Roofing Estimating and Takeoff Services

We measure roofing as true surface area by system and by slope, with perimeter edge, flashing, curbs and penetrations counted individually rather than allowed for as a percentage, and deliver an editable Excel workbook with the marked-up plan set.

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What We Take Off

Two things decide a roofing estimate and neither is the field membrane. The first is whether the area measured is the actual roof surface or the plan footprint beneath it — on a steep roof those differ by a wide margin. The second is the detail: edge metal, flashing, curbs, penetrations, expansion joints and terminations are individual measured items, and on a roof with a lot of equipment they can exceed the cost of the field they interrupt.

Field membrane or coveringtrue surface area by system, separating single-ply TPO, PVC and EPDM, modified bitumen, built-up, liquid-applied, metal panel, shingle, tile and slate, since each is a different assembly and a different crew

Slope adjustmentsloped areas measured as actual surface rather than plan projection, with the pitch stated, because a steep roof is substantially more material and substantially slower to install per plan square foot

Insulationby board type, thickness and R-value in the layers the assembly specifies, with multiple layers counted individually and staggered joints noted where required

Tapered insulationquantified as its own system by the design layout rather than as an average thickness, because a tapered package is a manufactured and scheduled item priced off a layout drawing

Cover board and substrateby type and thickness, separated from insulation, since cover board is a distinct material with its own attachment

Attachmentmechanical fastener counts by zone, adhesive coverage rates, or ballast weight, quantified against the wind uplift requirements rather than at a single field rate

Wind uplift zonescorner, perimeter and field zones quantified separately, because fastening density increases substantially at corners and perimeters and a single rate understates the job

Vapour and air barrierby area where the assembly includes them, with the transitions to wall air barrier identified as their own detail

Perimeter edgelinear foot by condition, separating gravel stop, coping, fascia, drip edge and parapet cap, each with its own metal profile and fastening

Flashingbase and counterflashing by linear foot at walls, parapets, curbs and transitions, with reglet and termination bar quantified separately

Penetrationscounted individually by type and size, covering pipes, vents, conduit, ducts, drains, scuppers, overflow, supports and any equipment stanchion passing the membrane

Curbs and equipment supportsby count and size, including mechanical curbs, skylight curbs, hatch curbs and equipment rails, with the flashing each requires

Drainageroof drains, overflow drains, scuppers, gutters and downspouts by count and by linear foot, with sump and tapered sump detail where specified

Expansion joints and area dividersby linear foot and type, which are engineered assemblies rather than a strip of membrane

Walkway and protectionwalkway pad area, protection at service routes and equipment access, and any specified sacrificial layer

Tear-off and existing conditionsremoval by area and by number of existing layers, deck inspection and repair allowance, disposal, and any abatement where the existing assembly requires it

Warranty requirementsthe manufacturer system warranty term and any inspection, detailing or approved-installer obligations that come with it

How Roofing Quantities Are Measured

Every quantity below is reported in the unit the scope is actually bought and bid in — not converted into a single convenient unit that hides where the cost sits.

Field membraneSF of actual surface, or squaresTrue roof surface, not plan footprint. On a steep roof the difference between the two is a large and systematic error.

Slopepitch, applied to areaStated explicitly and applied as a factor to plan area, so the adjustment is visible and checkable rather than buried.

InsulationSF per layer by thicknessEach layer counted individually. A three-layer package to reach the specified R-value is three quantities, not one.

Tapered insulationby layout, not averagePriced from the tapered layout drawing. An average thickness assumption does not describe a manufactured package.

FastenersEA by uplift zoneDensities differ by corner, perimeter and field. A single field rate across the whole roof understates the corners substantially.

Perimeter edgeLF by conditionBy profile — coping, gravel stop, fascia and drip edge are different items with different metal and different labor.

FlashingLF by conditionBase and counterflashing measured separately at walls, parapets, curbs and transitions.

PenetrationsEA by type and sizeCounted, not allowed for. A roof with sixty small penetrations and a roof with six are not comparable at any percentage.

