I get the temptation to move fast and rely on a laser, but honestly, skipping the dry fit has come back to bite me a few times—especially in older homes where nothing is truly square. Shimming after the fact can work, but if you end up with a big gap or an uneven reveal, it’s a pain to fix, and patching drywall just becomes inevitable anyway. I like painter’s tape for quick marks, but for enlarging a window, I’d rather spend an extra 10 minutes checking everything before cutting. That said, I know everyone’s got their own rhythm. Sometimes a little extra prep saves a lot of headaches down the line.
Man, I feel this. Tried to speed through a window job once with my trusty laser and thought I was a genius… then realized the wall was about as square as a potato. Ended up with a weird gap that looked like it belonged in an escape room. Dry fit might feel old school, but it’s saved me from some serious “what did I just do” moments. That said, sometimes you just wanna get it done and hope for the best—just gotta be ready for some creative patchwork if things go sideways.