A roofing calculator is what the roofing industry to estimate how much a new roof is going to cost you. Even when using an online roofing calculator, though, you need to use your brain to make sure you have accurate roof measurements.
How to Measure Your Roof
Because most roofs are sloped, it is sometimes difficult to obtain accurate measurements to use for the roofing calculator. What you need to do to get accurate results is measure the pitch of your roof.
To do this, you will need a long ladder and a 3-foot long level tool and a measuring tape. About a foot up from the roof’s lowest edge, put one side of the levelling tool onto the roof’s side so that the levelling tool is the same angle as the ground. Measure how far it is from the level’s middle to the roof. To obtain the roof’s rise, divide the result by three (if you have a three foot level) or by two (if you have a two foot level).
Now go up to the attic. Place the small edge of the level alongside an angled beam. The level should be at an angle to the floor. Now measure how far it is from the middle of the level to the floor. Again, divide the result by either two or three. This will give you the roof’s run.
These calculations will give you the number of inches your roof tilts per flat foot. This is important information for the roofing calculator.
There are tools available which can do this for you, or you can hire a roofer to work it out.
What Next?
Next, divide the slope of the roof by twelve to work out the total square feet which will need roofing. Once you have that figure, and once you have decided which roofing material you want to use, you can estimate how much a new roof is going to cost. Alternatively you can put the numbers into an online roofing calculator, or hire somebody to work it out. They will use the same method described above to work out an estimate.
Roofing has come a long way since the days of the cavemen. In the 1800s, wooden shingles were widely used, although in the Wild West families often spent their first winter in a cave. When they could finally build homes, the houses of the first generation of homesteaders were commonly less than half as big as the barn. These early homes represent the beginning of roofing technology in the west.
Nowadays, the roof is an integral part of a home. The house would not be complete without one. There are now many different materials and designs available to the homeowner and roofs last longer than ever, some up to fifty years or more. The roof can be designed to fit in with the architectural look of the house. New roofing materials include asphalt shingles, recycled rubber, metal, and many more.
Roofing Contractors
In order to install the desired roof, a homeowner will need to find a roofing contractor. This process can take some time, but is worth it because the contractor is very important. The decision should never be rushed. Ask for referrals from friends and family, or visit warehouses and find out which contractors they employ. This is a good strategy as the large warehouses will be sure to use top quality contractors.
Once a short list of potential contractors has been made, the interviewing process begins. This can be time consuming, but it is still important. The lowest bidder is not necessarily the best choice. Ask for references from each contractor and find out the quality of these previous jobs. Once you have selected a contractor and negotiated a price, work can begin. A good contractor will be able to work largely unsupervised once the initial decisions about roofing material have been made.
For people who are unfamiliar with construction vocabulary, standing seam roofing will probably not mean much. Most people do not care what kind of seams or roofs they have as long as it protects their home and the people in it from the elements.
However, if you want to be more involved in the maintenance of your building, it’s a good idea to start learning about different roofing systems. If you ever need to have your roof repaired, it will give you an advantage to be able to understand the jargon your roofing contractors will use when discussing the project.
Knowing The Basics
Standing seam roofing is usually made from preformed pans. These are normally around 18 to 24 inches wide. They run parallel to the slope of your roof, and are then linked to adjacent pans though a double locked system. You can ask someone to show you if you are unsure what they are.
You can ask someone to bring samples of standing seam roofing to save you the trouble of climbing up on your roof to look. Ask them to explain how standing seam pans work, and why you need to have them. The more understanding you have of standing seam roofs, the better you will be able to understand the work your contractor does on your roof.
You can use a range of materials for a standing seam roof, but if your existing roof is made of metal you will need to use metal for your standing seam roofing. Many companies and builders produce standing seam roofing materials.
Because standing seam roofs are mostly premade, you will need to ensure that you have accurate measurements of your roof so you get the right size materials. You can also order custom standing seam roofs made specifically for your building. Again, there are many companies which can do this for you.
Concern for the environment is becoming a major factor in determining what kind of product people use, whether for their car, their household, or for construction. People want materials that will do the least amount of damage to the environment.
But before environmentally friendly products will become available, there has to be a big enough demand. One industry in which there has been sufficient demand is roofing. Companies have arisen which use recycled rubber and plastic to make roofing materials. As well as being good for the environment, these recycled materials will also last much longer than many other materials.
Rubber slate is one such new, environmentally friendly roofing material. Rubber slates last for at least fifty years and they give your home excellent protection as well as being lightweight, weighing around one pound per slate. The plastic and rubber tiles give top quality protection from hail and heavy rain. Rubber slates can be either nailed in place with roofing nails (copper or stainless steel), and are quite easy to install because they will never break during installation!
More About Rubber Roofing
A special kind of rubber slate is made on the west coast of the US that is fire and seismic resistant. This means that the roof will not collapse during earthquakes, and will not catch fire like normal rubber would.
You can even buy rubber roofing that looks exactly like traditional cedar shakes. They look so good that most people can’t tell the difference between the rubber and cedar. These rubber shakes are made by manufacturing tiles of different lengths, just as wooden tiles would be. These rubber shakes have the benefit of being available in different colours, so you can customize your roof and fit it in with the design of the rest of the house.
The above examples of rubber roofing are just a small sample of what is now available. You can find out more about other rubber roofing products by visiting a large hardware store or home warehouses and asking the staff for information. You can also search the internet for information. If you need a new roof, or are building a new home, one way you can help the planet as well as choosing a top quality roof is to use rubber roofing. You’ll be sure to get a long lasting, reliable roof for your home.
There was a time when a roof was nothing more than the top of the cave in which people lived in. In the eighteen hundreds, buildings in the east and parts of the south had wood roofing shingles but in the Wild West, many families literally spent the first winter in a cave dug out of the prairie. It wasn’t until the next year when they could build a small home with a conventional roof to protect them. Even today in parts of the west lay the remnants of homesteader homes long since abandoned. Some of the buildings still stand today. The homes of most first generation homesteaders were usually less than half of the size of the barn. This was the beginning of roofing in the west.
In the present times roofing is not just another part of a house. Without roofing a home would be incomplete. Roofing is the single most important part of any home. There are all kinds of materials and styles for roofs and now more than ever in the past, the roof can last longer even to the point that the first roof may last fifty years or more. New roofing now comes as asphalt shingles, rubber recycled, metal and many other types. The homeowner can now make the roof an architectural statement in itself.
Roofing Contractors
In order for a homeowner to have the roof they desire, they will need to get bids from contractors to do the work. Finding the right contractor isn’t difficult but it can take some time. A person should never rush to a decision when it comes to any building or remodeling. Ask around to others who have had recent new roofing installed. Also try going to one of the large home warehouses and ask for contractors that they use. This is very effective because the warehouses are not going to use contractors that don’t do good work.
Once the owner has received several contractors that were recommended, the time consuming part of interviewing each contractor begins. Don’t just accept the low bidder and ask when they can do it. Get references from each contractor and call or drive by those homes to see the results. Once the contractor has been chosen and the price is agreed upon, the actual construction will take place. One good thing about roofing contractors is that once they know what roofing material the homeowners want, they can finish the job without needing direction from the owners.
