If you are looking for information on “how to measure the ceiling” you have come to the right place. This article will take you through the five basic steps.
How to Measure the Ceiling: Step # 1 – Make Your Drawing
A good place to start is by making a bird’s-eye sketch of your roof. Visualize the ceiling as if you are thirty meters above it looking down. What would you see Draw the outline of the entire roof. Then show each eaves, rake, valley, hip, and ridge. Show off every detail, including pipes, vents, chimneys, skylights, and solar panels. All of these things affect your estimate of roofing costs. Try to keep your drawing somewhat proportional, but it doesn’t have to be drawn to a perfect scale.
How to Measure the Roof: Step 2: Measure the Slope
I like to measure the slope first, because it is important and easy to forget. This method requires a carpenter’s level (any length will do) and a tape measure. Place one end of your level on the roof with the other end pointing straight “downhill.” Drive the end downhill until the bubble is centered. Then, keeping the tape measure vertical, measure the elevation, which is the distance from the bottom of the level to the ceiling.
If your level is one foot long, you’re done. What you see is what you get. If your level is two feet long, divide the increase by two. If your level is three feet long, divide the rise by three.
On roofs with high-profile roof components, such as wood shingles or shingles, you may need to lay a board in a few rows to get an actual reading.
Sometimes it is easier to measure the slope of the fascia or drip edge rather than the roof surface. As long as it is parallel to the ceiling, it doesn’t matter what you measure.
Record the slope directly on your drawing.
How to Measure the Ceiling: Step # 3 – Taking Measurements
Next, record the measure of each vertical, horizontal, and diagonal line in your drawing. They will all be necessary to calculate the correct amount of roofing material you will need. Also be sure to measure each section of the roof from the eaves, straight from the roof to the peak itself.
The simplest tool for measuring most ceilings is a gauge wheel. It’s fast and doesn’t require anyone else to hold the other end of the tape. But it is a mechanical device and you need to make sure it works properly.
The most accurate tool for measuring is a tape. It is also useful for some roofs, such as barrel tile, where a wheel does not roll very well. I use a footer of 25 and 100 feet.
It is much easier if you round each measurement to the next largest foot. I also found that if roofers are careful, that’s just the right amount to allow for waste on most roofs. If you have roofers working piecemeal, rounding also eliminates virtually all disputes over roof size.
How to measure the ceiling: Step # 4 – Calculate the area
When you have all the measurements you need, grab a calculator and calculate the square footage of each section of the roof.
No matter how complicated the roof is, you can divide it into a series of rectangles and triangles. From there, it’s just math. For rectangular sections, multiply the length by the width. For triangular sections, multiply the length by the width, divided by two.
It is a good idea to number each section so you don’t forget any. Then add up all the sections to get the total square footage. Dividing the total by 100 gives you the number of roofing “squares” to order.
To calculate how many shingles you will need for your starting course, simply add the linear feet at the eaves and divide by the length of one shingle. However, don’t cut off all of your entrees at the beginning of the job. As you shingle into each section, you may be able to use what you cut from the top course to start the next section.
For your hips and ridges, you can choose from pre-cut shingle bundles or cut your own from three-tab shingles. Either way that’s fine, but not everyone has the same coverage. The pre-cut type will have the cover printed on the package. A standard three-tab shingle package will cover approximately 33 linear feet of hip or ridge.
How to Measure the Ceiling: Step # 5 – Order Your Materials
Note that some shingles are packaged in three packages per square, while others are packaged in four (or more) packages per square.
You will seldom estimate the EXACT amount of roofing you need for the job. Generally, having a little to spare is preferable to not having enough to finish the job. But try to keep some packages out of the weather in case you need to return them. Suppliers may charge you a restocking fee, but they don’t mind returning them as long as the packages are in good condition and you still have your receipt.
