Estimating tile roofing
Concrete, clay, flat or barrel: tile is heavy, expensive per piece and cut on every hip and valley. The estimate is the tile count on each facet, the trim tile by the foot, the underlayment, the flashings and the labor.
The takeoff: tiles laid course by course on every facet at the tile's exposure, stagger and minimum piece, every cut tile counted; hip, ridge and rake trim tile by the true foot; underlayment by the square with lap waste; valley metal, step and headwall flashing by the foot; boots and vents by the count; labor per square.
Tiles on every facet
A tile product carries its width, exposure, stagger and minimum piece. The drafter lays a course every exposure up each facet, offsets it by the stagger, and cuts the course at the rakes, hips and valleys. On a hip roof that puts a cut tile at both ends of every course on every facet, and a half-tile offcut from one hip does not travel to the other, so the layout counts what the roof really uses instead of the roof area plus a percentage.
| Number | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Field tile | Pieces counted on every facet, cuts included, divided into pallets or squares by the coverage you set. |
| Hip and ridge tile | Feet of hip and ridge at true length on the slope ÷ the trim tile's coverage. |
| Rake tile | Feet of rake ÷ coverage, when your system uses one. |
| Starter or eave closure | Feet of eave. |
| Adhesive, mortar, battens, fasteners | Catalog lines or parts at the basis you set: per square, per foot, per tile. |
Underlayment and flashings
- Underlayment. The tile roofing type picks its field underlayment and valley ice and water, with roll coverage, lap waste and install per square. A two-layer or self-adhered base is the underlayment line at its cost. Ice and water on the hips is a tick box.
- Flashings. Valley metal, step flashing at sidewalls, headwall flashing, transition flashing at pitch breaks, drip edge on eaves and rakes, all by the foot from the marked lines at true length.
- Accessories. Pipe boots by size, vents, skylights and chimney flashing placed on the drawing and counted.
Labor and job costs
Install per square is the tile product's own number, so tile labor sits where you price it against shingles and metal. Tear-off per square, drive time by the trip, dump fees for the heavy tear-off, permit, delivery, warranty reserve, tax and markups are job settings. The pricing walk-through shows how they roll into the price to the customer.
Questions
How many roof tiles do I need per square?
It depends on the tile. Tiles per square equals 14,400 square inches divided by the tile's width times its exposure. A tile 13 inches wide with a 15-inch exposure covers 195 square inches, about 74 tiles per square before cuts. Add your tile to the catalog with its width and exposure and the layout counts the actual tiles on each facet, cuts included.
How does the app lay tile?
The same course layout it uses for shingles: a course every exposure up the facet, each course offset by the stagger you set, every course cut at the rakes, hips and valleys, pieces under the minimum scrapped. Tile is laid on every facet, so a hip roof shows every cut tile along both hips.
Are hip and ridge tiles counted?
Yes, by the foot of hip and ridge at true length on the slope, in pieces by the coverage you set for the trim tile. Rake tiles run the rakes by the foot the same way.
What underlayment does tile take?
Whatever you set for the tile roofing type: its own field underlayment and valley ice and water, each with coverage, lap waste and install per square. Many tile systems are a two-layer or self-adhered base; the underlayment line carries that cost.
Does tile estimating include battens, foam or mortar?
Add them as catalog lines or parts: a per-square line for foam adhesive or mortar, a per-foot line for battens. The pricer carries any line you give it by the basis you set.