How To Measure A Roof For Shingles
August 28, 2019 By Taylor-Made Roofing
Whether youre re-roofing your home or purchasing shingles for a brand-new house, its important to understand that a successful roofing project often requires a significant investment of both time and money. As you begin shopping for materials, you might wonder how to measure a roof for shingles. After all, roofing materials vary greatly in cost and are priced per square foot. To determine the size of your roof, contact a professional roofer who can measure your roof and provide an estimate for the roofing project.
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.
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Roof Slope |
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1.414 |
How Do You Calculate The Square Footage Of 1010 Shed Roof
Figure out the area of the shed plus the overhangs:- determine the squre footage of the shed foot print by measuring the length and width of the shed including the overhangs. Assume the overhangs are 1 feet both sides eves and rake then you have 2 feet extra, so each dimension for 10×10 shed roof with overhangs is around 12×12 = 144 square footage.
Find the roof pitch or slope:- the roof pitch is the amount of slope. The slope is described by the rise in inches or how far up it goes over the run in inches or how far horizontal it goes. We will use a 6 in 12 pitch. For every 6 inches the roof goes up to the peak it goes 12 inches horizontally.
Calculate the square of rise and run and sum it:- square of rise 6×6=36, square of run = 12×12 = 144, add both 36 +144 = 180.
Find the square root of the sum:- square root of 180 = 13.417
Sum divide by 12 to get the product:- square root of 180 = 13.417 is divided by 12 as 13.417 ÷ 12 = 1.118, hence 1.118 equals the product
Multiply the product by the flat roof area and divide by 100:- our 10×10 shed square footage with overhangs is 144 sq ft, so 1.118 x 144 = 161 square feet, 161 / 100 = 1.61 squares.
Add 10% for wastes:- wastages 10% of 1.61 squares = 0.161, so final squares of shingles do you need = 1.61+ 0.161 = 1.8 squares, it is rounded to 2 squares.
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How Many Rolls Of Felt Will You Need
Roofing felt is sold by the roll. The average roll of 15-pound roofing felt covers about 400 ft2, or 4 squares, while the average roll of 30-pound roofing felt covers about 200 ft2, or 2 squares.
Rolls of felt are 36 wide x 144 long for 15# and 72 long for 30#. Consider other underlayment options as needed, such as rubber or tar products.
How Will Your Account For The Unexpected In Retirement
Whatâs my contingency plan?
âLife often doesnât go as expected. An unanticipated repair bill or medical expense can be harder to manage when you canât volunteer for an extra shift or otherwise easily increase your income,â says Liz Weston, CFP®. âThatâs why many planners recommend retirees have a larger emergency fund perhaps six to 12 monthsâ worth of expenses, rather than the typical three to six months recommended for working people.â
As long-term care isnt covered by Medicare, youll also need to plan how to pay for it. A long-term care insurance policy is one option. You may also be able to tap into your home equity or set aside some savings or investments for this purpose.
How will I compensate for inflation?
âEven a mild inflation of 3% will cause prices to double over 24 years, and health care costs typically rise at an even higher rate,â adds Weston. âThatâs why financial planners often recommend new retirees keep 40% to 50% of their portfolios in stocks, which are the only investment class that consistently beats inflation.â
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Lets Talk About Social Security
Approximately 40% of a persons income before retirement is replaced by Social Security. While the retirement program will probably not be enough on its own, it is undoubtedly important.
It is important to know that Social Security benefits are calculated based on the 35 years in which you earned the most money. And, as already mentioned, as of July 2022, the average check is $1,544.70.
But, what about the maximum benefit at full retirement age? A few factors determine how much you could be entitled to receive from Social Security: how much youve earned over your working years, when you start receiving benefits, and how much your COLA increases are. If your COLA increases over time, your benefits will also increase.
Check out your latest Social Security statement or log into your mySocialSecurity account at www.ssa.gov to determine how much you could get from Social Security.
Whats the earliest date you can collect your benefit checks? While the Social Security Administration defines a full retirement age based on your birth year, technically, anyone over the age of 62 who is eligible can begin collecting benefits at any time.
If you begin collecting Social Security before the full retirement age, your benefits will be adjusted accordingly. A smaller check will be received if you claim Social Security at 62 a larger check will be received if you delay claiming until 70 if you claim later.
How Many Bundles Of Shingles Do I Need
Determining the number of bundles of shingles youll need depends on the type of shingles you are installing, as bundle size depends on shingle type. However, the vast majority of shingles require only 3 bundles per 100 square feet.
For most shingle types, youll need 3 bundles to make a square of finished roof, which is 100 square feet. If you have a roof area of 3000 square feet, youll need 90 bundles of shingles. Shingles with 4 bundles per square will require you to purchase 120 bundles for a 300 square foot roof.
