You don’t need a degree in civil engineering, a special license or even an orange vest to use a surveyor’s level. Also known as a builder’s level, dumpy level or Y level, this tool is easy to use, takes only a few minutes to set up and allows you to accurately determine elevations over large areas.

If you’ve built a retaining wall, established the grade of a path or hung a suspended ceiling, you could have used a surveyor’s level. Line levels or water levels are often used in these situations, but they must be set up and disassembled in the work area. A surveyor’s level provides equal if not better accuracy and can be set up and left just off the work site — never underfoot.

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