How Roof Pitch Is Calculated
To accurately calculate the area of your roof, you must first determine its slope, or pitch. A roof’s pitch is determined by how much it rises vertically for every foot it runs horizontally. Thus, a moderate 6 in 12 roof pitch means that the roof rises 6 inches vertically for every 12 horizontal inches it runs. A 12 in 12 pitch is a steep, 45-degree angle roof. See the image below for more explanation on rise, run and pitch.
How Many Bundles Of Shingles Per Square
A package of roofing shingles is called a bundle. Laminate or architectural shingles, one of the most common types of roofing shingles, are generally packaged in three bundles per square.
So in the 2400 square foot gable roof example, you would need 72 bundles of shingles .
Here are a couple more examples:
How To Calculate Square Footage
Square footage is area expressed in square feet. Likewise, square yardage is area expressed in square yards. Square meters is also a common measure of area.
Assume you have a rectangular area such as a room and, for example, you want to calculate the square footage area for flooring or carpet.
The way to calculate a rectangular area is by measuring the length and width of your area then multiplying those two numbers together to get the area in feet squared . If you have on oddly shaped area, such as an L-shape, split it into square or rectanglualar sections and treat them as two separate areas. Calculate the area of each section then add them together for your total. If your measurements are in different units, say feet and inches, you can first convert those values to feet, then multiply them together to get the square footage of the area.
Don’t Miss: How Much Does One Bundle Of Roofing Shingles Cover
Square Feet To Roofing Squares
Please share if you found this tool useful:
| Unit Descriptions | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Link to Your Exact Conversion |
|---|
Similar Area Units
Who Uses Roofing Squares
The roofing square size form of measurement is only used within the roofing and construction industries. Though you can use the measurement yourself to try to calculate the cost of re-shingling your homes, such tasks are usually best left to an experienced roofing contractor. Nonetheless, even if you have confidence in your ability to determine the correct amount of materials needed, there are still a few steps you should take before you try.
You May Like: Can You Use Flex Seal On Camper Roof
Estimating The Cost Of The Roof
Once you know the area of the roof, you have to decide on the scope of works. Do you want to build the roof from scratch, or maybe replace the old layers? You also need to decide on the finishing material. For example, asphalt shingles will be less expensive than clay tiles.
After you’ve made all of these decisions, it’s best to contact your local contractor and ask about the cost of both materials and labor per square meter or square foot of roof area. Remember that this unit price should include all additional elements such as fasteners, as well as the cost of removing all layers and disposing of them .
The most typical cost of roofing falls between $2 and $4 per square foot . If the price proposed by your contractor deviates from these values, it is advisable to check with other contractors before starting the works.
If you cannot contact any contractor, calculate the cost of materials and multiply this price by 2.5. You will obtain an approximate price including labor, assuming that 40% of the cost is taken by the materials and 60% by the labor.
The last thing you have to do is to multiply this cost by your roof area and voilà, you now know the total cost of your roof! Remember that the real cost might differ from this value a bit due to waste, so plan ahead and assign more funds to this construction work.
Make sure to take a look at our concrete slab cost calculator, too!
Calculate The Exact Roof Area
Follow these steps to figure out the exact area of your roof:
- Take your pitch number and divide it by 12. For example, if your pitch is 4 in 12, you need to divide 4 by 12. The answer will be 1/3.
- Next, you need to square your outcome. In our example, 1/3 squared will yield 1/9.
- Thereafter, add 1 to your result: 1/9+1=10/9
- Calculate the square root of your new number: The square root of 10/9 is 1.05.
- Measure the length of your house including the overhangs.
- Measure the width of your house including the overhangs.
- Multiply the length of your house by its width to get the area. For example, 40 feet x 20 feet = 1,200 square feet.
- Thereafter, multiply the area by the pitch to get the true roof area: 1,200 x 1.05 = 1,260 square feet.
In order to allow for ridges, hips, and waste, it is advisable to add 10% of your final roof area for a gable roof or 17% in the case of a cottage roof.
As a result, you should be working with 1,386 sq. feet or 1,474 sq. feet for a gable roof or a cottage roof respectively. Get to know more about us!
Know Your Roof Type
Get a Friend, Get On the Roof, and Measure Your Roof
Read Also: How Can I Tell If My Roof Is Leaking
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.
Estimating Materials Based On Actual Measurements
Measuring each roof plane requires you to actually go onto your roof. If your roof has a number of planes and numerous hips, ridges and valleys, this is the most accurate way to calculate the materials needed. Take a metal tape measure and a pen and paper. Measure each planes length and width. Record your measurements. Once you are safely on the ground, use your measurements to determine the square footage.
For rectangular areas, multiply the length by the width. For example, if a plane measures 30 feet by 100 feet, this would be 3,000 square feet. For triangular areas, you may need to dust off your geometry book. If the area forms a right triangle, you can make use of the Pythagorean theorem. Otherwise, you might want to look up how to calculate the semiperimeter and then use Herons formula to find the area. Be sure to add extra for valleys, hips and ridges.
Read Also: Where Do You Nail Roofing Shingles
Find The Area Of A Roof
Multiply the length of the roof in feet by the width of the roof in feet to find the area of the roof in square feet. If you have multiple sections of roof find the area of each and add them together to find the total area.
