Yesterday’s rain created the perfect opportunity to assess the levelness and flatness of our newly poured basement floor. Finding the lowest valleys and the highest peaks can be very time-consuming using a rotary laser. With a basement full of water, however, the task becomes trivial. Slosh around until you find the deepest water and take a depth measurement. Slosh around some more until you find the most shallow water and take a measurement. Subtract the two numbers and you have the maximum variation (+/- 3/8″ in our case). Continue sloshing about and you quickly get a feel for the variability in the depth of water as a function of location which provides an indicator of flatness. I used a pair of plastic trash bags and some duct tape to fashion make-shift galoshes for my less-than-waterproof boots. After recording my measurements, I pumped out the water to avoid forming an ice skating rink when the temperatures drop below freezing this evening.