I finally stopped fighting with bowed studs by using a string line instead of my level

Been wrestling with a stubborn wall in a 1920s house in Boston for two days, tried the string trick my grandpa mentioned once and it saved me three hours of shimming, has anyone else got an old timer tip that actually works better than the modern way?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona7379d ago

1920s Boston walls are often balloon framed so your string line might be off if it's not compensating for settlement.

benwilliams9d agoTop Commenter

You bet, that's a real thing with balloon framing (and yeah, @fiona737 is totally right about that). The studs run from the sill all the way up to the roof, so when the house settles, the whole wall can twist a little. I've had to re-snap my lines a couple times on those old places after checking with a laser level and finding the first line was off by a half inch. Best trick I've picked up is to pull your string from a spot that's already known to be level, like a window header or a door frame, then double check it with a 6-foot level before you start laying out anything critical.