One of the more challenging tasks in commercial roofing is measuring the roof surface in order to estimate materials and cost. A commercial roofer needs to know how to determine the total surface area of your building top so they can give you an accurate estimate. There here are a number of ways this do it.
While manual measurements have been the main technique used by commercial roof companies in the past, today there is a more efficient option available to your contractor with aerial measurement.
Roof Measurement System Options
Until recently there have only been three accurate ways for contractors to measure a commercial roofing job to determine the amount of materials needed and generate work estimates for customers.
- A roofer must climb to the top of the building and hand measure the different surface dimensions and angles to come up with total square footage. This can be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and dangerous.
- The second method involves measuring the building from the ground and determining square footage of pitched areas by calculating measurements taken with an adjustable carpenter’s rule. This method is time-consuming, with estimates taking many days to complete.
- The third method requires the contractor to review the construction plans for the building, if they are available.
Current advances in measurement technology have revolutionized the way your commercial roof company can get critical surface measurements. Aerial roof measurement is proving to be safer, less time-consuming, and less expensive than all other methods currently in use.
A Promising Newer Technology
Aerial measurement is a simple idea developed to solve the challenging measurement problems every commercial roofer faces. It is revolutionizing the way that commercial roofing contractors calculate roof area and is done through the use of aerial satellite photography of the tops of buildings.
By using this easier and more accurate method of determining how much material is required for customer work estimates, contractors can now generate an estimate for you in just hours, as opposed to the days it may take when measuring manually. Aerial measurement software can even determine angles and pitches for calculating total square footage by using oblique images.
In addition to ease, accuracy, and speed, aerial roof measurement using satellite imagery is completely safe since your commercial roof company will not have to go up on top of your building to take manual measurements. Best of all, it is extremely affordable. The only limitation is if there is no satellite image of your building available.
When the time comes to invest in commercial roofing for either repairs or a new system installation, talk to your commercial roofer about aerial roof measurement and whether it is available for your building. It will save both you and your commercial roof company time and money as well as eliminate the possibility of someone getting hurt while measuring for a work estimate. As available technology to the roofing industry continues to develop, companies taking advantage of it can help every customer!