How to measure your roof (without getting on a ladder)

You don't need to climb anything to know your roof size. Knowing it before you call a contractor is the single best way to keep a quote honest — here are three ways to do it, from easiest to most precise.

First: what you're actually measuring

You want the roof surface area — the sloped area shingles cover — not your home's floor area. Contractors price in roofing squares, where 1 square = 100 sq ft of roof. So a 2,200 sq ft roof = 22 squares.

Method 1 — From satellite (easiest, ~2 minutes)

Satellite roof tools let you trace your roof outline from an overhead image and instantly return the surface area, with the pitch already factored in. It's accurate to within a few percent for most homes and requires zero risk. This is exactly what the pros use to write fast quotes — and it's how our free estimate measures your roof for you.

Method 2 — From the ground (good, ~15 minutes)

Measure the length and width of your house's footprint (walk it off or use a tape). Multiply to get the footprint area, add ~8% for overhangs, then multiply by a pitch factor:

Example: a 40 ft × 30 ft house = 1,200 sq ft footprint × 1.08 overhang × 1.12 pitch ≈ 1,450 sq ft = 14.5 squares.

Method 3 — On the roof (most accurate, only if safe)

If you're comfortable and it's safe, measure each roof plane (length × width) and add them. This catches dormers and odd shapes the other methods estimate. Don't do this on a steep or wet roof — the satellite method gets you 95% of the way there with none of the danger.

Convert to squares and sanity-check a quote

Total roof sq ft ÷ 100 = squares. Now when a contractor says "your roof is 28 squares," you'll know if that's right or padded. Combine your square count with the cost-per-square guide and you can ballpark any quote in your head.