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Calculating How Many Packs Of Shingles You Need
With your roofs area and ridge length clear in your mind, the next step is to find the shingles you want to use. Lets take our customer favourite Coroshingles as an example. Each pack covers an area of 2m² with 14 shingle strips. With this, calculating the rough number of packs you need just involves punching the numbers into a simple formula:
Roof Area/Pack Size
Assuming the roof area was 50m², this specific example it would look like this:
50/2
This would give you a final answer of 25 packs. However, that is just for the area of the roof. If you are also using shingles to cover the length of your ridge, you will need to determine how many strips are needed to cover the full run. This may require you to look at the width of the induvial strip to determine exactly how many extra packs you might need based on your initial ridge measurement. We would always advise rounding up, as this would help to account for any mistakes, wastage or off-cuts.
Also bear in mind that most shingles will require a detailing strip to be installed along the eaves first.
Plan For Waste Factor
The only roof that will generate no waste from cutting is that rare simple gable whose roof length is divisible by the 3-ft. length of a shingle. Other simple gable roofs will require cut shingles at the rakes. From there, the waste factor increases with every obstruction, such as a chimney, and with every hip or valley.
Laminated shingles typically generate less waste than three-tab shingles do because you dont have to maintain a cutout pattern, but its tricky to determine exactly how many square feet of shingles you will be able to salvage. Its best to plan your order using the same waste factor that you would use for three-tab shinglesat worst youll just have a couple of bundles to return.For a simple roof, I generally figure 1 percent as a waste factor. On a complex roof with open valleys, I add 5 percent and sometimes more. Theres no calculation you can use to determine the extra shingles youll need for waste. With experience estimating jobs, youll get a feel for how many extra shingles to order.
Waste is also generated when shingles are damaged, which is inevitable when youre moving shingles around a steep roof slope and some will slide off. You may be able to salvage part of the damaged shingle, but dont count on it. You can also waste shingles when you nail them improperly and have to remove them. You may drive nails too low in the exposure or fasten one off a control line.
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How To Reduce Your Electricity Bill
At the end of the day, most consumers want to understand their energy consumption so they can lower their electricity bills. According to the Energy Information Administration , households consume the majority of their electricity in a few key areas. In the average home, heating and cooling account for about 32 percent of the total electricity used. Water heating isnt far behind, making up almost 14 percent. And a homes kitchen appliances require a lot of energy to run, too, using 11 percent of total energy consumed.
Here are a few ways you can save electricity and potentially lower your energy bill in the most energy-intensive parts of your home:
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Calculate The Square Footage Of Your Roof
After considering the slope and complexity of your roof, youre ready to learn how to calculate the square footage of your roof.
To get a rough estimate for your roofs square footage, youll use this equation:
For example, if you have an easy up and over, walkable gable roof and a house that measures 56 feet lengthwise and 28 feet widthwise, your calculation will look like this:
56′ x 28′ = 1,568
1,568 x 1.3 = 2,038
Using this equation wont be 100% accurate, but knowing your roofs square footage is a great jumping-off point to learn how much youll have to invest in your replacement. After getting your roofs rough square footage, put that number in our free Roofing Calculator to get an idea on the cost of your new roof.
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How To Measure A Roof Using Google Earth
If youre looking for a free way to measure your roof using imagery you can find on a smartphone or computer, consider logging into Google Earth and searching for your home. If you live in a large enough metropolitan area, youll find both the 2D and 3D imagery needed to take roof measurements online.
Begin by entering your address into Google Earths search function. Youll get a birds-eye 3D view of the property, which will allow you to get a good view of the roof pitch. Position the view, so youre looking down on the roof.
Use Google Earths area measurement tool to outline the section of roof you want to measure, making sure to set the display to feet. Once you create a box, Google will tell you the length of each side and the total square footage.
You can use that number with the slope factor of your roof to come up with a fairly accurate estimate.
This method isnt as precise as the expensive apps, but it will give you a good enough estimate of the square footage of your roof to purchase shingles.
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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 Is A Roofing Square
Roof surfaces are measured in squares.
A roofing square is equal to 100 square feet of the roof.
To determine the number of squares on the gable roof example in this post, divide its total of 2400 square feet by 100 .
This means you would need 24 squares of shingles to cover that roof. Be sure to add 10%-15% to all your material totals for trim allowance .
Pro Tip: Want to skip doing some math?Order a FREE RoofScopeX aerial roof reportto see the size of your roof in squares, as well as the slope of your roof.
Keep the report on hand for future conversations with roofers or when reviewing estimates for your next roof replacement or repair.
What Is The Average Retirement Age
The average retirement age in the United States is 63, but when you decide to retire depends on many factors:
- Savings. Social Security retirement benefits average $1,544.70 as of this writing. However, for most people, this is not enough to cover living expenses. There is a severe shortage of retirement savings among most Americans. If you dont have enough money for your nest egg, you may not be able to retire when you want or you may not be able to pay your bills if you cant work. As a result, many lower their standard of living once they stop earning a regular income.
- Lifestyle. The amount of money you need for retirement depends on your desired lifestyle. Traveling, for instance, will require you to have a larger retirement account balance than staying local and downsizing.
- Location. The higher your cost of living, the more money you need to retire comfortably. Your retirement years may be shortened if you relocate to a less expensive region.
- Health. You are able to work to a greater or lesser extent depending on your health. You may have to retire sooner if you suffer from chronic or debilitating health issues.
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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.
Measuring The Length And Width Of Each Plane By Hand
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