Orange County
The Mathematical Side of Roofing
Along with hammering and tearing, Orange County Roofers must do a certain amount of calculating. The calculations are the precise roof measurements taken prior to the commencement of a roof installation. By taking these measurements, professionals determine the number of shingles needed for a job.
An Orange County Roofing Company begins the calculating process by sketching a diagram of the property. The drawing needn’t be a masterpiece – just a simple graphic representation that provides basic information such as home shape and location of front, back, side, etc.
The first actual calculation takes place when a professional measures a home’s perimeter. To arrive at this number, contractors use a tape measure to ascertain the length of all outer walls, as well as any other sections such as the garage.
Once the perimeter is known, Orange County Roofers calculate a roof’s square footage. This measurement, however, is only part 1 of a two-step process. For step 2, roofers convert the square footage into a number known as a ‘roofing square’. What exactly is a roofing square? In a nutshell, this is a 10’ x 10’ area (or 100 square feet) of rooftop. So, if a roof measures 1000 square feet, Orange County Roofers will be covering the equivalent of 10 roofing squares.
For the final calculation, roofers also must measure and factor in a roof’s slope. With this number in hand, they at last can determine the precise number of shingle bundles to order. (Shingles are not sold individually but in bundles.)
Curiosity aroused? Yearning to delve deeper into this topic? It can be done. Just ask a local expert for more info. Let’s say you hang your hat in San Clemente. OK, just consult a San Clemente Roofer. Before you know it, you’ll be thoroughly educated.
If you have questions about roof measurements, Luke Roofing can help. A long-established Orange County Roofer, we provide prompt, reliable expertise for every residential roofing and commercial roofing need. No matter where you live in OC, you can count on Luke Roofing for reliable roofing solutions.
About the author
Comments 2
I've heard that a rough calculation of roofing areas can be done from satellite photos. Is this a real thing? Can you really get a good idea about what a roof might cost simply by looking at Google Maps or other similar solutions?
Hi Josh, Thanks for your question!
There's "some" truth in that statement but there's a lot more to it. And while I won't go into all the details a few of the issues with this method are that satellite photos are not typically current. Some of them can be a couple years or more old. Additionally, most of the publicly available roof photos do not get close enough to actually see everything you would need to see or measure. This is due to privacy concerns of course. So while a roofer can get a basic idea of the layout, exact measurements are impossible and it's sketchy to even do estimates using this method.
Thanks again, Abby!