Figuring Roof Square Footage

In cases where a roof has a complex shape such as in the image to the right measuring the dimensions and areas of each part of the roof to calculate total area will result in a more accurate measurement of area.

Figuring roof square footage.

Steep roofs measure your house at ground level then add in the roof s overhang for greater accuracy. With the area measurement you can learn the approximate cost of a new roof. The calculator cannot account for complex shapes based on a measurement of square footage alone. Keep in mind that the average size of a roof is 1 700 square feet so your total will likely be 10 higher or lower than this figure.

The square footage of a hip roof area is identical to the square footage of a gable roof of the same size. The top ridge will be shorter than the one of the gable roof but the four hips will add. Next you will need to use a roofing materials calculator. Calculate the square footage area of a hip roof.

Shingles and other roofing materials such as underlayment are typically measured in squares that are 10 feet long and 10 feet wide with each square measuring 100 square feet. Check that your footage measurements are within this range so you can start off on the right foot. The only difference in this calculation to the one for a gable roof area is the amount of the ridge. When calculating square footage for your roof always add at least 10 percent of the total to account for waste.