How Many Nails Required
After you are done calculating the total square footage, you need to determine the number of nails you will need.
Usually 4 nails are used per shingle. As mentioned earlier, shingles come in three tabs, which means you would need around 1,120 nails/sq.
If you live in a high windy area, then you will need 6 nails per shingle, which brings the count to 1,680 nails/sq.
This calculation is based on 280 shingle squares, according to the gable roof measurement. For the right nailing pattern, refer to the instructions that comes with the shingles.
And this is how you measure your roof area and the number of shingles and nails needed. If you are looking for more informatory articles such as this, then visit Epic Home Ideas.
How To Measure A Roofing Square
Starting a new roofing project can introduce homeowners to many roofing-specific terms, and one of the first youre likely to come up against is roofing square. Measuring in squares is unique to the roofing industryfor homeowners, understanding how these measurements work can be an unfamiliar but vital part of planning for your roof repair or replacement.
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What Is A Hip
A hip-roof barn is a type of barn that has a roof that slopes down from all four sides of the barn. The roof has a ridge at the top, and the ends of the roof slope down to the walls of the barn.
The hip-roof barn is popular because it is very strong and can withstand high winds and heavy snow loads. It also has a large storage space because the roof is open.
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What Depth Of Gravel Do I Need
You would usually lay a 10mm aggregate at a depth of 30-40mm, but on a driveway this would need to be at least 50mm. A 20mm aggregate would need to be at least 40-50mm deep, and at least 50-60mm on driveways. A larger aggregate will settle and bond together better than smaller ones. The depth you will need to select for your gravel or slate will always depend on the aggregate size and what the surface will be used for.
How Do I Calculate Roof Pitch
While using a roof gauge or the sight method described above are two ways of measuring roof pitch, if you have an attic, theres an even easier method. Head to the attic with a level and tape measure and choose a rafter.
For example, if the vertical measurement from the level to the rafter is 6 inches, the roof has a 6/12 pitch.
If you have a smartphone, you can also download one of several free roof pitch apps, such as Pitch Gauge. These apps allow you to determine the roof pitch simply by holding the phone against the roof or the rafter.
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One: Get Up On Our Roof Safely And Take Initial Measurements
Sketch out the shape of your roof on graph paper. In this example, youd only need to measure the overall width and length, the central ridge, and one of the hips . If you have a more complex roof shape with dormers, take all the measurements you can and prepare to use your eraser to refine the image of your overall roof structure. Make sure you have solid footing and if possible, use fall protection to keep yourself safe. Be mindful of hazards like ridge vents. Note the lengths in feet:
Determining Roof Area For Shingles
You may occasionally need to purchase roof shingles for a repair project or to re-roof your home. Roof shingles come in various styles and shapes, but the basic calculations to determine roof area are the same.
Shingles and Roofing Materials
Shingles come in bundles of 3 which equal a square. Each square represents 100 square feet of roof area. When making calculations to determine how many shingles to purchase, keep in mind that you will not only need enough for the correct square footage, but you will also need 10 to 15 percent more shingles to accommodate dips and valleys in your roof or for extra coverage.
Additionally, you will need to purchase:
- Roof ridge shingles
Asphalt paper and flashing are sold in rolls. You will need enough asphalt paper to place under all of the shingles for your entire roof area. Flashing usually comes in 16-inch wide rolls or 6×6 or 8×8 square inch steps. Step flashing is used around chimneys, doorways and at the points where side walls come together.
Hip and ridge vent requirements vary according to local building codes. Be sure to purchase all of your roofing materials in advance of starting the project. Also, keep in mind that roofing materials are run in batches that have variations in quality and color. If roof shingle bundles are purchased in differing lots, it may result in inconsistencies that lead to leaks and other defects in the roof.
Roof Measurements
Hip and Ridge Vent
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Can Shingles Go In A Dumpster
Yes, renting a dumpster is a convenient way to dispose of your old roofing materials. The bin size you rent will depend on the type and amount of shingles you’re tossing. Use our shingle weight calculator to determine the approximate weight of your debris so our team can help you rent the right container size for your project.
