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Builders’ Tip: Quick and Accurate Shorthand Measuring
 I learned this trick about relaying measurements to crew members on the job by listening to drywall hangers call out dimensions to each other.
When my crew calls out dimensions now, all the dimensions are given in units of whole inches and in sixteenths of an inch.
- Hence, 4-1/2 inches is written as “4 and 8.”
- One thirty-second of an inch over that is written with a small plus sign, and we call that measurement “4 and 8 strong.”
- By using this method, we never mistake 5/16 for 5/8. Adding the two together is a breeze.
- Three and one-fourth plus 5-5/8 becomes “3 and 4 plus 5 and 10.” Bingo — “8 and 14.” One dimension easily could have been strong, too, or if both are, you know to add another sixteenth of an inch.
Once you get used to measuring certain frequent equations this way, you really can fly.
— Mark Padbury, Orcas Island, Wash.
Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2008 The Taunton Press
To contact Fine Homebuilding, e-mail Christina Glennon.
 Set Yourself Apart With CGB Designation
Join the ranks of the nation’s top building industry professionals with the Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) designation. The “Builder Assessment Review” (BAR) is your first step towards obtaining the CGB.
This comprehensive assessment measures your expertise in the four key areas of the building industry: building technology, business and finance, project management and sales and marketing.
Your results will show the areas where your knowledge is strongest and weakest and will help determine the courses required for you to obtain your CGB.
To learn where the next BAR will be held, visit NAHB’s education listings, or call the Professional Designation Help Line at 800-368-5242 x8154.
 BuilderBooks.com Offers More Than 250 Books That Help You Build Your Business
BuilderBooks.com is your source for training and education products for the building industry. The official bookstore for NAHB, BuilderBooks.com offers award-winning publications, software, brochures and more available in both English and Spanish.
To view these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
 Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips to Navigate the Slowdown
What was once expected to be a relatively mild housing slump following three years of record new home construction and sales has given way to a significant downturn.
To help members navigate the uncharted waters of this slowdown, NAHB has compiled a comprehensive “Back to Basics” online toolkit — the best of the basics, the tried and true and the truly new. To access the toolkit, click here.
To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.
For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.
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