Roof measurement from the air

Overview

In the quote builder, a roofing scope group shows a panel headed Measure the roof from an address above the takeoff. It offers Use the client's address when the client has one, or a box to type another — the roof being re-roofed is often not the address the invoice goes to. Measure from satellite does the rest.

What comes back is the actual sloped surface, not the footprint — Google's model already accounts for the pitch, so no multiplier is applied on top. The panel says so: The sloped surface, not the footprint. Pitch drives the steep-pitch surcharge and is shown as rise per 12.

How to measure a roof

1. Open a quote and add a roofing scope group.
2. In Measure the roof from an address, keep the client's address or type the site's, then press Measure from satellite.
3. Read the result beside the satellite image: the squares, the pitch, and what the linear details are worth at your rates.
4. The panel says Filled in {count} fields and lists each one with its old value beside the new. Type over anything you disagree with, or press Undo to put the takeoff back exactly as it was.

Six of the seven linear details are derived from the facet geometry — ice and water, drip edge, starter, valleys, ridge and hip cap, ridge vent. Step flashing is roof meeting wall, and no roof model has walls in it, so it stays blank and the panel lists it under Still needs you — none of this is visible from above, with the existing layers, sheathing and penetrations.

When it refuses, and why

• This does not look like the right building, so nothing was filled in — the measurement came back implausible (a shed beside the pin, imagery too old). The numbers stay out of the form; look at the image and press Use it anyway only if it really is the roof.
• The address could not be found, or Google has no roof model for the building — enter the area and pitch by hand. Coverage is wide but not universal.
• Roof measuring is unavailable — the server key is not configured. Manual entry still works.

Nothing is applied silently and nothing is applied twice. The measurement is a starting point the estimator owns; the panel never fights back and never re-applies.

Where else the sky is used

• The instant estimate — a homeowner's roofing estimate is measured from their address the same way, and the card in Estimate Reviews shows the satellite still, the area and the pitch, marked Measured from satellite.
• Lawn mowing — the homeowner traces the lawn on a satellite map; the area is computed from the outline.
• Paving — for a paving scope group the builder fetches an aerial still of the client's address and you trace the patio, walkway or driveway on it after drawing a reference line for scale. Without a scale, it shows no measurement at all rather than a pixel count that could be mistaken for feet.

The Google key never reaches the browser: images are proxied through FieldQuo and the measuring call runs on the server. See Google Maps and Solar.

Who can use it

Anyone who can build a quote — Quotes at View, create, and edit or higher. The measurement is free to run and is not metered against your AI credit.

Frequently asked questions