Carpentry & Building Construction

Chapter 9: Locating the House on the Building Site

Chapter Summaries

Section 9.1 Basic Site Layout
A house can be positioned on a piece of property either by measuring from an established reference line or by using an instrument such as a level or a transit. Most layouts begin at a bench mark. Surveying instruments include levels and transits. The point at which they are set up is called the station mark.

Section 9.2 Establishing Lines & Grades
String stretched between batter boards is used to establish the outline of a house. Once this has been done, the excavation can proceed. The excavation must be wide enough to provide space to work. Soil taken from an excavation is measured in cubic yards.