If your roof is not flat and you cannot climb to the peak to get accurate width measurements then you can add a multiplier for the pitch of your roof.
Use our roof pitch calculator to find the pitch of your roof or find the pitch multiplier, then multiply the area of the footprint of your roof by the multiplier to find the actual area.
Alternatively, find the area of your roof using our roofing calculator, which can also estimate shingles and material needed for your project.
Get Free Project Estimates
Find Qualified Roofing Professionals in Your Area
For example, if your roof is 30 ft by 50 ft, then the area is 1,500 ft2.30 × 50 = 1,500 ft2
If your roof has triangles and other shapes youll need to use a calculator to find the square footage.
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 .
You May Like: How To Clean Sunroom Roof
How To Measure Your Roofs Square Footage
The square footage of your roof has a huge impact on the cost of your replacement. It affects a number of cost factors, including the amount of materials used, labor, and time.
Be aware, the only way to get a 100 percent accurate measurement is to have a local roofing contractor come out to professionally measure your roof and give you a quote. However, I can give you the calculations to get a rough measurement of your homes square footage.
Roofing Square: How Its Calculated And More
Can there be anything more exciting than building your own property? There are so many things that go into building your establishment, be it commercial or residential.
You have to think of the location, the layout, the size and measurement of the rooms, and so much more. The type of roofing you will opt for is another important aspect to take into account. While all of this sounds exciting, it can be equally tedious.
When you leave it to a contractor to choose a roof type for your home, or to replace the roof in your home, you may come across them using the following term, roofing square to describe the size of your roof.
No matter how good you are at math, you may have found that your calculations in terms of how much roofing supplies are required to put up the roofing system in your home are entirely different from what the roofing contractors you hired calculate them.
When it comes to building roofs, there are two important aspects to keep in mind:
- Roof measurements
- Roofing materials estimation
The one word that commonly gets thrown around in the world of roofing construction is roofing squares. Lets look more into what a roofing square is and why and how it matters in evaluating the shingles or roofing materials you will require in the following sections.
You May Like: How To Insulate A Garage Roof
Figuring Out The Square Footage Of Your Roof
While it may seem difficult at first, you can divide your roof into 10 x 10 roofing squares, a standard unit of measurement used by roofers.
But first, some terminology you’ll need to know:
- Ridge – Where two sloped roof areas meet
- Valley – Where two sloped roof areas meet , often with a metal channel running along the fold
- Hip Roof – Type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls
- Hip End – The triangle shaped end of a hip roof
Related: Roofing 101: What Are the Different Parts of the Roof Called?
The Operating Cost Of Your Roofing Contractor
Every roofing contractor has operating expenses to keep their business going. These operating costs will always factor into the price of any roof work that needs to be done.
Some common operating costs are:
- Building cost and utilities, shop and truck yard
- Advertising and promotions
- Payroll and payroll taxes
- Taxes
These are just some of the fixed operating costs that it takes to run a business. No matter if a roofing company does a simple repair or replaces 10 roofs, these are the costs that have to be paid every day. No matter what work you get done or what service you need, operating expenses will always factor into an estimate or final cost.
Don’t Miss: Why Is My Roof Leaking When It Rains
Final Thoughts On Measuring Your Roof
If youre looking for a simple ballpark estimate of your roofing materials needs, Google Earth really does a great job of quickly allowing you to measure the square footage youll need to cover. While its technology sure is surreal, it has drawbacks in its ability to precisely measure distances represented in 3D. Therefore, it can be helpful to gauge estimates of your materials costs by measuring from the ground and on top of your structure. As always, if youre feeling confused, dont hesitate to get in touch with a local roofing contractor to help you out. Many will provide estimates for free. Simply ask how many squares of material they estimate youll need, and compare that to the results you got from using any of the methods we outlined above.
How To Calculate A Roofing Square
Before beginning, make sure you can safely access your roofif you can’t, contact a roofing professional for help.
Grab your measuring tape, level, pen and paper, roof safety equipment, and your ladder. With these in hand, you can measure your roof in five simple steps.
You May Like: Can You Paint A Roof
How To Calculate The Square Footage Of Your House
A house that sounds roomy and spacious online may actually have 800 of its square feet contained in a four-foot-tall dirt-floor basement. Whats up with that? In Washington DC, clients are often confused at the square footage discrepancy between whats listed and what they see on tour, and colleagues in other markets hear similar things.
Why the conflicting information? Well, the American National Standards Institute guidelines on how to calculate a homes square footage are considered the standard, but there are no official laws that govern this process. In addition, some Multiple Listing Services report all finished and unfinished square footage of a house as a single number, adding to the confusion. Since the rules arent standard, some listing agents just post their best guess on a homes square footage. As a result, buyers and their agents often have to investigate.
If you love a home, does it matter if the 2,000 square foot charmer turns out to be officially 1,600 sq ft in length? Since square footage is used to determine a homes market value, it can matter a lot. When it comes time for you to sell, 400 fewer feet in measurement can impact the price youll get, particularly in a buyers market. Which is why we created this guide on how to calculate square footage of a house.
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.
You May Like: What Is The Cost Of A New Roof
Measuring The Length And Width Of Each Plane By Hand
