Square Footage Information Changes Depending On The Source
The real estate listing has a home square footage number, but no basis on what this represents. The property appraiser has a square footage number, but they are only looking at your property tax liability. You have a number in your mind from when you bought the home, or a round-a-bout number that you may have used in other projects, but is this number even accurate? The numbers you have may only be air conditioned space, because isnt that what is most important?
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The Type Of Roof You Want
The type of roof you want will have a big impact on the cost of your roof replacement. There are a variety of different types of roofs for you to choose from based on your budget and the look you want.
If youre on a tight budget and looking for an affordable roof, an asphalt shingle roof might be right for you. But if youre looking to upgrade to a longer-lasting and sharp looking roof, theres the standing seam metal roof.
Asphalt and metal are two of the most commonly seen roof types, but there are also premium shingle roofs that come at a premium price. These roofs give you a unique look that really stands out. These premium roofs include cedar shake, slate, and tile.
The premium shingle roofs can get expensive quickly and be more than triple the cost of an asphalt shingle roof.
Figure Out Your Homes Footprint
If you use the square footage of your home, youll only get a vague idea of what the square footage of your roof is. Thats why you have to figure out your homes footprint.
A person of average height will have a stride somewhere between 2 to 2.5 feet. To figure out your homes footprint, you can step off the dimensions of your roof by counting the steps you take to get the length of your home. You will then step off the width of your home.
After stepping off the length and width of your home, youll multiply the two numbers to get your homes footprint.
Length x width = your home’s footprint
Your calculations are going to be off, but measuring this way can give you a basic idea of your homes footprint. Keep in mind, square footage of a house does not equal the square footage of a roof.
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What To Leave Out
A good rule of thumb to ensure youre taking proper measurements is to exclude space you cant walk on or live in. These types of spaces do not count as gross living area.
Someone might think, If I get the measurement of my first floor and I have a two-story house, I just multiply that by two, Day says. However, if that first floor includes a two-story foyer, you cant count the non-usable space.
Basements and garages, even if they are finished, dont generally count toward total square footage. Basements are typically excluded because they are built below grade, meaning below ground level. If your state does allow basements to be included in the total square footage of a home, though, youll likely need an ingress and egress, or a safe way to enter and exit the basement to the outside.
Finished attic spaces with some regulations, including ceiling heights can count toward the total square footage of your home. If you are planning to sell your home, work with a real estate agent to craft a listing that accurately reflects your property.
How To Calculate Your Roof Area
Knowing how to calculate your roof area can be a beneficial first step in estimating the cost of a new metal roof. In roofing we call the calculation of roofing materials needed a take-off.
A good roofing contractor will take the time make sure that the take-off is accurate. Proper measurements and attention to roof details ensure that material shortages are avoided and prevent overages .
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Calculate The Complex Roof Areas
Most roofs in Canada would be considered on the complex side. Multiple adjacent pitches, dormers, and turrets are common. Keep in mind that an experienced metal roofing contractor will need to factor in extended labour time for areas of your roof that will require precision metalworking skills.
Start by finding the footprint area and multiply by the correct slope factor determined by pitch . In Figure 4 below, the dashed blue lines give a simplified view of the footprint. Multiply L x W to calculate the area for each rectangular section. Note the area of 77ft2 that needs to be subtracted for the recessed area.
Once the footprint including overhang areas have been determined for each area, find the appropriate slope or pitch factor in the chart below. For example, a roof area with an 8/12 pitch has a slope factor of 1.202 so 2053ft2 x 1.202 = 2468ft2 total roof area.
A Note about complex roofs: Complex roofs need more accessories and trims thaneasy roofs resulting in a slightly higher total cost/square foot.
Figure 4. Calculating Complex Roof Area
How Many Roofing Squares In 1200 Square Feet
One of the most important terms you should be familiar with if you are about to start your roof replacement process is roofing square.
This article will find out all you need to know about what a roofing square is and how to calculate roofing squares.
A roofing square is a measurement unit used to calculate the size of a roof, and it is equivalent to 100 square feet. This unit makes it easier to calculate roofing square feet.
The number of roofing squares in 1200 square feet is 12. One roofing square equals 100 square feet. Converting square feet to roofing squares is an easy thing to do. For a roof of 1200 square feet, you will have 12 squares. The value is obtained by dividing the square feet by 100 .
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Pound Felt Covers How Many Square Feet
Roofing comes in 3-foot-wide, 36-foot-long rolls that cover around 1 square. Roofing felt, often known as tar paper, is placed down initially when roofing over bare wood. A roll of 15-pound felt will cover around 4 squares, whereas a roll of heavier 30-pound felt would cover approximately 2 squares.
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What Is A Bundle Of Shingles
A package of roofing shingles is called a bundle.
How many bundles of shingles per square?
Laminate or architectural shingles, one of the most common types of roofing shingles, are generally packaged in three bundles per square:
3 bundles = 1 roofing square
So in the 2400 square foot gable roof example, you would need 72 bundles of shingles .
Here are a couple more examples:
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How Many Square Feet Are In A Square Of 3 Tab Shingles
Each plywood sheet is 4 x 8 feet or 32 square feet, which coincidentally is almost exactly equivalent to the coverage of one bundle of traditional three-tab shingles. If its a re-roof project and you have access to the original paperwork from the last shingle installation, that may be useful in showing the roof area. via
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How To Calculate Roof Area For Roofing Shingles
How do you calculate the entire area of your roof?
Length x width = square footage
Youll need to know the square footage of your roofs surface in order to figure out how many shingles youll need. The area of your roof will be determined by the sort of roof you have, whether its a gable roof with fewer planes or a hip roof with more.