CurbsEA by sizeWith the flashing and, where applicable, the insulation and membrane return each curb needs.

Drains and scuppersEAIncluding overflow provision, which is a code requirement and a commonly missed count.

Expansion jointsLF by typeEngineered assemblies priced as such rather than as a membrane strip.

Tear-offSF by number of layersLayer count changes both the labor and the disposal volume, and the existing assembly decides whether abatement applies.

Who This Is For

General contractors carrying this trade directly, or checking a subcontractor's number before it goes into the bid.

Subcontractors pricing their own scope in this division.

Developers and owners validating a number they've already been given.

Material suppliers and distributors verifying a customer's order.

What You Receive

An itemized Excel takeoff, organized by division
A marked-up plan set — every quantity traces back to a location on the drawings
Labor, material and equipment split out separately
Waste and overage factors shown as visible line items
An assumptions and exclusions schedule

Marked-up roofing plan crop

What Moves the Number on Roofing

Actual roof area against plan area. A low-slope roof and its plan footprint are close enough that the difference rarely matters. A steep roof is another matter — the actual surface can exceed the footprint substantially, and every material and labor quantity scales with it. Measuring the plan and calling it the roof is the most systematic error in this trade.

Detail density. The field of a roof is the cheapest square footage on it. Edge, flashing, curbs, penetrations, drains and expansion joints are individually measured items with high labor content per unit, and a roof carrying heavy mechanical equipment can spend more on detail than on the membrane between it. A percentage allowance cannot distinguish a clean roof from a congested one.

Wind uplift zones. ASCE 7 sets corner, perimeter and field zones with increasing fastening requirements, and the corner zones can require several times the field fastener density. Quantifying the whole roof at the field rate understates the fastening and, on a mechanically attached system, misses a real cost.

Insulation thickness and taper. Energy code R-values have risen and continue to, so insulation is frequently multiple layers and a substantial share of the material cost. Tapered packages are manufactured to a layout drawing, and an average-thickness assumption is not a price for one.

Tear-off and what is under it. The number of existing layers changes both removal labor and disposal volume, and the condition of the deck underneath is not known until it is exposed. Where the documents do not establish the existing assembly, we state the assumption and carry deck repair explicitly rather than absorbing an unknown.

Warranty and approved installer requirements. A manufacturer system warranty typically constrains the materials, the details and sometimes who may install them, and it brings inspection obligations during and after the work. Pricing a system without the warranty requirements it carries produces a number for a different roof.

Access, staging and occupied buildings. Getting material onto a roof — crane, hoist or conveyor — and getting tear-off debris down again is a real cost that varies enormously with building height and site constraint. On an occupied building, phasing, temporary weather protection and the obligation to leave each day's work watertight all reduce productivity.

What We Need From You

A complete set is ideal, but rarely what exists. Send what you have — we will tell you at quote stage what can be quantified firm and what has to be an allowance.

Roof plan with slopes, drainage layout and roof zones
Roof details — edge, parapet, curb, penetration, expansion joint and termination conditions
Tapered insulation layout drawing where a tapered package is specified
Specification section for Division 07 roofing, including the required warranty term and any FM or UL assembly references
Mechanical roof plan, for equipment curbs, supports, penetrations and access routing
Structural roof framing plan, for deck type and attachment substrate
Wind design criteria — design wind speed, exposure category and the resulting uplift requirements
For re-roofing: existing assembly information, layer count, deck condition and any hazardous materials survey

How It Works

1 Send your plans — PDF, DWG, DOC, images or ZIP, up to 100MB per file.
2 Get your quote — a flat price for the scope with a delivery date, confirmed in writing.
3 Approve — nothing starts until you confirm.
4 We take it off — quantities from the drawings and schedules.
5 Delivery — workbook, marked-up set, assumptions schedule.

How Pricing and Turnaround Work

Every project is priced individually from your drawings. Send the plan set and you get a flat quote for the scope before any work starts — no hourly billing, no open-ended engagement.

Turnaround depends on the size of the package and how many trades are in scope — which is why you get a firm delivery date with your quote rather than a generic promise.

