RoofTools will measure a roof from the address, price the reroof and lay out solar on it
It will measure every plane, ridge, hip and valley from satellite and LiDAR. From that one measurement it will count and price the shingles, underlayment and flashing, fit solar panels around vents and fire setbacks, estimate their yearly production, and show the new roof and the array on a photo of the house.
In development.
<Assets TBC> RoofTools view with roof planes measured over satellite and solar panels placed on the south faces
Why roofing and solar are one tool
A solar layout starts with the same measurement a reroof does: the pitch, direction and area of each roof plane. RoofTools takes that measurement once and uses it for both, so a roofer can quote the new roof and the panels on one visit, and a solar installer can see whether the roof needs replacing before the panels go on.
The roof
- Measurements from LiDAR
- Area, pitch and direction of every plane, and the length of every ridge, hip, valley, rake and eave.
- Waste from the roof's shape
- A waste factor set by the length of the valleys and hips and how short the runs are, instead of a flat ten percent.
- A full material count
- Shingles, underlayment, starter, ridge cap, drip edge, flashing and vents.
- Your prices
- Your supplier's material prices and your labour rate per square.
- Colours on the house
- The new roof shown in the shingle colours you carry, on a photo of the house.
- A measurement report
- Diagrams and figures for insurance adjusters and permit offices.
Solar on the same roof
- Panels around obstructions
- Placement around vents, chimneys, skylights and the fire setbacks your jurisdiction uses, with a count for each panel model.
- Production for the address
- Yearly and monthly output for the location, tilt and shade, set next to the household's own electricity use.
- A priced system
- Inverters, racking, wire runs and labour sized from the layout and priced with your costs.
- Payback
- Cost after incentives, monthly savings and the year the savings cover the cost.
Questions about RoofTools
- When can I use it?
- It is in development. Write to us and we will tell you when early access opens.
- I only install solar. Is it for me?
- Yes. The solar layout, production estimate and payback work without pricing a reroof.
- Does it replace the site visit?
- No. Someone still has to check the decking, the rafters and, for solar, the electrical panel. RoofTools gives them a design to confirm instead of one to start.
- What about trees over the roof?
- Where a plane is hidden, you will be able to draw it by hand.
- Will it be priced per report?
- No. The plan is meant to be a flat monthly price. The amount is TBC.
From the RoofTools blog
- What public LiDAR can tell you about a roofPitch and direction for every plane, before anyone climbs a ladder.
- Three numbers for explaining solar paybackWhat it costs after incentives, what it saves each month, and the year those cross.
- Why ten percent waste is wrong for most roofsA plain gable wastes less than that, and a cut-up hip roof wastes more.
- Squares, pitch, and why the roof is bigger than the houseOn a 6 in 12 roof, every foot of footprint is about 1.12 feet of roof.