How to Measure Those Hard-to-Reach Spots with Spike

Have you ever arrived at a site and said to yourself, “How the heck do I measure this?” Standing on your tiptoes, you reach as high as you can with your measuring tape, but you simply can’t get close enough to accurately capture the dimensions you need. You could have brought a ladder, but you’re a lone wolf without a spotter to hold the ladder steady. And who has the time or budget to mess with a bucket truck for a quick site survey, especially when you’re only in the bidding process?

Have you ever been guilty of guesstimating just so you can turn around an estimate faster and not fuss with a second survey? Maybe you even measured a shadow, used an arm’s length or counted bricks. Now show a raise of hands.

*Hands fly up*

That’s what we thought.

But then you win the job, and your cover is blown. So you have to return back to the site rather than work on a new estimate to win more business. Or, worse, the incorrect measurements lead to a loss of materials and money.

Maybe survey height isn’t even the issue. Landscaping or snow could get in your way, or construction could render an area inaccessible. Ever try measuring gutters on a house? Forget about it. When a busy street separates you and a building, you could channel your inner Frogger to get those measurements, but there’s a good chance that might not go your way. What’s a guy or gal to do?

That’s where Spike, a laser measuring tool, comes in handy. Just attach Spike to your smartphone or tablet, stand at a safe distance, snap a picture and capture all the measurement data you need. Instead of long, frustrating hours, you can now measure in minutes and save yourself that headache. And rather than hauling a team of two or more people into the field, you can measure by yourself.

Spike measures distances from 6–650 feet, or 2–200 meters, away, so you have plenty of leeway when those tricky situations arise. If the survey area fits into your smartphone or tablet viewfinder, you can measure anything along that plane. And did we mention that your measurements boast an accuracy of plus or minus 3 percent when optimally positioned?

If you need more measurements in the future, you’re covered. The dimensions are all saved within the Spike photo, so you can remeasure your site at any time using Spike’s app or cloud-based tools. Tackling those hard-to-reach areas can be a huge strain on your time and budget when you have to send multiple people into the field, especially if return trips are necessary. Now you have time to bid on additional jobs and win more business. Don’t you look smart?

For more information about measuring hard-to-reach areas and improving your measuring process, learn about Spike here.