This is a unique tool that you can not purchase and most builders and remodelers would appreciate and benefit from it.

It simply and safely and quickly helps to determine roof angles and areas for designing, or estimating or figuring the volume of a roof area on a house without actually having to get ON the roof.

Step 1: Print It Out

Download and print out this PDF. Having it laser printed on NO TEAR at a copy center is by for the most durable option. If you use an ink jet printout, it will smear in time.. so protect it with a lamination of clear adhesive tape or maybe have it laminated at a copy center.

I have use various thickness papers and double some up with double sided tape and then laminated it with scotch (type) tape.

Success is about the stiffness of the backing material and the hinges or pivot points. Grommets worked very well for me on thinner stock, but I could not find grommets that worked with thicker poster board.

roofcalcV10.pdf
Download

Step 2: Cut It Out

Scissors work but a paper cutter works better.

There are 2 presented on the PDF one with rounded corners, one without corners.

Step 3: Attach Printout to Stiffer Backing Material

The backing material works to stiffen it for ease of use. There are several options here and I have used doubled card stock, thin card board and various re-purposed vinyl from discarded plastic packaging.

Step 4: Holes for Pivot Points and Fasteners

These holes require some accuracy so that the fasteners are not wobbly in the holes.

Grommets from paper / fabric crafting work well but require thiner paper / cardboard / plastic stock.

Rivets from the hardware store work well but purchase a extra and test first.

Screw post binders from the hardware store are more expensive but easier to use.

Step 5: Make a Spacer (if) Needed

A spacer made of cardboard or foam may be required if the fasteners are too big if using screw post binders.

Step 6: Using the RoofGuessEstimator

As in the picture- hold the RoofGuessEstimator level and slide the free end till you match the angle of the roof. The corresponding number in the sight window (on the free end) tells the pitch of the roof.

To determineroof area:

Simply (Multiply) the measured Length +overhangs by the Width+overhangs of the house (the foot print of the house) =xxxx area

Then Multiply this foot print area (xxx) by the corresponding Pitch Factor = ROOF AREA