Drill templates used to feel like a waste of time until I ran 14 sensors in one day
Back when I first started doing residential installs, I would just mark holes with a pencil and eyeball every panel. I figured drill templates were for guys who could not measure straight. Then last spring I got a rush job in Bakersfield, 14 wireless sensors plus two keypads, and the homeowner wanted everything sprayed with that textured stucco finish. My marks kept sliding around and I redrilled three holes in one living room wall before the customer asked if I needed a level. Picked up a cheap magnetic template set that afternoon and finished the rest of the house without a single misfit. Has anyone else switched to templates for stucco or brick and noticed fewer callbacks?