Measure your roof from satellite

The measurement comes from Google’s Solar API, which builds a roughly 10-centimeter elevation model of rooftops from aerial imagery. That model yields each roof plane’s sloped surface area and pitch, so the total is the real 3D roof surface — not the flat footprint a plot plan shows. We convert it to roofing squares (one square = 100 sq ft), add the standard waste allowance for your roof’s complexity, and price it against installed per-square-foot ranges from 2026 national cost surveys.

It is a measurement estimate, not a binding takeoff: heavy tree cover, new construction, and unusual geometry read less precisely, and some addresses — rural ones especially — have no coverage yet. If yours doesn’t, the manual cost calculator gets you a range from just your home’s size. And before any contractor measures your roof in person, read up on what a legitimate roofing quote includes.

Insurance estimates are priced per square, so the measured size of your roof is the single biggest number in any settlement. Knowing your own squares before an adjuster or contractor shows up means you can sanity-check their scope line by line — a 24-square roof billed as 32 squares is a $4,000–$8,000 swing at typical asphalt rates. If your roof took storm damage, check what storms actually crossed your address and how the claim process works before accepting a number.