Many roofing manufacturers are shifting the production from traditional asphalt shingle roofs, to more technologically advanced metal roofing systems.  There used to be a time when metal roofs were associated with the rusty barns and agricultural buildings.  However, modern metal roofs are coated with a layer of aluminum and zinc, which provides protection against corrosion and rust.  The old corrugated metal roofing profiles are replaced by more visually appealing standing-seam and metal shingle roofs.  Learn how affordable metal roofing systems can help make your home greener and more energy efficient.

Metal shingles roof is the basic type of a residential metal roofing system. Metal shingles usually feature a four way inter-locking design, which means that every single shingle is interlocked with six other shingles on all four sides. The advantage of the inter-locking roof design is that it makes the whole system extremely reliable, because every shingle is being held in place by six other shingles. Inter-locking metal roofing systems attain wind uplift ratings of up to 110 miles per hour, which qualifies them to be installed in Miami Dade county in Florida, a place with the strictest building codes and frequent storms.

Metal shingles roofs provide long lasting and reliable protection against snow and ice and the elements. Metal shingle roofs are often made out of a minimum of 30% post consumer metal content, which qualifies them for the LEED green building credits. Many metal shingle roofs are coated with cool metal roofing colors, and carry energy star and cool-roof ratings. Metal shingle roofs can last two times longer than conventional asphalt shingle roofs. Metal shingles roofs are available in 3 types of metal; galvanized steel, aluminum, and copper.

Let’s cover roofing material pricing for for the three types of metal mentioned above. Galvanized steel metal shingles cost about $250 per square. Aluminum shingles cost about $300 per square. Copper shingles cost about $1000 per square. Residential and commercial metal roofing prices tend to fluctuate with the changes in the prices of aluminum, steel, and copper. The overall economy also plays a role in the willingness of roofing contractors to lower their prices in order to get the job.

The installation price of the metal shingles roof is usually around $400 to $600 per roof square.

Standing-seam roofing is another type of a metal roofing system available to the homeowners. Standing-seam roofing materials cost about $500 to $600 per square and another $500 to $600 for the installation of a metal roofing system. Thus, we can expect to pay in the range of $1000 to $1200 for the installation of a standing-seam metal roof.

You may ask, is metal roofing worth it? Considering the fact that a metal roof can last two to three times longer than an asphalt shingle, the price of installing a new metal roof is really worth it. In addition to a long lasting and durable metal roof, you can get energy savings and lower your cooling costs by 20% to 35%. Some, ultra cool metal roofs in white colors can deliver energy savings of over 40 percents. Clearly, although initially more expensive, metal roofs provide significant benefits to the homeowner, which makes the possibility of installing a sustainable metal roof quite feasible.

without comments

Because there are quite a few roof types available to homeowners, it’s important to understand not only the costs associated with installing a particular roofing system, but also the benefits and drawbacks of common roof types. Now, lets cover some basic roofing prices for several different types of roofing systems. The least expensive roof replacement options will be listed first.

Asphalt shingle roofs are among the least expensive roofs for residential homes.  Asphalt shingle is the most frequently installed roofing product in America.  Although asphalt shingle roofing costs less than other types of roofs, they have a low lifespan expectancy, contain petroleum products, and ultimately pollute the environment.

The 3-tab shingle is the basic type of an asphalt shingle roof.  It costs about $100 per roof square, and can usually be installed on roofs with a minimum roof pitch of 3 to 12.  The average size roof requires about 20 squares of roofing shingles to cover it.  Thus, your roofing materials will cost about $2000.  You’ll also need to add the cost of roofing nails, and roof underlayment rolls.  In addition to these, you may also need to purchase passive roof vents, ridge vent, an metal flashing for the chimney.  In the northern climates it is also recommended to install ice and water on the eaves and valleys of the roof.

You can approximate your total roofing material costs to be around $2500 to $2750.  It’ll cost you about $200 to $300 per roof square to install it.  You may have to pay more if your roof is really complex with multiple dormers and valleys, which takes longer time to roof over.  In may also be required to pay the cost of tear off, which made very from $75.00 to $150.  Thus, your new roof may cost anywhere from $9000 to $15,000.

Rather than installing a simple three tab asphalt shingle roof, you may choose to install architectural shingles, which will add about $1000 to your final roof replacement cost.

Cedar shake roofing costs about double the cost of asphalt shingle roofs and can last anywhere from 15 to 30 years depending on the type of cedar shakes.  This may be a required alternative especially for the historic homes.