Measure the length and width of each planes roof, including overhangs, and multiply them together to get the square footage of your roof. Then add up each planes square footage. The total square footage will be calculated as a result of this.
What is needed to calculate the roof area:
MEASURING THE PITCH
To calculate the area of the roof, you first need to calculate its spacing:
CALCULATING THE AREA
If you dont want to do a lot of measurement, you can estimate the square footage of your roof using your pitch calculation:
CALCULATING THE AREA
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Two: Split Tricky Shapes Into Squares And Rectangles
Once you have these figures, return to the safety of your home. Notice in the image above that the hip roof is made of two triangles and two trapezoids. Trapezoids are tricky to get the area measurement of, so were going to split each of them into two triangles and a rectangle:
We know enough about the overall measurements of the roof to fill in the missing values. Lets fill the figures in now:
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Do Vaulted Ceilings Add To Square Footage
In some municipalities, vaulted ceilings will double the square footage of a room. In other places, porches, overhangs and pergola areas will count toward the square footage. In many parts of the country, a full basement does not count toward the total square footage, but in other areas a percentage of it counts. www.washingtonpost.com.
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Calculating Your Roof Area: Gable Roof
Youll first need to measure the length of your roof. This is the length of your roofs ridge from end to end. Next, youll need to measure your roofs slope height. This is the length from the eaves up to the ridge, NOT the distance between your roof deck and the apex .
If you dont know these measurements, you can often find them on the building plans from when you bought the property. If you dont have these, get in touch with your local council, who should be able to provide your propertys building plans.
To calculate your roof area, simply multiply your roof length by your roof slope height, and multiply this by two. This should give you the total area of your roof, not accounting for a chimney or other sections of your roof not covered by tiles.
x 2 = Roof Area
How To Measure A Roof For Shingles
There are several different methods to calculate the square footage of your roof. If you remember back to grade school, youll recall that youll multiply the length times the width to find the area of a rectangle.
If you are lucky enough to have a simple roof, say a gabled roof with two identical sides or even a single sloping roof, then calculating your roof area will be a breeze. On the other hand, if you have a roof with hips and multiple gables, then youll need to spend a bit more time calculating your roof square footage.
Here are several ways to measure roof area for shingles.
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So What Is A Roofing Square
A roofing square is a measurement, but it has nothing to do with square feet, meters, yards, or miles. A roofing square is commonly used by roofing companies and is roughly equivalent to 100 square feet. This measurement does not change whether it is a square of shingles or a square of tarp. This is because roofing squares are used to make calculating the cost of materials and labor easier than if you had to use square feet or yards.
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How To Measure A Roofing Square
Starting a new roofing project can introduce homeowners to many roofing-specific terms, and one of the first you’re 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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How Much Pitch Does A Roof Need
Minimum Pitch/Slope of An Asphalt Shingle Roof
Shingles of all types need to have a slope to function properly. The minimum requirement is 2/12. The 2/12 number is rise over run or two units of vertical for every 12 units horizontal. That works out to about nine degrees if that works better for you.
How Many Bundles Of Shingles Do I Need For 2100 Square Feet
You will need approximately 63 bundles of standard size 3-tab asphalt shingles or 84 bundles of architectural shingles for 2,100 square feet.
Thus, for a 2100 square foot gable roof, you would need 63 bundles of shingles plus 10% of ridge, starter and wastages. Thus, it will take 63 bundles of 3-tab standard size shingles to cover 2100 square feet roof. Thus, there are 63 bundles of standard size 3-tab shingles you will need to cover 2100 square feet roof.
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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.
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Expressing Roof Slope In Degrees
The rest of the English-speaking world uses degrees, which seems simpler, but it takes a few extra steps to figure it out mathematically.
It also doesnt immediately convey as much information about the roof on a practical level as the rise-in-run ratio expression.
To express the slope in degrees, you divide the rise by the run and find the inverse tangent of the result.
But you still need to know the rise and the run to find the roof slope in degrees unless youre using a slope finder that tells you the slope in degrees.
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How Do I Measure A Steep Roof
Most roofers wont go on a roof with an 8/12 roof pitch or greater with special equipment such as scaffolding and roof jacks and neither should you. Instead, use one of the four methods described above that allow you to measure the roof while standing safely on the ground or from the comfort of your computer.
While these methods may not be quite as accurate as taking actual measurements from the rooftop, theyre close enough for calculating how many shingles youll need to purchase for a new roof.
How Can I Figure Out The Square Footage Of My Roof
Its been a long time since high school trigonometry, but take it from the leading Northern VA roofing company, figuring out the square footage of your roof isnt as complex as it sounds.
The Terminology
First, youll want to understand a few of the terms you might not have heard before. If youre researching a new roof, its easy to become overwhelmed.
Pitch/Slope: This is the steepness of your roof. The reason this is important is because this angle will greatly affect the square footage of the roof deck.
Squares: A square is 100 square feet, or an area 10×10. Roofers use this because its easier to say The roof is 24 squares, than it is to say, The roof is 2380 sq ft. Pricing and materials also tend to be quoted in squares.
Peak/Ridge: This is the top of your roof. Its not uncommon to instal special ventilated ridgecaps, and if the peak is shingled traditionally, it will require several layers of shingles.
Gable: The gable is the sloping edge of your roof.
Eave: This is the bottom of your roof, where the gutters hang.
The Math
The first thing you will need to do is figure out the slope of your roof. Unlike, say, engineering the rafters figuring out the slope of your roof is relatively easy.
Or, you could go outside with a protractor and see which angle matches.
Next Steps
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