The diagram below shows a contour map of our previous floor plan.  To create this map, a structural engineer walks around the first floor of your home with a fancy instrument called a manometer.  You can read more about contour maps and manometers from manufacturers like this one.  In our case, there was no high-tech device just a bucket of water, a yardstick and siphoned hose taped up against the yardstick.

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