As-Builts: I've got your number

We start to get down to business now- just a little - don't panic.  Here's what we're going to do:

Today's blog is about measuring all the doors and windows.  It's simple, really.  We've already located everything in the drawing, we just need to measure a few things and then add the measurements to the drawing.

Let's start with the easiest one - doors.  Most residential doors are 6'-8" tall.  Seriously.  Of course there are exceptions, for example, entry doors are sometimes taller.  Anyway, architects usually just specify the width of the door, unless the door is a non-standard height. That is why you only see the width of the door on the drawing.

Windows are not that much harder to measure - architects will note the width and the height of the windows on drawings.  If you want to roll like the architects there are a couple of things that you need to know:

1. When you note window dimensions you always put the width measurement first, then the height measurement.

2.  Measure the opening of the window in the wall. There may be a lot of other stuff there, trim and so forth, but go ahead and measure the wall opening; you can fine-tune later, if you really need to know. (When would you need to know? Oh, say you want to upgrade your windows with more energy efficient windows...)

So there you go. Measure and jot.  You've already come a long way.