Metal roofing is the next type of roofing material that is rapidly gaining market share because of its durability, longevity, and energy efficiency.  Metal roofs are considered green and can last well over 35 years.  The high end metal roofs such as zinc roofing and copper roofs can last well over 100 years.  The basic type of metal roofing costs about $250 per square for steel metal shingles roofing, and about $500 per square for standing-seam metal roof.  Metal shingles roof is comprised out of small panels that interlock together and are easy to install.  Standing-seam roof is made out of vertical sheet metal roofing panels that connect with other panels in the side by side fashion is creating a raised locking mechanism called the seam.

It costs about $500 to professionally install metal shingles and standing-seam roofs.  The reason for a higher installation price is that metal roofing usually takes three times longer to install than an asphalt shingle roof.  Modern metal roofs are coated with cool metal roofing colors that will help you keep your house cool and may reduce your energy costs by as much as 35%.  Because many metal roofs contain over 30% of post consumer content, they qualified for LEED credit issued by green building council.  The energy star qualified metal roofs are also eligible for a $1500 homeowners’ green home improvement tax credit from the government.

Green Metal Roof

If your roof is flat, then it will cost you about $500 per square to install the EPDM rubber roof.  The disadvantage of the EPDM rubber roof is that it can develop flat roof leaks in between the seams.  Please be sure that you do not hire a regular roofer to install your flat roof.  The reason for that is that the process of installing a flat roof is significantly different from the regular flat roofing installation.  Be sure to only hire a company that actually specializes in installation of flat roofing systems.

Also keep in mind that there is a better flat roofing alternative called PVC flat roof system, which is hot air welded using precision instruments.  The roof seams formed during the hot air welding process are so reliable that they will never leak even if there is pooling water on your roof.  Consider getting a white color PVC flat roofing membrane, and it will last longer than conventional EPDM rubber roof.  It’ll also provide some very significant energy savings for your building.

Residential Flat Roof - Cool PVC Flat Roofing Membrane by IB Roofs

Please keep in mind to consider the overall benefits and pros and cons of a particular roofing system when analyzing its roofing prices, longevity, durability and energy efficiency. And above all, remember to hire only qualified contractors who have experience of installing the type of roof that you need.

without comments

What is roof pitch?

Roof pitch is a concept used by roofing contractors, architects and other building professionals to identify the slope or steepness of a roof. Roof pitch is measured in inches or units, using a 12 base or run of the roof compared to the rise of the roof. Using roof pitch greatly simplifies the process of estimating a roof, ordering roofing materials and choosing the right roofing product for each roof installation.

Roof pitch is similar to using degrees as a measure of the roof slope, and can be easily converted back and forth. However it is much more convenient for roofing contractors, builders, architects and roofing materials suppliers to use proof pitch instead of degrees, and makes the whole process of building a house and installing a roof much simpler.

Roof pitch concept is mostly used in United States, UK, and former British colonies, as the main measuring units in these countries are inches, feet, yards, etc.

To explain it differently, thing of the roof slope rising X number of inches for each 12 inches of horizontal run.

Roof pitch, converted into pitch multipliers, helps roofing contractors / estimators measure the roof size and estimate roofing prices. Roofing estimators or homeowners are often not able to climb up on the roof or the roof is too steep or high up, and it is dangerous to measure sloped roof runs, such as length of the gable, from the roof. In this case the roof pitch is used to get an accurate estimate of real roof size without actually getting on the roof.

How to calculate roof pitch using level and a tape measure:

To get the roof slope with a level, you will need to get up on the roof, or working of a ladder, place on end of the level, so it touches the roof, and the other end is in the air, away from the roof surface. Make sure it is leveled horizontally. Now measure the distance between the level’s end which is in the air, and the roof bellow it, placing a tape measure straight down, until it touches the roof.

Let’s say the distance you get on the tape measure, between level and roof is 12 inches and your level is 2 feet. Your roof pitch will be 12 in 24 or 6 in 12 (divide both numbers by to, to get to the 12″ base run). If you get 10″ rise in 24″ run, then your roof pitch is 5 in 12 or simply 5, and so on.

Calculating roof pitch without using  the level:

You don’t always need a level to calculate the roof pitch, though with level, you will produce the most accurate roof pitch measurements. To calculate the roof slope, you will need the width measurements of the Gable End of your roof, and the the drop from roof ridge or peak to the roof base. This is where the simple geometry and math can be applied to get pretty accurate roof pitch measurements.

You can get up on the ladder, and measure the distance between roof peak and roof base. Then divide roof base in half (by 2) and this will give you the roof run – using these numbers you will be able to calculate roof pitch. For example if  your roof base is 24 feet, then 1/2 or run of your roof is 12 feet. If your rise measured to be 7 feet then your roof piths or roof slope is 7 in 12 or simply 7.

If you get odd numbers for the run(which is often the case – you rarely get a 24′ wide gable ends on the house) – lets say your roof base is 30′ and hence the roof run is 15′, while roof rise is still 7, then your roof slope is 7 in 15? Yes it is, but you still want to bring it to the 12″ base numbers, so that you could use roof slope multipliers, when calculating roof sizes.

To bring this numbers to 12″ base, you divide both numbers by 15 and multiply them by 12.

You can also just calculate the number of siding panels and multiply this number by the siding “exposure”. Average clap-board siding has 4″ exposure, so 3 rows of clapboard siding will give you 1 foot, and 9 rows will give you 3 feet.

Calculating roof run without using roof pitch or pitch multipliers:

You can measure the sloped run of your roof (gable / rakes) without using the itch multiples, and often get a slightly more accurate measurements. Roof pitch multipliers are there to simplify the job, but since they are rounded numbers, they are not 100% accurate. You can use Pythagorean theory (which is used to calculate roof pitch multipliers) to calculate the run of your loped roof.

To measure the gable run, you need to look at your roof from the side, and picture it as a triangle, with one unknown – refer to roof diagram above. You already have the measurements of your base and your rise (bisector). To calculate the longer, unknown side of the triangle, you need to add the square of the base and square of the rise / bisector, and take a square roof of the sum, or A2 + B2 = C2.

For example you have a base of 12 and a rise of 6 and need to know the 3rd side. You add 144 (12 square) and 36 (6 square) and take a square root of the sum which is about 13.5 – the length of the unknown side.

Afterword:

Now that you know how to measure the roof pitch, you can apply it, and get very accurate roof measurements, while not climbing the roof. You can also use roof pitch to estimate roofing prices, and understand how our roofing calculator works. This roof pitch guide is a second part of a three part series on measuring and estimating roofs. In the first part, we explain how to measure simple roofs, using tape measure, and applying the roof pitch multiplier. In the third part, we will teach you haw to measure complicated roofs and estimate roofing costs / prices – a roof estimating guide for roofing contractors and estimators.

with 6 comments

This in-depth, yet simple roof measuring guide will help you measure your roof, and with the help of the Roofing Calculator, you will be able to estimate roof replacement cost. This guide will be helpful to homeowners, roofing contractors and roof estimators / salespeople alike, as it will describe the process of measuring and estimating roofs, which I used as a roofing salesman.

In this roof measuring guide you will learn how to measure a roof and calculate roof size based on roof ground dimensions and roof pitch. We will explain to you and teach you to distinguish and measure different types / styles of roofs and roof details, such as:

• Gable roof
• Hip roof
• Mansard roof
• Gambler roof
• Valleys
• End/side walls
• Dormers  and shed dormers

You will also learn two roof measuring systems, which will yield exact roof sizes as well as approximate roof sizes.

• Exact roof measuring will be helpful if you need to know the per-square roof cost or need to buy roofing materials and need to know how much to buy.
• Simple (quick) roof measuring guide will help you get or give quick roof quotes over the phone or email.

1. If you are a homeowner, and need to know how much your local roofer will charge for your roof, you will be able to give them roof size, and other details, such as length of ridge vent, valleys, dormers, etc.
2. If you are a roofing contractor / salesman, you will be able to quickly quote a roof price, without spending in some cases hours, to provide exact quote which would be completely out of the price range a customer is willing to pay.

Both of the above roof measuring methods will not require you to get on the roof, which is dangerous, and often unnecessary. Of course, if you are a roofing contractor and you need precise roof dimensions, or the roof is complicated – you probably will have to get up on the roof and measure each section, all valleys, sidewalls, chimneys, dormers, ridge vent length, etc., as well as inspect the roof for rot damage. But in most cases this is a time consuming step which is not needed to measure a simple ranch-house roof.

Benefits to homeowners: If you can measure up your roof, you don’t have to deal with pushy salesmen, just to get a roof price, when you simply want to know the prices. You can either call a local roofing company and ask for approximate pricing based on your roof dimension, or use our roofing calculator, to get a quick price quote.

Benefits to roofing contractors / salespeople: We’ve used a variation of this roof measuring method to provide preliminary roof quotes over the phone and email, and saved ourselves countless hours and gas and aggravation on driving around, only to find out the customer was just “doing their research”. Once the customer has the approximate roof price, they know what to expect, and based on that information, they will decide weather to go ahead with you or hire someone else. If they want to work with you, then you go in person and measure everything up, inspect the roof, and do your sale presentation. This all can be done simply – all you have to do is ask the home-owner for roof sizes and some pictures, sent to you by email.

What you will need to measure a roof:

To measure a roof you will need the following tools:

• Tape measure – preferably 100 feet long – you can get on at Home Depot or Lowe’s far about $17 + tax, and if you don’t remove the wrapping, you can later return it, since you will rarely need it again (unless you are a contractor or roof estimator).
• 2 feet level – will cost you about $15 at Home Depot or Lowe’s, etc. You will need the level to get the exact roof pitch. You can also estimate your roof pitch or calculate it using simple math and geometry, and without the level.
• A 16′ or 24′ tape measure – $5 to $10.
• A pencil and a notepad to write down your measurements.
• You may also need a ladder – a 20′ extension ladder will cost you about $100, and will come useful for most homeowners – for example if you need to clean your gutters. Always get a ladder stabilizer bar – it only costs $20, but will make a lot more comfortable and safer, as it prevents the ladder from sliding left and right, and you will not damage your gutters.

Lets assume we are measuring a simple ranch-type house as these are very common and easy to measure. If you have a different type house or roof, you can still use this roof measuring guide, with some adjustments.

How to measure a roof:

Bellow you will find a step-by-step guide on how to measure your roof.

Step 1 – Drawing a roof diagram:

Draw your house and roof sections on the notepad, marking all pitch changes, ridge and hip lines, valleys, dormers, chimneys, vents and pipes, etc. Your roof drawing will look something like this:

This image was borrowed from a Metal Roofing Blog. Please note – this roof diagram has all roof sections measured off the roof – in this case you will not need to calculate roof slope to get the roof sizes.

Step 2 – Measuring your home:

Once you draw up your roof diagram, take the 100′ tape measure, and measure your house foundation or exterior walls dimensions. Measure from corner to corner on each side, unless your home is square or rectangular shape – in this case you will only need to measure length and width.

Most roofs have overhangs or roof bump-outs, which prevent water from running down your exterior walls and damaging your siding and foundation. You will need to add this overhangs to your roof dimensions as the can often increase your total roof size by 100-300 square feet. Usually this overhangs are 6″ or 1 foot, all around or along the eaves, so, add this to your roof sizes accordingly.

Add exterior walls dimensions and overhangs, and write down these sizes on your diagram.

Step 3 – Calculate and apply  roof pitch:

Roof pitch or roof slope is a measure of how steep your roof is. It is measured in inches, and can be also converted into degrees, though degrees are rarely used by roofing contractors. Roof pitch is calculated by taking a roof rise, and dividing it by roof run. To make things simple, 1 foot or 12 inches is used as a default run. Therefore, roof pitch would be X” in 12″ or X in 12 or simply X, where X is the rise.

Calculating the roof pitch can be rather complicated or pretty simple at the same time. Before we jump into actual pitch calculation as well as applying it to you roof measurements, you should take a look at our guide on how to calculate roof pitch. Once you know your roof’s pitch you can use your ground dimensions and pitch multiplier to get a pretty accurate roof size.

If you already calculated or know your roof pitch, bellow is a pitch multiplier table for you to use. These pitch multipliers are calculated using Pythagorean theory.

3 pitch – 1.03

4 pitch – 1.06

5 pitch – 1.085

6 pitch – 1.12

7 pitch – 1.16

8 pitch – 1.21

9 pitch – 1.25

10 pitch – 1.31

11 pitch – 1.36

12 pitch – 1.42

Calculating roof size and roofing materials:

Calculating roof size: Now that you know your your roof’s ground dimensions, measured your roof pitch and have the pitch multiplier, you can calculate your roof size, as well as the amount of roofing materials that you will need to re-roof your home. If you have a simple gable type roof, like a colonial or a ranch home, calculating roof size will be as easy as two plus two. Simple take your ground dimensions, multiply length by width, and apply roof pitch multiplier. For example, if your house is 24 x 46 and is 6-pitch, you multiply 24 by 46 and multiply the sum by 1.12, which is a multiplier for 6-pitch roofs. The result will be 1237 sq. ft. roof.

If your roof is more complicated and cut-up than a simple gable roof, you will need to break it into sections and calculate each section separately. For roofs with hips and valleys, or details such as dormers, you will need to apply some basic geometry to get more or less accurate roof sizes. If you have chimneys, skylights, and other large roof penetrations, you should not subtract them from your total roof size, as these are usually negligible, compared to your roof’s size (unless you have 10 skylights on a 1000 sq. ft. roof), and won’t have much affect. Besides, roofing contractors will not subtract these either – average skylight is only about 10 sq. ft in size. You should also realize that working around the skylight will produce a lot of waste and will consume a lot of installation time, and even more so for chimney flashing.

What’s next? This is a first part of three-part series on measuring and estimating roofing costs. In the next  part – how to estimate a roof, which is made more for roofing contractors / estimators rather than for homeowners, you will learn how the estimating process works, and how to calculate roofing cost, and not loose your shirt in the process. Our next article will cover in depth the process of calculating complicated roofs with valleys, hips and dormers, as well as different roof slopes and planes.

I also recommend that you read our article about roof prices, which will explain what goes into the cost of roof installation and how roofing contractors price their jobs, using per-square pricing and Labor + Materials + Overheads + Profit roof pricing method.

with one comment

Homeowners and building owners can attest that dealing with roof leaks, roof repairs and having to replace the old roof with a new one is no fun. Re roofing is a messy job, and it is expensive. To make matters worse, having to replace one’s own roof a few times is frustrating and adds up financially. The question that comes up is that of finding a better roofing alternative. Many homeowners struggle to find a roofing option that is durable, reliable, and energy efficient.

The first impression of metal roofing is that it’s beautiful, energy efficient, long lasting, and expensive. What many homeowners don’t realize, is that metal roofing cost is actually lower than that of an asphalt shingle roof, if you consider that you may have to replace asphal shingle roof four times to match the longevity of a metal roof. Metal roofing and has the lowest lifecycle cost out of all roofing materials that there are.

Steel Metal Roof

Metal roofing, an alternative green roofing option, can last well over 40 years. High end metal roofing materials such as zinc and copper roofs can last for 100 years. Metal roofs are energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Metal roofs possess a high degree of solar reflectivity and thermal emissivity. Specially formulated Kynar painted metal reflects solar radiant heat, which reduces thermal gain of the roofing surface, and prevents the heat from passing inside the house. This reduces the heat gain inside the house during warmer seasons, it reduces the air conditioning load and results in energy savings on cooling costs. Reduced air conditioning load reduces the electricity load during peak hours. Energy efficiency of metal roofing qualifies it as a green building material that can increase sustainability and energy efficiency of residential and commercial roofs

Homeowners who consider installing a metal roof, can pick from a great variety of metal roofing colors and options. Standing-seam is the metal roofing product that most homeowners are familiar with it because standing-seam is used extensively on commercial roofs, protecting the roofs of supermarkets, restaurants, and other retail facilities. Standing-seam is both commercial and residential metal roofing product that offers energy efficiency, durability, and helps prevent ice dams in colder climates. Another popular metal roofing material is steel roofing shingles that is reminiscent of conventional asphalt shingle roofs, and provides similar reliability and durability of standing-seam roofs.

Metal shingle roofing costs less than standing-seam roofs because metal shingles installation takes less time than standing-seam. The reason for that is that standing-seam metal roofing  panels need to be measured and pre-cut exactly to match the size of of the roof. Metal roofs costs approximately two times to three times more than asphalt shingle roofing. But, on the positive side, metal roofing increases the value of your home and actually maintains that increased value over the years as it provides energy savings and practically pays for itself.

When dealing with a leaky roof on your house, consider re roofing with metal to attain energy efficiency, and unmatched reliability of any roof for your home. A new metal roof will increase the curb appeal of your home, and will provide energy savings for years to come.

Preferences:

Roofing Publications

Metal roof information

Metal roofing manufacturers

Tin roofing DIY

without comments

Roofing calculator is ready for distribution – now you can install the roof price calculator on your website!

July 14, 2010. The distribution system for our roofing calculator is still in beta-testing mode, but you can now get the installation code, which you will not have to change unless, we do major rework of how the calculator is distributed. Please read below for licensing information, installation requirements and pricing for Premium versions of the calculator.

Getting the roofing calculator:

Below, you will find a simple HTML code, that you will have to add to the web-page, where you want to display our roofing calculator. The calculator snippet is 685×1300 pixels, so your site design will need to have a least 690 px wide “body”, otherwise it will look out of proportions.

Do not alter the HTML code in any way. Do not remove our link from the code.

Calculator Code – copy and paste this code into your web-page, anywhere between <body> and </body> tags.

Please leave your feedback and suggestions in the comment box below – based on your comments we can improve the roofing calculator to better serve you.


Note: Our automated system will detect any link deletion and will permanently ban your website from using our calculator for free. You will only be able to use subscription-based version of the calculator, if we detect and code alteration.

By installing the code provided below, you automatically agree to the terms and conditions of using our roofing calculator. These terms and conditions may and will change without notice and it is your responsibility to to stay up-to date on the licensing terms. We will post announcements of any changes to the licensing agreement on our blog.

Benefits of installing roof estimate calculator on your website

I found that roofing calculator works AWESOME for us – people already know what to expect in terms of pricing when the estimator shows up to measure a roof, and you avoid the “jaw-dropping effect” for the most part. We also sell more jobs now (percentage wise, as compared to total number of roof estimates we do) and we avoid 95% of price shoppers/tire kickers. Also the calculator pages attract internet traffic by themselves, and these site visitors turn into customers!

• Roofing Calculator adds trust to your roofing business.
  
• Your potential customers can quickly estimate their roofing costs and know what price levels to expect.
• Roofing Calculator simplifies your sales process, as both customer and roof estimator are on the same page.

Besides the above benefits to your site visitors and to your company, your roofing estimators can actually use this tool to run up their quotes, as the can add almost any roof detail to the calculator.

How to get roof calculator for your website:

We offer 3 versions of the calculator – FREE , Paid with reference, and Paid without reference.

If you want to install roofing calculator on your site, please read below and pay special attention to distribution license.

We plan to roll out a system where roofing contractors and other roofing sites can put our calculator on their site – the way it will work – there will be 3 versions:

1. Ad-supported calculator, where together with roof calculator we will show ads, and reference to RoofingCalculator.org. This is the default option, and until you sign up for the subscription, your calculator will be in this mode.
2. Subscription-based calculator (Most Popular) – we will charge a small “subscription” rate and put reference back to our site. No ads will be displayed. This option provides you with full-featured roof estimate calculator, without any ads and a non-intrusive mention of RoofingCalculator.org – licensing cost for this option is $100 / year.
3. Subscription-based calculator without reference – we will charge a full “subscription” price – no ads or references to RoofingCalculator.org – licensing cost for this option is $175 / year.

Third option will provide the most professional-looking roof estimator for your roofing business, without any ads or mention of RoofingCalculator.org .

All subscription prices will be adjusted in the near future, as we are completing the beta testing and moving into the final version of the calculator.

At this point we will offer only black-on-white color scheme for the calculator and the block size will be 730 pixels wide (we may adjust this during the beta testing period). Later we will add more color options and sizes to fit your web site design.

Customized roofing calculator – we can adjust our roof estimator to fit your company’s needs!

Bear in mind that when we created our roofing calculator, our goal was to make it as universal as possible – this means that prices are averaged for major metropolitan areas in US. This means that if your local roofing price differ from what our roof calculator shows, you may either “scare customers away” or attract them with prices dramatically lower than what you actually charge to install a roof.

We offer 3 roof price level versions of our roofing calculator, but if you need something more accurate, or add / remove features, roofing material types – asphalt shingles, metal roofs, flat roofing, cedar shingles roofs and slate / tile roofing.

Additionally, we offer a custom-tuned version of the calculator, according to “your” needs.

This is still in planning as we need to work out some technical stuff, but already works.

If you want the calculator customized to your needs (eg – adjust pricing, ad / remove features, etc.) or change the design, we will make the roof calculator work the way you need it. The cost of modification / adjustments will be determined on case by case basis, depending on how involved the customization work will be.

We will be posting prices for subscription-based calculators soon, as well as posting the snippet code for the free roof calculator.

We hope you like our roofing calculator, and now you can install it on your roofing or construction relate website, so your customers can estimate their roof replacement costs and hire you to do it. Our calculator is fully customizable, and we can add almost any feature to it. You can read more about current features and future (planned) changes here: http://www.roofingcalculator.org/roofing-calculator-features-update.php.

Basically we want to make it as close to an all-around roof estimator as possible – we actually often use it to calculate our roof prices, when we quote a job!

Examples of roofing calculators used on commercial roofing company’s websites:

Metal Roofing Contractor in Massachusetts uses our roofing calculator to estimate cost of various metal roofs, asphalt shingles, ceder / slate / copper roofs as well as EPDM rubber and PVC flat roofing.

Flat roofing contractor, also in Mass. uses a custom roof estimator to calculate flat roof prices for tar &gravel roofs, EPDM rubber roofing, PVC and TPO single ply membrane roofs ans well as standing seam metal roof prices.

An independent Metal Roofing Industry Resource uses our roof estimator to help home owners interested in metal roofing, to research the prices of metal roofs.

Obtaining a premium version of the roofing calculator

Soon we will put a mechanism in place, which will allow you to get a premium version of the calculator. We will accept payment via PayPal, on annual subscription basis. You will not need to modify the calculator snippet code, unless you get the “Subscription-based calculator without reference” package – in that case you can go ahead and remove the reference link from the code. All other features will adjust automatically.

If you need to have a custom version of the calculator – e.g. you need custom pricing, add / remove different roofing materials as well as adding feature, not included in the calculator already, contact us by email – info@roofingcalculator.org – and we will work out a price quote for you.

without comments

Roofing Calculator Updates:

Bellow is a chronologically presented features and function updates to our roof calculator. We periodically adjust price settings or add new functions and different roofing materials (previously not included) to make our roofing calculator more useful for you and better relay the actual “on the street” roofing prices which homeowners can expect to get from local roofing contractors.

We recommend that you learn how roofing prices are calculated by different roofing contractors. You will discover two most popular methods of calculating roof cost – Per Square Roof Pricing (most common) and Materials, Labor, Overhead and Profit method of estimating roof costs.

Planned roofing calculator updates:

In the next month or two we will be rolling out our first version of Solar Metal Roofing price calculator, which is going to estimate cost of installing a steel standing seam metal roof combined with Uni-Solar thin-film PV laminates – flexible solar panels for metal roofs – see photograph of a solar metal roof with solar thermal heating bellow:

Together with solar roof calculator we are developing a new Solar System Cost Calculator which will estimate solar system cost, based on number of solar PV panels you plan to use on your roof, your desired electric output, solar cost per watt, and solar system payback period, as well as many other functions and information about solar prices, roof solar installation and how to prevent roof leaks when installing solar system.

Recent roofing calculator updates:

Mar. 25, 2010 – We are working on adding a setting for number of floors that your house has as this can change you per-square pricing significantly. Most roofing contractors have an up-charge for second floor, and ever bigger additional charge to the total roofing cost for 3-story homes, such as Victorian style homes, or triple-deckers that are very common in the urban areas.

In the same update we will include not only straight mathematical progression for steep roofs vs. shallow or low-slope roofs, but also an average premium which roofing contractors charge when calculation the roofing cost. On average roofing contractors will add $60 per square for a 12 pitch roof vs. a walkable roof (less than 7 proof pitch).

Mar. 10, 2010 – New Metal Roof Calculator: We’ve added a new, specialized version of our roof price calculator which is designed to calculate metal roofing prices for standing seam metal roofs, steel and aluminum shingles, stone-coated steel roofing (such as Decra or Gerard metal tiles), and specialty metal roofing – copper roofs and zinc roofing.

Future updates for metal roofing calculator will include price calculation for snow-retention systems such as rib-mounted (for standing seam metal roofs) snow-guards, Railing-snow-guard systems with one, two or three horizontal bars, as S-5 type clips.

Metal Roof Price calculator will also estimate approximate Cool Roof energy savings and provide an average roof life expectancy.

Feb. 25, 2010 – We recently included TPO roofing into our roofing calculator, as it is the fastest flat roof material right now, because of its relatively low price compared to PVC roofs. However, we feel that you as homeowner need to know the difference between PVC and TPO roofing: Why TPO is less expensive, facts about ever-changing TPO formulations (the way TPO roof is made and what goes into the product, as this determines the quality), and how long you can expect a TPO roof to last. Learn more about Pros and Cons of TPO roofing and state of flat roofing today.

Feb. 21, 2010 – We added a specialized metal roofing calculator (see link above or on the side), and now you will be able to calculate the cost of almost every metal roofing system readily available today, including standing seam metal roof, interlocking metal shingles, copper and zinc roofing, stone-coated steel and corrugated / vertical rib panel roofs.

with one comment

Do you have a cool roof such as PVC or TPO white flat roof, or metal roof not rated as “cool” by Energy Star?

Tough luck – you will not be getting that $1500 promised to you by Obama’s Economic Recovery Act, and here is why:

The energy-efficiency tax credit, so widely advertised by the government and roof manufacturers, turned out to be a scam for those homeowners who installed a truly “COOL ROOF” such as a white PVC or TPO roof, White Roof Coating, or even a Spray-Foam Roofing system. It reminds me a Bush-like patronage of the Big-Oil in terms of support which this Energy Efficiency Tax Credit Bill provides for Asphalt Shingles manufacturers, while cool roofing manufacturers and roof owners get screwed.

In the end, the tax credit applies only to Metal Roofing systems (which are cool as it is, even when you do not consider a cool-roof paint, such as Kynar 500 or Hylar 5000, and similar metal roof coatings), and – you got it – “cool” asphalt shingles, as well as other bitumen-based roofing systems which are considered “cool” by Energy Star and EPA.

Really – asphalt shingles??? Asphalt shingles would be the least energy efficient roofing system for sloped roofs. They store solar heat, and transfer it into your house even after sun goes down. An average color (not black) asphalt shingle roof goes up-to 165-170 F degrees on a 95 F degree day, and remains hot almost into the next morning.

The asphalt shingles manufacturers such as GAF, Tamko, Certain Teed and others, created a gimmick in form of Cool Roof shingles. OK – these shingles are lighter in color, and the granular surface is coated with reflective materials, but they still will be much hotter than any metal roof without Cool Roof paint / coating. And the cost a lot more than regular shingles – over $2500 extra on an average 20 squares new asphalt shingles roof. The roof prices for such “cool asphalt roofs” are very close to a metal roof such as Interlocking Steel shingles, and assuming a life span of average asphalt roof to be about 15-20 years, vs. Metal Roof life of over 50 years, it looks like a very bad deal for the homeowner. Keep in mind that both a Metal Roof and a cool asphalt shingles roof would qualify for the cool roof tax credit of up-to $1500.

Owners of true Cool Roofs are getting screwed to benefit the oil industry.

The most ironic fact in this story, is that this so called “energy efficiency tax credit” supports big roofing manufacturers, who use petroleum-based products to produce these supposedly cool roofs. And these “cool asphalt roofs” will end up in a landfill in 15-20 years, making our nation “even greener” than it already is. This reminds me of G.W. Bush era, when US was getting greener, but somehow big oil was getting more and more support form the government, while green energy and green building companies were struggling and there were minimal subsidies (if any) for any green or solar projects.

While the uncool asphalt shingles roofs do qualify for energy tax credit, the truly cool roofs are out of luck. Consider these facts:

A white PVC (and TPO) roofing membrane such as IB Flat Roof, reflects over 95% of solar heat. On a 95 F degree day, this white PVC roof will barely reach 100 F degrees. You can put your bare knees on this roof and it won’t burn your skin. Try doing that on a black surface roof such as rubber roof. You will jump up almost immediately, as your skin will start to “burn” when in contact with a 170 F degrees surface. Try to be in a room under such black rubber roof. Unless you crank your AC to maximum power, you will be sweating as if you were in a sauna.

There are some Metal Roofs, which do not have a cool roof coating, or are made from unpainted metals – so called mill finish metal roof. These metal roofs are still very energy efficient, even though they do not have a “Cool Roof” label.These roofs will be in fact much cooler that the “coolest” asphalt shingle roofs, or a cool modified bitumen roof, but its not cool enough to get you $1500 tax credit.

If you have a black roof (e.g. a rubber roof, tar roof or bitumen roof), and decided to either be “green”, or reduce your HVAC operation costs, or both, and hired a roofing contractor specializing in spray-roof coatings to install this liquid-applied white roof. Well, you too are out of luck…

So it does not matter if you have an “actually cool” roofing types on the roof of your home or business – you will not be getting your Energy Efficiency Tax Credit if you have any of the above mentioned roofing material types. Keep in mind that Energy Star actually recognizes white (and some other colors) PVC and TPO Roofing systems, as well as spray-roof coatings as Cool Roofs. They just did not include these roofing materials into the Cool Roof Tax Credit program.

It is unfortunate and a shame that real cool roofs and homeowners who invest in these premium priced roofing systems, get screwed, while an imitation products like cool asphalt shingles qualify for this $1500 tax credit.

Reference information: Energy Star Roofing Systems, qualifying for Cool Roof Tax Credit

Calculate roofing costs and annual cool roof energy savings using Roofing Price Calculator.

Calculate costs of different metal roofing systems such as Standing Seam, Aluminum and Steel Shingles, Copper and Zinc metal roofs, using metal roofing calculator.

Learn more about different roofing materials talked bout in this editorial.

with 3 comments