How Many Shingles In A Square
For regular 3-tab, non-laminated shingles, youll have around 78 shingles per square. Some older styles of 3-tab shingles will have up to 87 shingles per square. Architectural shingles will have anywhere from 57 to 66 shingles per square.
The number of shingles in an architectural or laminated shingle bundle vary since there are many, many different varieties of these types of shingles available for purchase. Sizes are different and therefore the number of shingles in a square differs from square to square for that type of shingle.
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Hip And Ridge Cap Roofing Shingles
A bundle of hip and ridge cap roofing shingles has between 20 and 24 shingles. GAF hip and ridge shingles have 30 pieces per bundle. Owens Corning hip and ridge shingles have 24 shingles per bundle.
Owens Corning hip and ridge shingles come as a 36×12 3-tab shingle, with pre-cut perforations that allow you to tear off each hip and ridge shingle. So one shingle is 3 hip and ridge shingles. They sell packs of 24 shingles, but each shingle contains 3 hip ridge shingles, so you get 72 in all. This will cover 33 linear feet of your hip or ridge.
GAF hip and ridge shingles are 12 x 12, and it takes 30 of them to make 20 linear feet. If you use them to make hip joints to your peaks, then the linear length may be less as youll use more shingles to bridge the peak to hip transition.
How To Calculate The Number Of Roof Shingles Youll Need
Before you start the calculation, you need to be aware that shingles are sold by the square and by the bundle. A square of shingles will be the amount needed to cover an area of 100 square feet. The shingle bundles will be plastic or paper-wrapped bundles that are made to be light enough for a single person to carry. This means that if you are going to be using heavier shingles, you will need to have more bundles to cover each square foot.
It is common to use 3 bundles to a square of shingles. However, if you are using heavier shingles, you will require 4 to 5 bundles for a square. When you are using 3 bundles for a square, you will be getting 29 standard shingles in each bundle.
How You Get Shingles
When you are replacing your roof, you need to calculate the number of roof shingles you need. There is nothing worse than being short on shingles because you will only realize this close to the end of your project. Of course, there are some measurements which will need to be taken before you are able to calculate the number of roof shingles that you need.
The Measurement Method
If you do not have any safety equipment, you will need to use a ladder to get one measurement while the others can be made on the ground. Of course, this will be assuming that your home is rectangular. When using this method, you will need to measure the rake of the roof while standing on a ladder. This is the length from the peak of the roof to the edge where our ladder will be sitting.
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Plan For Extra Valley Material
Valleys are either woven or cut both methods require about the same number of shingles. On a woven valley, each course of shingles is extended beyond the valley crease and at least 12 in. onto the adjacent roof plane. Youll use 2 ft. of extra shingle material for each pair of woven courses. In the case of cut valleys, the shingles from the first roof plane thats shingled also extend onto the adjacent roof plane at least 12 in. just like woven valleys. Shingles from the next roof plane are cut just up from the valley line, and the cutoff pieces usually arent big enough to use elsewhere on the roof. Order two extra shingles per linear foot of valley to account for the overlaps and cutoffs. On a 16-ft. valley, you would need 32 shingles or roughly one extra bundle.
How To Measure Your Roof With Google Earth
Using your computer to get a ballpark estimate of your roof area is easy and fast. However, using satellite imagery may not be an ideal solution if your structure is in a very remote location that hasnt been 3D scanned. Thats because well need to grab an accurate representation of your roofs pitch for measuring purposes. From above with a 2D image, everything looks flat. If you were to just measure your roof area from directly above, you wouldnt be accounting for its pitch, or slope.
Consider two homes with the same base area square footage, but one of them has a much steeper roof pitch than the other. That structure would need to be taller, and there would be a lot more roofing material to account for. If youre just measuring from above in 2D, both of these structures might look identical. If you dont account for roof pitch, youre going to underestimate your materials requirements, which could be a costly mistake.
Satellite technology has progressed a lot in the past few years. With , you can easily find your address and a 3D replica of your structure, including your roofs pitch. Lets get to it. Once you load the site, youll be presented with our beautiful planet:
While you can switch to 2D mode by clicking the button in the lower right, youll want to stay in this 3D view so you can get a good view of your roofs pitch.
