ROOF WASTE TOOL

Xactimate Automatic Roof Waste Calculation Tool

Set auto calculate roof waste as the default

Auto calculate roof waste

Calculate roof waste by a set percentage

Xactimate Automatic Roof Waste Calculation Tool

Ordering shingles, based only on the area of a roof, makes it difficult to accurately estimate enough material for the job. Several other factors need to be considered in order to determine the additional material needed, including the type of shingle, the shingle exposure, the type of valleys, and whether the starter course is pre-fabricated or constructed with on-site materials. For example, the slope or incline of a roof (the ratio of the roof's vertical rise to its horizontal run) can become particularly important in calculating waste.

The Roof Waste Calculation Tool takes the guesswork out of estimating sketched roofs, and provides an accurate and consistent method for calculating the amount of roofing material required for waste. Roof waste is automatically calculated based on seven factors.

• The sketched roof model
• The material type (waste can be auto-calculated for wood shake, wood shingle, composite, or laminated shingles)
• The valley type (for composite and laminated shingles)
• The starter course
• The amount of exposure
• Crew error/handling
• Bundle rounding

Set auto calculate roof waste as the default

You can set Xactimate preferences to automatically calculate for roof waste when relevant roofing material is added to the estimate.

1. On the Control Center tab, click Preferences.
2. In the Settings list, select Profile.
3. In the navigation menu on the left, in the Sketch group, click Document.
4. In the Roof Defaults group, select the Auto Calculate Roof Waste check box.

Auto calculate roof waste

1. Add a roof to the sketch, and add an applicable roofing item to the estimate.
2. On the Quick Entry pad, click the Item Property Editor icon to open the Item Property Editor dialog box.
   
3. In the Waste list, select Auto Calculate. This will be automatically selected if you set Auto Calculate as the default in Preferences.
4. In the Roof Material list, select your material (3 tab shingles, laminated shingles, or wood shingles/shakes).
5. In the Valley list, select the valley type for the roof.
   • Open – roofing material meets along the valley, but it is cut on both sides down the center so that the material does not overlap.  Used in metal “W” applications, for example.
   • Closed cut (half-laced) – Roofing material from one side extends across the valley and under the material along the opposing face, and material from the other side is cut down the center of the valley.
   • Woven (full-laced) – Roofing material overlaps on alternating sides.
   The Valley list will not display if the Roof Material is wood, as wood shingles/shakes default to Open valley.
6. In the Include starter course in the Auto calculation list, select Yes to include enough waste in the calculation to construct the starter course with on-site materials.
7. In the Exposure list, select the amount of material to expose in the starter course.  The default for this setting is determined by the material type, but can be changed as required.
8. In the Bundles/SQ list, select the rounding factor for the bundle is desired.  Otherwise, select Do Not Apply.
   • The numbers in the Bundles/SQ list denote the upward rounding factor of the bundle (1/3” – 1/8”).

Calculate roof waste by a set percentage

1. Add a roof to the sketch, and add an applicable roofing item to the estimate.
2. On the Quick Entry pad, click the Item Property Editor icon to open the Item Property Editor dialog box.
   
3. In the Waste list, select the percentage of roof waste to apply.