Southern Maine Home Improvements: A Guide to Estimating ...

A massive amount of time and energy is spent in the maintenance of assets ? whether home or commercial property. Whether you are building a new structure or remodeling an old one, getting personally involved despite the availability of professional assistance always pays off. In case you are someone who prefers a hands-on approach in your roofing project to ensure no substantial wastage takes place, learning how to estimate roofing materials is imperative.

Roofing Portland Maine

If you plan to add an additional layer to your existing roof, you will only have to work out an estimate for nails and shingles. However, if you are contemplating complete replacement of an old roof or building a roof for a new structure, you will have to calculate an estimate for an array of roofing materials such as drip edge, starter strips, and felt underlayment.

Portland Maine Roofing Contractors

Roofs come in scores of geometric shapes such as rectangles, triangles, squares, and trapezoids. Based on the calculations derived from the dimensions of the roof, rough estimates of the quantity requirement of each roofing material can be easily determined - Portland Maine Roofing Contractors.

How to Estimate Roofing Materials

Usually, roofing materials are available in squares. One square of roofing material will be required to cover a hundred square feet of roof, if laid out as per the instructions of the manufacturer. Roofing materials come in a slew of sizes and styles and can be fixed in different ways such as layers, space between pieces or overlap. Therefore, most manufacturers normally designate the number of pieces required to cap hundred sq. ft. of roof and refer to that as one square of material.

1. Calculate the Roof Area

To begin with, you need to find the total area of the roof. For this, you need to measure the width and length of each roof?s segment. Once you have the measurements, multiply length by width to obtain the area of each section. Now, add all the sections to obtain the total square feet. To determine the number of squares in the roof, divide the square feet by 100. Remember, roof experts measure the roof surface by 100 square feet measurements.

2. How many shingles?

Now you need to estimate the number of shingles for the roof. Usually, it takes 3 boxes of the regular 3-tab shingles to cover one square foot. You must add 10% to your ballpark figure as wastage. Further, add 15% if your roof constitutes of valleys and hips. Expect the shingles to be cut for fitting in your roof perfectly.

3. How many nails?

Each shingle needs 4 nails for fixing. Thus, you will need 320 nails per square foot of the roof. For windy areas, employ 6 nails/ 480 nails per square foot. The nail should be long enough to penetrate three-quarters of an inch into the roof. If in doubt, consult your hardware store.

4. Felt Underlayment Calculation

Also referred as tar paper, the felt underlayment is calculated on the base of one square foot of the roof. Once you have determined the total area, you should purchase the most popular tar paper roll of #15. One roll covers four squares of the roof. If the slope of your roof is more than the ratio of 4:12, use a single layer. However, if the slope?s ratio varies between 3:12 and 4:12, you should double the layers, i.e., use 2 sheets.

Source: http://daviddeschaineinsouthernmaine.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-guide-to-estimating-roofing-materials.html

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