Any roofer will tell you that installing a new roof requires precision. The entire process starts with accurately measuring and calculating the area of the roof and establishing how much material will be needed. Add that to the fact that it might be important to add some extra shingles and materials in case any issues come up, and you could have a pretty big dilemma on your hands as to how you should measure for your new roof.

Fortunately, your roofer will do most of the measuring work so you don’t have to worry about it too much. However, if you’re still curious to see how your contractor measures your home, let’s take a closer look at the process and find out about some of the lesser known details.

 

Direct Measurement vs Making Calculations

First you might think that direct measurement is always the way. However, this doesn’t work for roofing systems that will have a more complex shape. In most cases, all you have to do is measure each plane of your existing roof and then calculate the area. If each plane is a rectangle, then it’s simple:

1. You start by measuring the length and width of each of your roof’s planes.
2. Multiply the length by the width to find the area of every plane.
3. Add the results together to get the total sum.

For instance, if you have four planes, two of them measuring 75 by 100 feet and the other two measuring 75 by 150 feet each, your end result will be 7,500 and 11,250 square feet multiplied by 2. That will give you a total of 37,000 sq. ft. for your entire roof.

If your roof is circular, or has an irregular shape, this calculation no longer works, and measuring each facet would take a tediously long time. As such, roofers will typically use advanced geometric calculations or calculus to find out exactly how many squares you’ll actually need.

This process can get tricky, so make sure you always get at least the advice of a roofer. Even if you know the math, you will also need additional details that only a roofer will know – such as what percentage square footage will be lost when adding to the equation all the areas where chimneys, valleys and flashing has to be added alongside your roofing shingles.

Hire a Responsible Roofer to Measure and Install Your Roof

A recommended roofer Tyler TX professional affirms that to save time and avoid all the effort of measuring your roof on your own, simply hire trusted local roofers to do it for you. Whether you’re planning to built your house from scratch, or you just need to re-roof your existing home, this course of action will usually be favorable.

Once your roofing team arrives to inspect your roof and make all the measurements, you will also have a clear picture of how much material will go into the project and what the total price estimate will be. Of course, make sure you also get a second opinion and get a written estimate from the roofer that you will ultimately want to hire to complete the roof installation process.