I finally got what I wanted and I’m nervous!

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Hi all, as always, the info and help I have gotten here is much appreciated. I have been welding “on the side” for about 2 years now with hopes in the future to go full time when I am fully ready to. With this in mind, I want to build a meaningful client list. As some, or all of you know, general contractors need us sometimes too. I have done some work with some as of recently and I feel they have way better leads on meaningful jobs. I recently sent out an email to a local industrial/commercial construction company about my services and just a warm introductory with my website attached and if they need assistance on steel jobs to quote, to let me know. To my surprise, I heard back almost within an hour with a small structural job. Maybe I’m psyching myself up too much about it, but it’s intimidating. I’m confident in my skills to produce and fabricate this, just not so confident in the requirements. I got vague plans sent to me to construct a 7x10 column/beam structure that’ll go underneath a floor to stiffen it up to hold roughly 10,000 lbs. In the plans it calls for NDT to be done for the welds on the column, and a CWI to inspect the welds during and after fabrication/install. I don’t know if this was just out there as a standard, or if it only needs to be done to the spec these people would expect, but it is rather intimidating when I’m normally fabricating hand rails in my home garage. Any tips and tricks for measuring too? I have a laser measure, accurate to +/-1/16, obviously tape measure, anything else to get good detailed measurements? I would assume something like this will need to be worked off of stamped engineered drawings. Go easy on me too, we all start somewhere and I want to break in somehow to the light structural game and this would be literally a perfect start. But the better you start, the better you finish and I want to make sure I do this right from the start.
Reply:Congrats.  Water level work well for speed and ease and dependability.  I have one with an ear-piercing alarm, but works well.  I use a laser level, grades stick and finder for step measures and shop layout.
Reply:Are you qualified to the building code? The code will refer to the spec and I advise you purchase it and read the NDT requirements.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR"

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Reply:I put a big ole fat shiney bead on it and no one ever asks,,,, hahahahawww.urkafarms.com
Reply:I did a big tank repair,, there was a catwalk and I knew somer of the guys in thge maint dept.  I fix the cat first and when you walk up there was a weld right in your face.  I ran some big shiney lo hy where it was about 12 inches away, some guys come around to look and my bud said,,,, they come back in and said,,, if you wanna see some welding go look at that.  They never ask a single thing about paper work,,, hawww.urkafarms.com
Reply:On old work, should you get an engineer involved, you meet on site with project manager and engineer.  An engineer can give you a design that may not be executable inside old work.  So be involved,  when and were welds are to be made and access to joints after placement/install. Number of Parts and length that can be carried in building.  No bashing of engineers here, just be aware that a CAD drawing on paper may not work.  So, choreograph your part to determine practical execution.  Ask client if the have an engineer they use.  You may have issue finding somebody to deal with just you.Good luck
Reply:How detailed you want your measurements? I like to keep a cheap pair of dial calipers out. Not that I'm working to a thou, but it's just convenient to set a measurement, lock them in, and scribe lines or check alignment in a couple areas or whatever else. https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-d...per-63730.html They have a lifetime warranty. I replace them maybe once a year. weld spatter doesn't seam to stick, too bad, either. Don't get brakleen on the dial, it's plastic and will fog up.