When we bought our first old house, a builder friend advised me to throw away my level and framing square. As we began renovations, I soon acknowledged the wisdom of his advice – there wasn’t a level, plumb or square surface in the place. Admittedly, the “character” of older homes often requires a bit of fudging. Assuming you’d like to end up with operable windows, doors and plumbing, though, having your framing or finish work plumb and level is key. Old school “bubble” levels are a big help, and get you in the right ballpark, but the final result is dependent on whoever is reading them. If you’re angling for perfection, though (and who isn’t!), the new Bosch digital levels offer precision accurate to the nth degree – give or take 0.05°. Read More