Awhile back Brad listed two sites that provided roof measurements but both did not seem to be free. This site was free and provides you 5 roof measurements with no credit card input or anything like that. You can get quotes on materials but there is a cost to it. I think it is aimed at roofing pros to use as their management software.

m2q.ai/

Kind of weird URL but I did my personal house and couple of the rentals with older roofs just to get an idea of how many squares would be required. It gives you an exact number of squares so you might have to add 10% for waste if there are hips and valleys.

you do not have to add a customer, you can just skip to the address part and then when it goes to the next page. You can manually place the dots for the roof line but just go to the lower left where it says "Want us to measure it for you? Our team can measure this roof and create the report. Order Roof Report". and in a couple of hours they will send you a 5 page report without you messing with it.

From the dashboard, click measurements on the left, click start measure in upper middle center, click add new contact, skip the contact and go to the address line, type your address, click continue, choose the best roof view (usually the left most one), on the lower right click " Want us to measure it for you? Our team can measure this roof and create the report.", click "order roof report".

Or......remember in geometry class how we learned that a squared + b squared = c squared? This is for a simple, gable roof. Hip roof is harder.

Measure the height of the gable end from the tip down to the bottom of the "triangle" of the gable. Measure from the center of the wall to the end (short wall, under the gable end). Use these measurements as a & b legs of the right triangle.

Multiply a x a and add it to b x b. Find the square root of that sum, and you have the hypotenuse / side c.

The resulting number (side c)is the measurement of the 2 short ends of the rectangle that forms the roof on 1 side of the house. Measure the length of the house & use that as the length of the long sides of the rectangle. Now figure out your square feet with those 2 numbers.

OR....

You lost me at software.

"Or......remember in geometry class how we learned that a squared + b squared = c squared?

The hypotenuse is the longest side of a right triangle, located opposite the right angle.

Definition and Origin

In a right triangle, the hypotenuse is always the side opposite the 90° angle and is the longest side of the triangle

Wikipedia

Wikipedia

+1

. The term comes from the Greek word hypoteinousa, meaning "stretching under," where hypo means "under" and teinein means "to stretch"

mathmonks.com

mathmonks.com

+1

DJ, I remember in school saying that I will never use any of these math things.

Then as I entered the world of construction I ended up using them and am happy some stuck. I will be using that same calculation when I lay out for my pole barn shortly.

Yeah, you need a super stiff fat max.

Or count the rows of siding & measure that many rows down low.

Oh yes, a fulcrum can be a friend indeed.

Count shingles?