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What If You Have A Steep Roof
To measure a steep roof, use one of the following alternate methods:
Method 1
Calculate the roof length by measuring the exterior walls plus the overhang for the length of the house parallel to the ridge.
Next, throw a rope over the ridge and mark it where it meets each eave. This will give the width dimension to use in figuring your area. This should be done on each roof section containing a horizontal ridge.
Method 2
Determine the roof area by using a mathematical formula that accounts for the roof length, total span, and roof pitch:
Calculate The Square Footage Of The Roof Area With The Roof Pitch And Base Area
Find your roof pitch from the first step in the following table and multiply the amount you just got by the corresponding roof pitch multiplier. The result is the total roof square footage youll need to get roofing material for.
In our example, the roof pitch was 6/12. The pitch multiplier would be 1.118. So, take the 2,100 square feet, multiplied by 1.118 to get 2,347 square feet of roofing material. Since roofing material like shingles come in squares of 100 square feet apiece, wed need at least 24 of them. If you have a relatively flat roof , you can simply avoid using a pitch multiplier and make sure to round up on your equipment estimate.
|
Roof Slope |
|
1.414 |
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Hip And Ridge Cap Shingles
Hips and ridges are covered with cap shingles, which are 1-ft. shingle squares that wrap over the hip or ridge. Like regular shingles, they overlap for a 5-in. exposure.On roofs shingled with three-tab or no-cutout shingles, you simply cut standard shingles into caps. You can cap about 35 lin. ft. of ridge or hips with each bundle of three-tab shingles that come three bundles to the square. You can also salvage waste shingle pieces and portions of damaged shingles for use as caps.
For roofs shingled with laminated shingles, multi-cutout shingles, and other patterned shingles, youll have to order hip-and-ridge shingles that are manufactured as companions to the specific shingle product you are using. Theyre sold by the bundle and usually cap 35 lin. ft., but check with your supplier because some products vary. Just measure the length of the ridges and hips and divide by 35 to determine how many bundles of regular or hip-and-ridge shingles youll need.
Estimating The Size Of Your Roof Surface
Every roof is unique, of course, and the size and shape of yours will factor into the final weight of the materials you toss in the dumpster. Roofers typically measure surfaces in squaresone square is equal to 100 square feet. Have a 2000 square foot roof? Youve got 20 squares, and so forth.
While the type of roof and the underlayment can affect the final weight, as a general rule, for asphalt shingles, you can estimate around 250 pounds per square for standard three-tab shingles, and about 400 pounds per square for architectural shingles. Remember, again, if you have multiple layers of shingles, you need to multiply the total amount of squares by the number of layers before you find the weight. For instance, a 2000-square-foot roof with two layers of shingles should be treated as 40 squares, not 20, because the weight will be doubled.
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What Is A Square In Roofing
A roofing square is the amount of roofing material required to cover 100 square feet of roof. When calculating the number of shingles you need to cover your roof, youll calculate the area in terms of squares. Therefore if you have 2100 square feet of roof, youll need 21 squares of roof material.
A square of shingles is the number of shingles needed to cover a square of roofing. Whereas a bundle of shingles can vary in square footage, a square of shingles is always 100 square feet. This makes it easier when purchasing roofing materials since manufacturers will package 3 or 4 bundles of shingles to add to an even square.
A square in roofing is always 100 square feet. This refers to the square footage on the roof surface. It doesnt necessarily have to be a perfect square and is a quick way to calculate the quantity of roofing material that youll need for your job.
Youll always need more shingles than youd think to cover a square of roofing. Even if a shingle is 12 wide, some of that is covered by the shingle on top of it. Therefore, only about 6 to 8 of each shingle is showing. Thus, for standard 3-tab shingles, you may end up with 80 or more shingles in one square of roofing.
Get Your Moneys Worth With A Good Contractor
Whether replacing a broken front step or building a family room addition, most homeownersrealize that any improvement requires spending money. However, savvy consumers alsowant value for every dollar. To ensure that your money is well spent and that yourproject is a complete success, heed the following advice:
Fun Fact: When remodeling 78 percent of homeowners hire a pro 18 percentdo the work themselves. A small percentage, 4 percent hire a contractor but thenbuy their own materials, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Calculating How Many Shingles Youll Need
