Since I've had a measuring company & since I am hired to perform reliable diligent services: I use a laser & a new to newer 50 ft and/or 100 ft-tenths tape using increments in tenths. An old tape can stretch and become not reliable. If it's in-between ( say .5 or .6) I place a + or a - beside that dimension which-ever the measurement is closest to on the drawing.
I do not include the trim on corners where say it's vinyl siding or plank siding, etc. I measure the depth of the wall mostly for the garage outside wall with tape pulled to the heated inside wall (ANSI). A laser, good for that too IF there are no obstructions.
Once back-in-the vehicle, I check all measurements prior leaving, insure the elevations are "squared", & have a thorough understanding of all measurements. If using mobile sketcher set-up to tenths... then Yippy! If using graph paper...great! I have my way which is drawing lines based on 5 foot increments. Drawing half that if it applies. Typically, front pretty-much lines up with back & sides do too. In setting up the work file, I check the sketch on tax records (copy-paste) SO I CAN SEE any (the) potential differences. That over the years has been a JOKE!
Once I saw the tax man measuring, actually we were on site at the same time. Me with my tape & him with his roller measurer ...over any branch, rock, around a bush, all that! He laughed at me & I laughed at him. No wonder here in my city there was a HUGE tax department debacle & multiple thousands challenged their Tax Value, once it hit the NEWS. Tax Dept LOST!
Measuring is a good wage & based on referral-reputation particularly real estate agents.
Once years ago, we had a jackhole that decided he would round (up or down) each measurement. Could not help him understand that was POOR work. Until one day, a property he appraised sold. His measuring was OFF by more than ++5%. He was not only turned in to the Appraisal Board, he had to pay for the sloppy measuring because the buyer & seller had a dispute with regards to the correct GLA. Nearly a lawsuit. Wiser heads prevailed & the Hard Head rectified the dispute BY:
paid out-of-pocket nearly $3,000, AP required extra CE, a mark on his (bad) reputation with agents, & had to check the Box-Yes when gaining new clients & filling out their Forms for approval. Have you ever been in trouble with the AB? YES! AND since he had a real estate license, he also had to send all of the information of SLOPPY to the NCREC where they issued a reprimand.