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Back in 2011, my wife and I became first-time homeowners. We needed a slightly bigger house than we could budget for, so we bought a fixer-upper. Beyond furniture placement, a lot of work on that property required precise measurements. We had to remove a wall that oddly jutted out into the middle of a bathroom, find space for closets in rooms without any closet space, and more.
Bosch GLM 50
While the house had no floor plan, it did have a lot of nooks and crannies. Measuring the entire place with just a retractable measuring tape seemed like far too much work, so when I found the Bosch DLR130K Laser Measure (since discontinued), I bought it. As I recall, it was about a hundred bucks.
The idea of a laser measuring device is you point and shoot. A laser shoots out of the device, bounces off its target, and the device reads a precise measurement, which it shows on a digital display. I loved this thing and, in my article about it at the time, called it my Magic Measuring Machine.
Last year, when we evacuated Florida due to Hurricane Irma, we wound up in a temporary rental house in Salem, Oregon. While we didn’t intend to stay in the house for more than a year or so, I needed to set up my studio and workshop for work.
There are a couple of issues with this, compared to a laser measuring tool. First is accuracy. AR measuring works by capturing image data and using AI to try to discern edges and distances from the content of the image. Laser measuring works by sending out a beam of laser light and measuring the time for a reflection to occur.
These are two very different methods of determining distance, and because the laser is measuring a specific, reliable, very bright light, it’s going to be quicker, faster, and often, far more accurate.
Also: These are the devices that can run Google’s AR measurement tool TechRepublic
In addition, you’re able to very reliably say “this is what I’m measuring” because you can place the back of the measuring device on one wall and aim a target dot on the other. With AR, you’re going to have to properly hold your phone or tablet and get the picture “just so” in the camera. As someone whose now taken 50 or 60 wall pictures for my project, I can tell you that it’s not easy getting clear photos of every angle and wall in every room.
My take on it is that for basic room dimensions, an AR app will do. But if you’re doing pro work or you really do need clear and reliable numbers, go with the laser.
What do you think? Have you ever used one of these tools? Do you have other helpful app-enabled tools to recommend? If so, let me know in the comments below.
You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.
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