Debate: Do you grid your building layouts before drawing or just wing it?

I used to just start drafting right away on a project in Seattle, but after 3 revisions, I tried laying out a rough grid on tracing paper first. It saved me maybe 2 hours of redlining. Anyone else find grids worth the extra step or do they feel like wasted prep?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara4474d ago

Grids are a waste of time unless you're building something that needs perfect symmetry like a hospital or a concert hall. For most residential or small commercial projects, you can eyeball it and adjust as you go. The time you spend laying out grids could be spent actually drawing, and if you mess up, that's what erasers and white-out are for. Plus, grids make your drawings look stiff and less organic, like you're building a robot's house instead of a human's. Three revisions on a Seattle project sounds like a learning curve, not a grid problem.

schmidt.eva4d ago

@zara447, have you ever actually tried grids on a house with weird angles to see if it saves time later?