I'm heading out of town to draw up some floor plans of existing buildings and equipment locations, basically from scratch. Some of these buildings are 5,000+ square feet with numerous rows of equipment. I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about this.

Are those laser "tape" measures very accurate? Any other suggestions?

It's gonna be a PITA. I wish I could free hand as well as I can CAD. My sketches are probably going to get ugly... LOL

Something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Zircon-58430-Ultrasonic-Measure-Targeting/dp/B00006K017

Those work okay, but need to be used in a fairly noise free environment. They're ultrasonic, so they're bouncing sound waves off of the far wall, and calculating how long before it gets a return. The laser just helps you actually hit the wall and not a side wall at the far end. Looks like the one you're looking at works to 50', so be aware, it's not going to help you in a larger building. That said, I bought one from Radio Shack for $20 years ago, and it still works well. :)

I use a Hilti PD-30 that's extremely accuarate, and expensive at 350.00. Measures to like 250-300 ft and is accurate to 1/12 of an inch. This uses a laser. Doesnt work too good outside when its very bright out, but perfect inside.

The ultrasonic ones do suck, they are old technology. The new ones use a real laser measuring device, and they are pretty affordable at about $100 and up. I use a Fat Max at work on a regular basis, doing construction site surveys. In my line of work it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, as it allows me to do surveys quickly and easily, and the absolutely best thing about it is that you can use it in crowded areas. We build restaurants, so you can just imagine how much fun it would be to use a tape measure while you have people running around you, and food, grease, water, hot equipment etc everywhere.

There are a few drawbacks but they are very minor. You can't measure to a reflective area (like metal studs) but I simply use paper labels to get around that. Stick it on what you need to measure, and you're good to go. It can also be difficult to measure between two points that don't have anything to shoot at (like on a long wall where you have to measure the distance between windows and doors). It usually easy to place some kind of object where you have to measure, or you can also fold a flag out of one of the paper labels and stick it to, for example, a door jamb. And as 69-CHVL said, it doesn't work very well in sunlight but that's not a concern in my case.

I bring my laptop whenever possible, so I can enter the dimensions directly into a CAD drawing. The beauty of this is that you'll get a very good indication of if your dimensions are correct, or if you missed something. For example: If you measure around the perimeter of a room and the walls don't meet at the last corner, you will know immediately that you screwed up somewhere. If you have a laptop, you can pick up Delta CAD for $40. It's quick and easy to learn, and you can save in AutoCAD format if needed.

Bottom line is that if you ever try a laser device, you'll never want to go back to a tape measure. No more tapes to drag around, no one needs to hold the other end, no more waiting for down hours, and the one I have is accurate down to 1/8" or less. For practical purposes, this is as good or even better than a tape measure for this kind of work. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the input guys. I'll see if I can get my company to spring for one. I doubt I could get my hands on a laptop, but you never know unless you try...

How about one of the wheel on a stick measuring thingies? Not sure what they are called but they work well if you have a straight shot on the floor.

LK

Thanks for the input guys. I'll see if I can get my company to spring for one.
I don't know what kind of an environment you'll be working in but you'll definitely save a lot of time, and you'll save an enormous amount of time in a place where you have to work around people (stores, offices etc). Tell your boss that my average survey time has dropped at least 50% since I started using the laser. This means that I had the cost of the instrument covered after just a few hours. And in places where you usually need help to hold the tape, you save even more as you can do it yourself.

It doesn't take any time at all to learn how to use it either. Spend 5-10 minutes with the manual, then you're ready to go. If I had to pick one tool that really has made my life easier, it would definitely be the laser. :thumbsup:

...I wish I could free hand as well as I can CAD. My sketches are probably going to get ugly... LOL



This is why, Grasshopper, the Gods have given us the Gift of Graph Paper...

K

They are very accurate. I use the Leica Disto A-6 it shoots via Bluetooth to my laptop and draws for me. After I got it I measured the first couple of houses (we are in the floorcovering business) with it and a tape measure. Now I hate measuring with a tape. There are a few issues explained in other posts that are easy to get a round. Get the laser measureing device, you will love it. Edd