I am trying to build a shed on a bit of a slope in my backyard. From what I understand, the best way to lay out the outline of the shed is with batter boards. I attempted to use a water level today with a 50' clear vinyl hose and food colored water.
I established a batter board at the highest corner approximately six inches off the ground and attempted to use the water level to gauge the proper height of the remaining batter boards. I also attempted to level (with a spirt level) each board when screwing them into the stakes at the height I determined with the water level. When I ran the strings to establish the corners, the outline was square but it was clearly not level. I used a line level in the center of each line to confirm they were not level.
Where did I go wrong in this process? Does it really matter if it is level as long as it is square and the proper dimensions? I plan on digging out the highest corner to match the grade of the lowest corner to make the shed level. Any general advice would be much appreciated as this is quite frustrating.
Picture of my attempt: