How to Estimate Roofing Jobs
Construction estimating is an important procedure used by almost all subcontractors in the building industry. Roof estimating is similar to any other as you must predict and calculate costs that may or may not be known. The estimating process has been tried countless different ways and has proven mostly successful, with usually only a small margin of error. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Architecture scale
- Building plans (Roof plan and elevations)
- Calculator
- Pencil
- Paper
Instructions
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1
Calculate the total surface area of the roof by taking measurements from the building plans. You can use the roof plan to do this, but using the elevations may be easier, as you can simply measure the spans of the roof without having to determine slope factors as you would if you used the roof plan alone.
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2
Multiply the square footage of the roof by the price of the material (which is usually priced per square foot) to get your materials cost. Keep track of this price on paper.
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3
Calculate the amount and cost of additional materials like flashing, insulation and fasteners (these items will differ among different roofing materials); keep track of this cost on paper.
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4
Determine the amount of labor, including both manpower (how many people you will need to complete the job) and hourly expectations for completion. Multiply this number by the hourly wages. Keep track of this number on paper.
These numbers will depend on a number of different variables that include roofing material, size and slope of the roof and degree of experienced labor. -
5
Add any extra equipment needed to complete the job (this will vary depending on what roofing material you will be using, and the equipment you own or need to rent). Keep track of this cost on paper.
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6
Add up all the calculated numbers that you kept track of on paper; this is the estimated cost of your roofing job.
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Tips & Warnings
An estimate in construction is not always perfect, as estimates depend on so many variables that can change over a small amount of time and conditions.
