To cover a 2,500 square foot roof you will need to buy approximately 75 bundles of shingles. Shingles can be bought by the bundle and the square. Typically there are enough shingles in a square to cover 100 square foot. Within these squares there are normally three bundles. Within each bundle there will be approximately 29 standard sized shingles that measure 12 inches by 36 inches. When calculating how many bundles you need you will need to take into consideration waste, starter shingles and any extra shingles. This means that you may find 75 bundles does not leave you with any spares. If you can afford it, buy an extra couple of bundles to ensure that you are not going to be left short right at the end of your repair.
For a more accurate way to determine how many bundles of shingles you will need there are two ways you can try measuring your roof to get a detailed result. These are the measurement method and the sheet count method. The measurement method is the most accurate of the two. In order to use the measurement method you will need to climb onto your roof and measure each plane.
If the roof planes are all rectangles then all you will need to do is multiple the length by the width of each plane to get the square footage of that plane. Adding all of the planes square footage will give you the total for the roof. Make sure you are careful when carrying out this method on steep or unsteady roofs. If you are not comfortable climbing onto the roof you can measure the length of the roof and from the eaves to the edge with a ladder and tape measure to get an approximation. The alternative is the sheet count method. This is best used when the sheathing is still exposed. This method can be done from the ground and simply involves tallying the full rectangular panels. You will also have to make estimates about how many whole panels are made up by the odd, broken or halved panels.
For a more accurate way to determine how many bundles of shingles you will need there are two ways you can try measuring your roof to get a detailed result. These are the measurement method and the sheet count method. The measurement method is the most accurate of the two. In order to use the measurement method you will need to climb onto your roof and measure each plane.
If the roof planes are all rectangles then all you will need to do is multiple the length by the width of each plane to get the square footage of that plane. Adding all of the planes square footage will give you the total for the roof. Make sure you are careful when carrying out this method on steep or unsteady roofs. If you are not comfortable climbing onto the roof you can measure the length of the roof and from the eaves to the edge with a ladder and tape measure to get an approximation. The alternative is the sheet count method. This is best used when the sheathing is still exposed. This method can be done from the ground and simply involves tallying the full rectangular panels. You will also have to make estimates about how many whole panels are made up by the odd, broken or halved panels.
