h ago
Been there trying to fix a wall that got wavy from using a short level. It's a nightmare to correct after the mortar sets. That long level feels slow but it saves you hours of chipping and redoing work later. You'll thank yourself when the whole run is straight without any humps.
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