As an example, if your overhang is 12 inches, you’ll add 2 feet to the overall length and 2 feet to the overall width of the house. This article will walk you through each process step-by-step. and the homeowner can be on the same page when it comes to the roofing … Don’t round your roof measurements up or down. For example if your roof was 1900ft2, then you would have 19 squares and need 57 bundles of shingles to cover it. Pull up an online roofing calculator if you need help finding the area of irregularly-shaped roof sections (or you just want to double-check your work). And then I will count the # of rows of shingles between the gutter and the peak of the roof and then divide the number by 2, which gives me the height measurement. Then determine the area of the roof as if it were flat. For example, you will need to figure out the exact number of shingles required to cover the entire roof area. That way, you’ll be able to make corrections and revisions as needed while you work. To measure an irregularly-shaped roof, you'll need to get on top. Plus I know the kids would go nuts to ensure that justice is served by those asbestos professionals will come down so that all the pieces of plant matter. The first technique is referred to as the “Shingle Count” Method, which is used for estimating the measurements of all rectangular-shaped sections of a roof. If you’re using a 2 ft (0.61 m) level, divide the distance between the level and the roof by 2 to get the true pitch. Record the measurements on your sketch of the roof. To sum it up, each individual tab on a 3-tab shingle measures approximately 12″ wide by 6″ high. Find the length and width of the building’s exterior walls. There’s no need to account for chimneys, pipes, or other irregularities. Using Google is great for a rough estimate, but when you’re ready to order the materials you should take accurate field measurements of the job. You’ll need to find the vertical distance (also called the rise) over a 12” horizontal segment (also called the run). Did you know you can read expert answers for this article? Record these measurements in your notebook. If you are not the owner of a residential roofing company then you most likely haven’t heard of this before. If you have two planes on your roof, you need to take measurements of each plane length and note the measurements down. Finally, multiply the area by the pitch multiplier to determine the roof's square footage. Bring a tape measure, pen or pencil, and notebook or pad of paper with you. How to Measure a Roof for Shingles. Your roofer will measure the surface of your roof to determine the total square footage, which will dictate how many shingles must be purchased to fully cover the roof’s planes. Then each measurement is recorded on the diagram, applicable to that roof surface. This time, you'll break your roof into trapezoids and triangles. If you use a measuring tape, you'll need someone to hold the tape while you measure the area. You may want to measure a couple to be sure. Calculate the minimum roof slope for shingles and learning the important reasons why the slope is important component. Ridges and valleys are the top and bottom contours where smaller hip sections join the main part of the roof. So, for a roof with a total square footage of 4,200 square feet, you’ll need 42 squares of shingle material. Once you know this number, you can estimate the final price of the materials. Medium Steep Slope - Roof Pitch of 9. Measure the peaks and edges. Gable 3. Alternately, if the existing shingles are standard three-tab, you can get the eaves’ length by counting the number of tabs along the ridges and eaves to determine the length in feet (one tab is equal to 1 ft.). You should be able to pull up a number of reliable pitch multiplier tables with a quick Internet search. Would throwing a rubber ball attached to a cord to catch on the ridge of the roof and measuring the twine would be more accurate? wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 326,082 times. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. The steeper the pitch, the better this will work. The … Three bundles of shingles make a square of shingles. As you can see, S1 and S3 are the same size, but you still need to document all measurement points to verify your material calculation accuracy. How To Measure A Roof From The GroundIn roofing sales, you'll sometimes need to get quick roof measurements to help you ballpark costs on an estimate. There are 22 shingles in a bundle for 3-tab. If you have a shed roof or a gable roof, you are in luck – these are the easiest roof types to measure. You or your roofing contractor will work around these areas once the project is actually underway. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Remember that the length and width need to be found for the roof, not the house, so take into account that the roof overhangs the building. The roof pitch is measured by how much the roof … Set up a ladder to allow access to the roof, making sure that the feet of the ladder are resting on firm ground and the angle of the ladder to the roof is no less than 35 degrees. You can only have two layers before you need to tear off and start over. Be sure to catch our funny one! how to measure a roof for shingles. This has shed a light on my getting great pictures and how to accurately measure the roof from the ground. Along with the roof’s pitch, you’ll use these 2 dimensions to calculate the roof’s overall square footage. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/17\/Measure-a-Roof-Step-12-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Measure-a-Roof-Step-12-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/17\/Measure-a-Roof-Step-12-Version-2.jpg\/aid1152657-v4-728px-Measure-a-Roof-Step-12-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"