Contractors are accustomed to offering estimates or to quote Resilient Roofing work that does not result in real employment contracts: homeowners were simply “investigating” or decided on a cheaper price.
In the case of roof installation or roof repair work, this can involve hours of calculations, comings, and goings to potential workplaces, and even raising and lowering ceilings where you may never work.
You can easily quote roof repair work directly from the ground, and even by phone or email if the homeowner can provide a few measurements and images.
Some complicated roofs may require climbing on them and taking accurate measurements on Celling, sidewalls, chimneys, and attics, or inspecting rot or damage, but most roof estimates can be made from the ground by following these simple steps.
Measure the house and calculate the roof slope
Draw a simple diagram of the ceiling, noting and marking all the changes of inclination, limahoyas, easels and limatesas, chimneys, ventilation pipes, and other penetration elements.
Then all exterior wall sections are measured from corner to corner, adding any projection or ceiling mount. Write down these measurements in their corresponding place in the diagram.
Next, calculate the slope of the roof, which is typically defined in inches. Some customers know what the slope of their roof is and can give it to them, but determining it yourself is easy.
Unless there is an eave hanging very low, you should climb a ladder and work at a level of 1 or 2 feet. Place one end of the level on the ceiling and level it horizontally. Then, measure straight down from the end of the level in the air to the ceiling surface.
The measurement in inches is the slope of the roof if you are using a level of 1 foot. With a level of 2 feet, divide the measure by 2 to determine the slope (14 inches from the level to the ceiling with a level of 2 feet equals a slope of 7 inches).
Note: “Slope” and “slope” are often used incorrectly as synonyms with reference to ceilings. The slope is defined as a vertical elevation (in inches) per foot of horizontal dimension.
The inclination is the ratio (ratio) between elevation and total length. For example, a ceiling that rises 6 inches for every 12 long is called “six in twelve” or roof 6:12, with an inclination of ¼.
Calculate the roof size
With the roof dimensions and its slope, you now have to use a tilt multiplier to calculate the roof size accurately. Use the “Conversion factors” table below to find the appropriate multiplier for several roof slopes.
Simple gable roofs such as those found in ranches and colonial houses are easy to calculate. Just take the dimensions of the floor, multiply the length by width (including protrusions) and multiply by the ceiling inclination multiplier.
For example, a 24 x 48 house with a 6:12 roof is calculated as follows: 24 x 48 = 1,152 x 1.12 = 1,290.24, that is, more than 1,290 square feet of roof.
For more complicated ceilings with different sections, limatesas and limahoyas, dormers and other details, it is better to break the ceiling into sections and calculate them separately and then add them.
Do not subtract because of skylights, chimneys or other large penetration elements (unless there are a considerable number of them). Any amount taken from the total area in square feet is usually counted as waste material that results from working around these items.