The following post outlines how to get satellite roof measurements with Google Earth. As a roofing contractor in 2022, you are probably looking for ways to cut your operating costs anywhere you can. But, at the same time, you don’t want to diminish the quality of your services or customer relations.
Did you know that you can get satellite roof measurements using Google Earth? One important thing to note, though, is that Google Earth still can’t account for roofs’ pitch or slope degrees. Therefore, it will only help calculate the area of flat roofs.
Getting Started
The first thing you will need to do is get Google Earth Pro installed on your computer or mobile device. You can download Google Earth here. It’s simple and best of all: it’s free! After installation, open the app.
You will see an image of the Earth. This screen is essentially your dashboard, and it will allow you to access all of the features available to you. The next thing you will want to do if you take satellite roof measurements is unchecking the 3D Buildings option underneath the “Layers” menu on the bottom right-hand side of the screen.
It may not be automatically checked, but you should double-check anyway because having this setting on will interfere with your roof satellite roof measurements.
Find Your Building
Now you are ready to locate the building with the roof you are trying to measure. On the top left side of the screen, you will see a search field.
All you have to do is enter the address of the building you are trying to take measurements for and press Search.
From here, you should be able to see a bird’s eye view of the building and, more importantly, its roof. Now, you can zoom in on the roof. Using a computer and mouse, you can rotate your scroll wheel to zoom in on the roof.
You will also see a zoom tool on the right side of the screen. You can click on the “+” end to zoom in.
You will have to keep the roof centered on the screen as much as possible to get accurate satellite roof measurements. To do this, hover the cursor (in the case of Google Earth Pro, the cursor is a hand) over the center of the roof, click it and move it around until it’s as close to the center of the screen as possible.
Align The Roof
For the easiest measurements, you should align the longest edge of the roof so that it’s parallel with the top of the screen. To achieve this orientation, you may need to rotate the image.
A circular “rotate” tool in the top-right corner will allow you to rotate the image clockwise and counterclockwise. Click it until you get the optimal orientation.
Measure The Roof
On the left-hand menu, click on the option for “Tools.” Then, check the box next to the option, “Ruler.” This will open up a prompt with the option for something called “Polygon.” Go ahead and click on Polygon.
This will give you an option to select measuring units. You should go ahead and choose feet and square feet.
Now you’re going to want to drag the ruler box out of the field of view (the part of the screen that actually displays the image of the roof. Move it to the left so it is completely out of the way of the field of view, but be sure not to close it.
Hover back over the roof image, and you will see that your cursor is now a little square. Align the square into one corner of the roof and click and hold your mouse.
Now, while still holding down the mouse button, move to the second corner of the roof. Continue this process until you have rounded the entire perimeter of the roof.
Getting The Roof Area
Once you’re done covering the roof’s perimeter, take a look at the little “Ruler” option box that you dragged out of the way. It should give you the area of the roof.
Now you’re done! You can repeat this process to get satellite roof measurements for any flat roof!
FAQs about Measuring Roofs With Google Earth
How Accurate are Google Earth Roof Measurements?
Google Earth is good for estimated measurements. However, you should still conduct professional field measurements before ordering more materials. The goal is to remain within your budget and get the job done.
Are There Video Tutorials for Google Earth Roof Sattelite Measurements?
Yes, several YouTube videos outline how to measure your roof on Google Earth. Sometimes seeing a real-time video can make the process easier. Here’s one example of a video that outlines the process