Roofing Quote – Why It is Not Based On Homes Square Footage?

There are several reasons why you can’t get an accurate roofing quote based on your homes square footage. Also, there is the reluctance on the part of the roofing company to give out this “number” without getting more information. It isn’t because the roofing contractor doesn’t know what they are doing. It is usually because the caller does not know the process or what is all involved in coming up with a roofing quote. It just sounds so simple.

Roofing Quote Footage is Not the Same as Home Square Footage

Depending on where the information is coming from is going to determine the basis on which the estimated roof footage is calculated. The roof square footage is what we (roofing contractor) need to calculate a budget quote to do the job. So when you say my home is 1,500 square feet, how much to do the roof? Well, that is a good question. Does that amount include the garage? Does it include the back covered lanai area that is encompassed in the main portion of the roof? Does it include the addition that was built last year? Does it include the 2 – 4′ overhang or soffit area? Does it include the front entry? All these things could add much square footage to that 1,500 sq. ft. number. It also does not encompass all that is needed to come up with the square footage of the actual roof. This does not automatically mean the roof is 15 squares, as some might lead you to believe.

Types of Roofing Quote Material

From asphalt shingles, flat roofing, metal roofing, and concrete tile roofing, there are a myriad of pricing differences and waste factors that go into each individual price structure of a project for each different product. Not limited to slope of roof, hip footage, ridge footage, valley footage, edge footage, field footage,  access, number of stories, and job location all have to do with it. Usually we can get an idea just knowing the roof field footage and the slope, but it is not something that is across the board, at least not for us. There are some companies that have set per square foot pricing, but we have not found this to be efficient. If we paid our guys the same on an easy up and over roof that we did on a cut up and steep one, do you think the workmanship will be the same? I don’t think so, and the latter is the one that needs the excellent workmanship just to survive.

Square Footage Information Changes Depending on the Source

The real estate listing has a home square footage number, but no basis on what this represents. The property appraiser has a square footage number, but they are only looking at your property tax liability. You have a number in your mind from when you bought the home, or a round-a-bout number that you may have used in other projects, but is this number even accurate? The numbers you have may only be air conditioned space, because isn’t that what is most important?

Here are two examples of the square footage from different sources – They don’t match up for the roofing quote

Roofing Quote Example 1

3 bedroom 2 bath home – MLS Listing has a square footage of 1,149. The county appraiser has the Actual square footage at 1,701 and adjusted square footage at 1,450 (they adjust the square footage so you pay a lesser amount of tax for lanai or garage, as you do for living space). Now the roof measures approximately 2,006 with a 5:12 slope for a total of 2,176 square feet plus a waste factor (depending on what type of roof covering) for the roofing quote. So the stats for this one are 1,149 sq.ft. MLS, 1,701 sq.ft. county appraiser, and 2,006 sq. ft. roof measurement. This is way too much of a difference to come to any reasonable conclusion.

Example 1

Roofing Quote Example 2

3 bedroom 2 bath home (2 story) – MLS Listing has a square footage of 1,670. The county appraiser has the Actual square footage at 1,746 and adjusted square footage at 1,484. Now the roof measures 1,519 with a 10:12 slope for a total of 1,978 square feet plus a waste factor (depending on what type of roof covering) for the roofing quote. So the stats for this one are 1,670 sq.ft. MLS, 1,746 sq.ft. county appraiser, and 1,978 sq.ft. roof measurement. A lot closer than example one, but still inconsistent. Also, now we have the 10:12 slope to factor in as it will be more labor for the steeper slope.

Example 2

Get a Budget Roofing Quote That Means Something!

So now when you call your favorite roofing service provider, you can ask them to give you a budget quote based on an internet measurement. When the roofing company starts asking those nosy questions like what is the address? How many stories is this home? What kind of roof are you wanting to put back? Are you the current owner? You will know why they are asking. Some roofing companies use pay services to get satellite takeoffs for their roofing quote, and they are very detailed. For homes that are just looking for a number, this is just not cost efficient for the roofer. They are usually more cost efficient for the very large homes and commercial type properties.