Preparing for roof replacement: How to properly measure the roof?

When replacing a flat roof, accurate measurements before ordering roofing materials play a very important role. Whatever material you choose, shortage or, on the contrary, surplus costs are unnecessary, but, for example, in the case of corrugated metal sheets, even a small size error can cause very large losses, as they are cut to size in the factory. Before changing the cover, it should also be understood whether and what other work is to be done along with the cover replacement, such as installing / upgrading ventilation ducts, insulating the roof, installing new gutters, installing roof windows, etc.

If you have chosen, for example, tile roofing, installing a skylight can be quite simple after making the cover, but if the cover is made of large metal sheets, it becomes much more difficult.

The complexity of measuring a roof depends largely on the complexity of the flat roof construction itself, as well as on the measurement tools available and the ability to access various roof assemblies. It is not difficult to determine the area of a classic single-pitched, two-pitched or four-pitched roof, but if the roof has many facets and structures, it would be better to consult a specialist.

To calculate the area for a classic two-pitched roof, all that is needed is two sizes: first you need to determine the length of the ridge, you can also find out by measuring the bottom of the roof. If the roof is high from the ground, the length of the house can also be measured and added to the wind edges of the roof. Then you need to determine the length of the roof rafters, which is already a bit more complicated, but here are some pretty simple methods:

The first is the paternal method, where a tape measure is tossed across the roof ridge and the length measured from one edge to the other, or, if the tape is too short, a rope marked on both sides of the roof and then divided into two parts.

The second method is to measure the width of the flat roof between the bottom edges and to determine the roof slope, which is now easily done with a downloadable angle measurement application on your smartphone. Using the values??obtained, you can draw a triangle on the roof and measure the length of the rafters, or calculate it using elementary mathematics. Unless the trigonometric functions themselves are met, and no high school student who is no stranger to Pythagoras is known, there should be a specialist in roofing or manufacturing companies who can calculate the length of the rafters with these values. It should also be borne in mind that the slope of the roof is also an important factor in the assembly of various materials and in the calculation of material consumption, since, firstly, different materials have a minimum slope of the roof or

Multiplying the length of the ridge by the length of the raft will give you one square footage of the roof. Some homeowners have access to this information if a building design is available and the house realistically complies with it. Note that these measurements are made with the assumption that the building does not have a large chimney or other non-covered area, such as several large skylights, roof balconies, etc.

Suppose a ridge is 9 meters long and a raft is 7 meters long. The building is rectangular. This means that the slope of one roof slope is calculated as follows:

9 mx 7 m = 63 m2
Since this is only half the roof, we need to find out what the total roof area will be:
63 m2 x 2 = 126 m2

Using the above parameters, can calculate how many edges and ridge elements are needed. If you take away the area of uninsulated roofing, it is clear how much insulation is needed, how much underlay and accessories you will need, and how much roofing you will need to buy to install the roofing.

If the above steps seem complicated or you are unsure of the quality and reliability of these, consult a professional roofer who will help you make accurate measurements and choose the right materials and cover for your home's roof.

CommercialFlatroofs
Ontario, Canada
Phone: 647-933-ROOF (7663)