Layout For Beginners: Easy Step by Step 

Surveyed for about 10 years (Civl design / CAD for 20 years…now CAD manager). Staked a LOT of houses. You hit all the important points and mentioned some of the pitfalls. Very well done. Thank you for emphasizing elevation when laying out. Remember…slope in the site creates another triangle. If you hold a tape close to the ground, on a slope, and don’t use a plumb bob (or some other manner of “leveling” the tape), you’re measuring along the hypotenuse.

Starting the day with sprinkled donuts is literally the key to accurate layout.

It's all about time that Greg gets his own mic, would like to listen to him! 👍👍👍

I have to say this again, who ever is filming this is doing a really good job.

Great job guys As an Engineer its always a joy to watch accurate measurements and the dedication to achieve that. And I couldn't agree more with what you said about starting accurately because it will definitely be a compound effect. Keep up the good work

Thank you for diving into the small details! I love learning from pros like you and especially Greg! even the time to do that small diagram really helped clear up what was happening in my head.

Perfect explanation. Especially the parallelogram adjustment. Brilliant.

just had to say this video was awesome. I've watched about a dozen videos on this, and this by far was the best I've seen. Clear, thorough, and even explained in detail how to fix issues. Bravo!

Awesome video very helpful, I’m a greenhorn and understood every thing you taught. Communicated well and what helped I think for me is you went to the field and actually laid out a building site, hands on is a great teacher thanks.

as a Carpenter in New Zealand this is another awesome vid- and yes this is exactly how we do a setout also- yep the 1/8th over that distance is not important, well done you two!

Great tip on using steel tapes. Solid tips, Kyle.

I’m glad you guys did it the right way, by simply doing the calculation. So many other “layout” videos try to tell you, just measure your diagonals and make adjustments until you get like-diagonals. No, a thousand times NO! You can have like diagonals and not have a single square corner in the whole thing. (Do a search for isosceles trapezoid and you’ll see what I mean.) Plus, this is just faster and eliminates all that back and forth nonsense.

Thanks for the tutorial. I understand batter boards a bit more, and setting them up. Also helped me understand the laser level and its use a bit more.

I appreciate your time and explanation of this process… Thank you and well done 👍

Great work guys. I’m learning a lot.

You ARE an Eagle Scout!... Once an Eagle, ALWAYS an Eagle. REMEMBER the oath you took at your Eagle Scout court of honor,... you are marked man! I would say through your video series you have kept your promise to help others a long life's path. CONGRATULATIONS Kyle. You're doing the great job with your RU-vid channel I haven't left any other comments on any of your other videos yet...... but here's what I have ascertained... Your ability to communicate your "fussy Carpenter" mentality and mindset, is intoxicating. In a world of things done Shawty and quickly, watching you work has been a breath of fresh air. Nice to know that there are still men like you out there doing things the right way! As an old-school Carpenter, Scoutmaster, father, and woodsman..... I have really enjoyed the channel. And all of it seems to be recorded, and edited with a strong dose of respect for your co-workers, honesty and humility. From what I can see,... and I doubt that this is just edited in., .. these seem to be the cornerstones of your character.... keep up the good work! I am the proud father of three quality sons who also are Eagle Scouts. I will stop by a job site with donuts someday. -Dan "Pogo" Reich

Laying out today perfect timing!

As usual great job and the 1/8" can be made up exactly when placing the brackets in the wet set on the pier.

EXCELLENT video Kyle and Gregg!!!

Excellent video. I enjoy this phase of the build and the attention to detail. I've watched all your videos and this one really detailed the layout that's repeatable by the professional or the novice. I will be using what I've learned here to build a shed and to layout a concrete pour on another project. Hi Five Kyle.

This is the best layout video I've ever seen! Thanks!

Great pointers. Thanks for the good simple but practical info.

2:48 I looked it up and the typical expansion for a steel tape at 90F would be 21/32” per 100’. Didn’t think it would be that much, but there you go.

Really loving and appreciating your great content!

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. You guys are awesome.

This was very helpful! Thanks for the videos as always, such damn good work.

Excellent video on layout

Good Video!🙂 Thanks for great quality video and attention to detail too!

Great video guys! This is so helpful.

I think this is the best video for how to get things square on RU-vid. Very simple to understand for the guys who don’t do this type of work for a living.

Great tutorial.

great vid, wish this came out about three years back before i built our house ;)

Literally building a shed this weekend and this was the best possible timing for this video. Always the best tips!

Kyle… you’re awesome 🤩

Thanks Kyle. 😁👍

Great video!

Vocês são muito bons adoro vocês

17:22 look at that trust! Dream team right here!

Hi Kyle! You ever try using an EDM? Set up once. Shoot your corners, post holes, etc. efficient and fast. Might be a little overkill for your work, but worth a look.

Amazing

Good info. I can testify that if you don't get this step right you WILL pay for it in time, material, and appearance the further you go with the project.

Why at 7:24 did you add 2" to your hypotenuse of 87 4 1/2?

3rd I'm going to build several buildings on my land. One of them will be a 64 by 40 and the other will be a 72 ft. diameter geodesic dome made out of round pipe. The geodesic dome will be a very difficult foundation to lay out and plus I plan on doing it with ICF blocks which adds complexity to it. The top of the ICF blocks will be about 3 ft. off the concrete slab and then I'll start the construction of the geodesic dome on top of the ICF. It needs to be very accurate.

It would be a great picture if you use a drone to see these four angle measurements from the sky 😉. Anyway, it's great, and thanks for this tutorial!

When we do batter boards., we brace stake against the pull of the string.