Tools and Standards

Takeoffs are produced in Bluebeam, PlanSwift, Trimble, STACK, organized against CSI MasterFormat divisions — this scope is specified under Division 07 — Thermal and Moisture Protection (07 50 00 Membrane Roofing, 07 30 00 Steep Slope Roofing).

Quantities and assemblies are read against the published standards that govern this trade, because the standard is what decides whether two apparently identical items are actually the same line item:

FM Global approvals — the assembly ratings and wind uplift classifications many specifications require by number
UL 580 / UL 1897 — uplift resistance testing for roof assemblies
ASCE 7 — wind load provisions, which set the corner, perimeter and field zone requirements
NRCA Roofing Manual — the industry reference for details and assemblies
ASTM D6878, D4637, D4434 and related — material standards for TPO, EPDM and PVC membranes
SMACNA Architectural Sheet Metal Manual — edge metal and flashing detail
ANSI/SPRI ES-1 — edge systems used with low-slope roofing

Pricing is built on RSMeans cost data localized to your project's market, then reconciled against current supplier quotes and our own completed project costs. Every estimate states its pricing basis and the date it was priced.

Why Roofing Is Estimated Wrong

Plan area used on a sloped roof. The plan footprint of a steep roof is meaningfully smaller than the surface being covered, and every quantity derived from it — membrane or shingles, underlayment, fasteners, labor — is short by the same factor. It is a single error that propagates through the whole package.

Perimeter and penetration detail carried as a percentage. Details are where the labor is, and their quantity depends on the shape and the equipment load of the specific roof rather than on its area. A percentage allowance is systematically wrong on any roof that is not average, and the roofs that lose money are the ones that are not average.

One fastening rate across the whole roof. Corner and perimeter uplift zones require substantially higher fastener density than the field. Applying the field rate everywhere understates the fastening on every mechanically attached roof, and the shortfall grows with the number of corners.

Tapered insulation averaged. A tapered package is designed and manufactured to a layout, with a range of board thicknesses and shapes. Taking an average thickness across the area produces a number that does not correspond to anything a supplier will quote.

Overflow drainage missed. Overflow drains and scuppers are a code requirement on most low-slope roofs and they are easy to overlook on a plan that shows primary drainage clearly. Each is a penetration with its own flashing and sump detail.

Tear-off layer count assumed. Removal labor and disposal volume scale directly with the number of existing layers, and an assumption of one where there are three is a large error in both. On older buildings the existing assembly may also trigger abatement, which is not a roofing cost but is absolutely a project cost.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you measure roofing quantities?

As true roof surface area rather than plan footprint, with the slope stated and applied so the adjustment is visible. Field area is separated by system, insulation is counted layer by layer, and perimeter, flashing, curbs, penetrations and drains are individually measured rather than allowed for as a percentage of the field.

Do you account for wind uplift zones?

Yes. Corner, perimeter and field zones are quantified separately with their own fastening densities, against the design wind criteria for the project. Applying a single field rate across the whole roof understates fastening on every mechanically attached system, and the error grows with the number of corners.

How do you price tapered insulation?

From the tapered layout drawing, as a designed package rather than an average thickness over an area. If the layout is not yet available we say so and state what the estimate assumes, because an averaged figure does not correspond to anything a supplier will quote against.

Do you estimate re-roofing and tear-off?

Yes. Removal is quantified by area and by the number of existing layers, since both labor and disposal scale with layer count, and deck inspection and repair are carried explicitly rather than absorbed. Where the documents do not establish the existing assembly, the assumption is stated in the estimate.

Do you quantify roof penetrations individually?

Yes, every one, by type and size with the flashing each requires. A roof with a heavy mechanical load can spend more on detail than on the membrane between it, and no percentage allowance can distinguish that roof from a clean one.

Do you account for manufacturer warranty requirements?

Yes, where the specification names a warranty term. Warranties constrain materials and details, sometimes restrict who may install the system, and bring inspection obligations. Pricing a system without them produces a number for a different roof, so the requirement is stated in the assumptions.

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