In cases where a roof has a complex shape such as in the image to the right measuring the dimensions and areas of each part of the roof to calculate total area will result in a more accurate measurement of area.
How do you find the area of a roof.
8 inches and you have an 8 in 12 pitch.
Measure the distance from the surface of the roof to the bottom of the level at the 12 inch mark.
Roof pitch is given as the number of inches in height change over the distance of one foot.
The calculated area is only an estimation.
For example if your roof s pitch is 4 in 12 you would divide 4 by 12.
Dividing by 12 gives the ratio of inches in rise per distance.
That gives you 5 590 square feet which is the actual area of the surface of the roof.
Next square your result.
Because each 100 square feet of roof is one roofing square divide the total area from step 1 by 100.
On a ladder beside the roof place the level a foot or so up the roof hold it level and measure from the 12 inch mark on the level s bottom straight down to the roof.
Divide your roof pitch by 12.
So if you divide your answer of a product of length times height by two you will get the area of a triangle.
Now you re ready to price out the materials.
The answer is the number of roofing squares for the roof.
Convert the area to roofing squares.
The lower slope length is measured from outside wall to the start of the upper sloped roof section.
Calculating an area of a triangle when estimating a roof.
This applies to lengths as well as areas.
Calculating the area true once you have your roof s pitch divide the number by 12.
For example if your measurement is seven inches the rise is expressed as 7 12 in roofing terminology.
Calculate the square footage of a gambrel style roof using imperial measurements.
Both metric and imperial measurement systems are displayed in a popup menu over the results area.
1 roof square 100 square feet.
If this distance measures 4 inches you have a 4 in 12 pitch.
This distance is the rise.
And that s the number you were looking for.
The length l times the height h of a triangle is twice its area a2.
Take the area of the roof s footprint say it s 5 000 square feet and multiply 5 000 by 1 118.
Take your area result and multiply it by the pitch multiplier or slope correction factor found in the table above to arrive at the roof s surface area.