There's something to say for ground that has no rocks

Can you build something as small as a backyard Shed using post frame construction? Would love to see you do that as a smaller build series.

1/8” has always been close enough for me. 👍🏼especially at that distance

Awesome video! We just had the trees removed and the site root raked for our 60'x80' post frame barn. Your videos are our inspiration. Is 24" diameter for your post piers required or can you do 12" diameter? I only have a 12" diameter auger.

What add two inches to your diagonal dimension in layout?

ORANGE PAINT CAN !!! I bought one of those, used it for a bit and the next day no paint was coming out anymore. Reading the fine-print on the can, I discovered that after using it upside-down, you have to spray a bit in normal position to clean out the nozzle. Your can may be different, but carefully read the instructions, otherwise 15 bucks wasted after 15 seconds of use....

Could you use your laser tape you use for studs to square up those strings if the guy on the other end held up a little board or something for a backstop?

Hey Kyle, what brand are your sunglasses? I like the thick sides to prevent sun coming in.

I would like to learn more about the different details you do for different types of insulation as I am sure you are constantly making decisions all throughout the build due to insulation choice

I hope this isn't a dumb question. But.. that first batter board set.. you set it above the gavel by? Or an inch up? Just eyed it? I was worried that with the brackets later on you would need to be higher for the string? I get that then all the other batter boards would be same level. It looks like you have 5 to 6 inches clearance when you put the lines up on the high point. Thx for the video

Great videos , I’m wondering why you said add 2.5” to the diagonal ?

I can see why you guys have so many sunscribers. I've watched a couple of your videos and have learned so much. One question, @ 29:53 you said Greg needed to go that way 1/4. You didn't show what he moved. The nail/string? Again, awesome video!

Great video as always... Just so you know, You edited the same 2 bonus clips at the end.

Does the electrical stub outs dictate the building position

Do any of your vids show a layout where a part of the structure sits on post or pier off the side of a hill? Would love to see how you guys do that👌

Why add the 2"? Also this is one of the best videos on square I have seen in a long time! (Essential Craftsman would be proud!)

Do you ever have a land surveyor layout you location?

Kyle, why not just use your laser at the corner and get a perfect 90

Do you know what a clove hitch is? It's used a lot in the fire service and one you should never forget.

One thing that wasnt mentioned was how to setup the transit and then why and where you set up the receptor on the measuting stick.

8x12 concrete pad not square want to build 8x12 shed. Should i build shed square at 8x12 but will overlap some and underlap some or build a few inches smaller with a drip edge around base to shed water? Thanks in advance

Where did you get your Stabila REC 300 Digital receiver?

Good layout video. However, why is last couple of minutes redone?

Measure with a micrometer. Mark it with chalk. Cut it with an axe.

If you made your measurement with the initial screws at your dimension and then set your batter boards further back outside those pins, how did you measure the same dimension off your batter boards ? Wouldn’t they be a different dimension ? I’m just confused on that part of the layout

I'm thinking VR glasses with passthrough would probably make this process take way less time and would be 100% accurate.

What gravel base do you always start your builds with?

buy hydro string it has a ton of flex to it, you ccan get it really tight

Sheet Bend = Best knot for joining two pieces of rope or sting. Similar to a square knot. 🤙❤️

what app are you using on iphone ?

What is your service area for projects?

great infio, if youd only then draw it in a board or paper justo to go over it in paper, that would be reallly awesome.

I never understood why some do the L shaped batter boards. The diagonal does the job a lot quicker

Kyle, do you know of anyone that does your kind of post frame build in East Texas?

How do you set your batter board if you don’t have a laser level?

I didn't catch why you add two inches to your diagonal measurement after it was figured out on the calculator. From 84'4 1/2" to 84'6 1/2". Im looking to build a 40'X64'. Thanks

What kind of pencil u use?

When I had my house built 13 years ago the foundation guys used GPS to lay out the basement walls. Not entirely sure how that works, have you heard of that?

At least if y'all get overheated, that wee pond is right there for a quick dip

Hi, we're in northan AZ. we can not find anyone to engineer a post beem building. Would you be willing to sell a set of plans of 40x70 with 16-foot walls? It's been a nightmare we've been looking for months now. There's only metal framed out here! By the way we love your channel

When squaring up, the angled line was 87' 4 1/2", then you said plus 2", making the angled line 87' 6 1/2". What is the plus 2" for, please? Just so I understand... I might have missed something you said. (Thank you for your videos, so far, yours are by far the most educational and explained. Thank you!)

Why not use the layout station?

bonus round x 2

I’m wondering at this point if there will be concrete poured for a slab or it’s just going to be a gravel floor for farm equipment? If concrete is to be poured I would turn that job down. Reason being is the POOR Ground Prep. They really skimped.

Line up with the sun. Long side facing south.

KYLE, what kind of glasses do you and Greg have?

+ -1/8, The world keeps turning 👍🤣🍩📐🔨

Why did you show the hole digging video before the layout video?

What is the english name of the ajustable alumiun stick that hold the laser recever.? The stick that they put on rock to get the laser signal. Sorry english is not my first language. Tank’s for helping me so I can buy it on the web.

is there a reason for the extra thick gravel bed?

Would a g p s work?

👍🏻🍩

You gave the dimensions as 59’9” and 63’9” but you did not give size of the post. I am assuming the size of the post, but others doing a different size building with a different sized posts will need to calculate different numbers, correct?

What calculator app?

Yep, you've installed all your hurdles ( that's what we call batterboards), set out the building square and level ready to start . You arrive on the site next day and some b@$#rd, usually the plumber, has pulled them all out. Great video