Tag Archives: roofing shingles calculator

How Does a Roof Calculator Work?

Prices estimated by a roof calculator will be approximate, and depend upon geography, cost of living and real estate rates in your location. The kind of roofing contractors you hire for the project will also impact the projected cost, as will the need for insurance and the quality of materials used.

Pricing estimates are usually averaged rates of regional estimates received from different parts of the country. The rates my differ by $30 to $50 a square depending on which state you live. The experience and skill level of your roofing contractor will also influence the estimate. Sometimes you’ll get a very cheap quote, but it may come from a contractor who is out of work and in urgent need of work. It’s also possible that such a contractor might be uninsured, increasing your risk as house owner.

New and inexperienced contractors will quote lesser rates as they gain work experience on the job. It may be that the contractor isn’t aware of actual costs and may be losing out on profit. But on the other hand, it could be that he’s using poor quality material or similarly inexperienced sub-contractors, which can lead to your roof leaking shortly after installation. A roof calculator can thus be a guard against getting cheated.

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Limitations of a Roof Calculator

Roof calculators are useful tools. But they are not infinitely powerful or remarkably accurate. Most roof calculators are planned to include all major kinds of roofing materials. Price ranges that are provided may have a small margin of error. Generic and specialty roofing will have variables that differ in cost across geographic locales, as well as based upon the kind of roof they will be used on. A degree of disparity between what you compute and what your roofing contractor presents to you is only to be expected.

The type of roofing to be installed will also skew the accuracy of a roof calculator. For instance, with shingle roofing a contractor may be able to use existing chimneys or flashing, while for metal roofing this will need to be removed and replaced. So the estimated costs calculated with a roof calculator will be off, because they cannot automatically factor in these variations.

Tear off costs will also differ by the type of roofing previously installed. Flat roofs cost more to tear down than shingle roofs. The process is more complicated for flat roofing, and disposal of the waste is another expense. So a generic roof calculator will be reasonably good at making roof estimates, but not 100% reliable in all respects.

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Use a Free Roof Calculator Online For Roof Estimates

An easy way to benefit from a free roof calculator online is to use it in roof estimates and for calculating roof prices. Whether you’re installing asphalt shingles, clay tiles or metal roofing, one of the first steps in the roofing process is to estimate how much you’ll spend on it.

A free roof calculator tool is of great help for homeowners as well as roofing contractors because it can be used to reliably estimate roof project expenses. The prices include roofing materials, labor costs for tearing down the present roof and disposing the waste, and a contractor’s profit. When a roof calculator is used as a guideline for budgeting, it can be of enormous value to anyone looking to have a new roof installed or a leaky one replaced.

Who Needs a Roof Calculator?

A roof calculator comes in handy not just for home owners but also for various industry professionals. Real estate agents, home inspectors and insurance adjusters all use a roof calculator in their line of work. It can help come up with an estimate for roof replacement costs quickly, which adds value to their clients. And because it is as simple to use as typing in figures into boxes and clicking a button, roof calculator use has surged online with many services offering them even as applications that run on mobile phones to extend their reach.

Indeed there are many smart roofing websites that create roof calculators which can be embedded on various affiliate sites on the Internet, attracting new leads and clients to do business with them later on. For the website owner, the hosting of a roof calculator provides value to visitors looking for information about roofing costs, making this a win-win situation.

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How To Determine Roofing Material Needs With a Roof Shingles Calculator

You can estimate how much roofing material you will need for your roofing project by using a roof shingles calculator. For your convenience a roof shingles calculator will round off the estimates and give you the number of bundles of composition shingles you will need to order.

While most roof calculators will make the best effort to ensure you get a fairly correct estimate, it is mandatory that every home owner checks and double-checks the numbers to make sure you are not exceeding or falling short. A roofing contractor will be able to easily verify the validity of an estimate made using a roof shingles calculator.

Roofing projects are best handled by pros. They are not only more accustomed to working on high and sloping roofs, but also they have leverage with suppliers when it comes to buying materials. They can save you money on buying roofing materials, and time by using the best tools to complete the project quickly.

When you deal with a professional roofer, the one area you would be best informed about is the amount of roof space that needs to be covered with shingles. A roof shingles calculator can help determine this easily.

A square footage roof shingles calculator will tell you how big your roof is. All you have to do is type in the dimensions of your roof and the calculator will spit out data you can hand over to your contractor. In roofing jargon, a square is 100 square feet and is used to refer to roofing area. Shingles made of asphalt, fiberglass or composite material usually comes in bundles that cover one third of a square. Roofing sheets come in rolls that are 3 feet wide and 36 feet long, and can cover 1 square.

Roofing felt or tar paper is used to layer a bare wood roof before laying shingles over it. Felt covers pad the surface over which shingles can be seated nicely. A roof shingles calculator will help you estimate the area of roof that needs to be covered with shingles. It will also tell you how many bundles of roof shingles to order.

For more about how to use a roof shingles calculator, check out this article.

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Components of Your New Roof

A new roof is a major investment. Not to mention a lot of work, stress and decision-making. If you want to get a quality new roof system installed by qualified professionals at a price that’s fair, then this homeowner’s guide to a new roof system will be of some help and guidance.

Steep slope roofs have five components in common.

1. Roof coverings which may be of tile, shingles, metal or slate, under which there is a cementing material that keeps the cover from being damaged by extreme weather.

2. Sheathing that’s made of board or sheets which are anchored to the rafters and cover the entire building.

3. Scaffolding or Roof Structure which is the framework of rafters, trusses and shafts which support the other elements of your new roof.

4. Flashing is the metal sheet or similar material that seals joints and depressions in the roof, preventing water seeping through.

5. Draining is important to help the roof shed water, and involves factors like the roof’s shape, slope and layout.

How To Select a New Roof?

Many factors will enter the decision making process about your new roof. Your budget for the construction is the most important. Durability of your new roof is another. But you must also consider the look, style and architecture of your roof. An ideal new roof system will cover all these elements and arrive at a happy combination.

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