Building a new house, repairing an old one or even making minor renovations takes up a lot of planning, consumption of our time and most especially our savings account. One of the most important investments in building houses is the roof. This after all protects us from heat, cold, rain, wind and all other elements from the outside- the very main reason why we should make it a point that it is very durable. Sadly, durable sometimes means expensive. For you to save time and money due to excessive ordering (or the lack of it) you should know how to estimate roof shingles.

First thing that you should understand is the language of construction materials. If you have no idea what the units are or how many squares feet or yards of materials you need, trust me, you will be long in translation. It is quite simple. When buying roof shingles, the language is by bundle and by square. One square is equal to the number of shingles you need in a 100 square foot area of the roof. The most common is three bundles for 1 square. This still depends on the type of shingles since there are also four and five bundles to cover a square. The important thing to know here is that we are computing for the number of “squares” you will need.

Here are steps with example to give you a better idea on how you can compute on the number of shingles you need.

1. Measurement is the best information you will need to be able to come up with an estimate. Get the measurement of the length and the width of the plane of your roof. Do not forget to include the dormers in your measurement since it is part of your roof.

   Length = 140 ft. long

   Width  = 100 ft. long

2. Get the total square area of one plane of roof by multiplying the length by the width. This will give you the area of one plane.

   Length x width = total area

   140 ft x 100 ft = 14,000 ft

3. To get the measurement of the entire roof, meaning the two planes, simply multiply it by 2. If ever the house only has one plane then you don’t have to multiply it by 2. For this example, I will assume that the house has two planes which are a lot more common.

   14,000 ft x 2 (planes) = 28,000 square feet

4. As I have mentioned earlier, a square measures 100 square feet. Take the 100 in mind and divide your total area by this number. This will give you the number of square you need.

   28,000 / 100 = 280 squares

   This means that you need to have 280 squares of roof shingles to cover your whole 28,000 square feet area of roof.

5. From the total number of squares needed, add 10% additional for allowance. There may be some damages of additional cutting to do and it is always wise to have back up shingles so you don’t have to order additional and delay your project.

When getting the measurement of your roof, take the necessary safety precautions. It is always best to work with someone to help and guide you along the way. Check your ladder if it is sturdy and secure and not broken. And of course, work on your roof on a good weather.

These basic steps show you how to estimate roof shingles and will make your roof project run smoothly. Not to mention, saving a good deal of time, energy and resources. Have a nice roof ahead of you!