SideWRK is a roofing estimate app that prices by the square.
This roofing estimate app starts where you do, with squares and pitch. Measure the roof from the satellite, price it per square, then put tear-off and disposal on their own lines. Five jobs in any 12 months are free, and $19 a month covers the rest.
Rusted step flashing at a chimney. The estimate is further down, with each line.
Squares first: measure the roof, not the footprint
A square is 100 square feet of roof. The mistake that sinks a bid is measuring the house instead: a pitched roof has more surface than the floor under it. Trace the roof on the satellite with the free measuring tool, or inside a job, and the squares fill in the estimate.
| Pitch | Roof surface per 100 sq ft of footprint |
|---|---|
| 4 in 12 | 105 sq ft |
| 6 in 12 | 112 sq ft |
| 8 in 12 | 120 sq ft |
| 10 in 12 | 130 sq ft |
| 12 in 12 | 141 sq ft |
A 1,700 square foot footprint under a 6 in 12 roof is about 1,900 square feet of shingles. That’s 19 squares before waste, not 17.
The lines a roof is built from
The app prices a roof at $500 a square to start, the roofing row of our 2026 Side-Work Rate Report. About half of a typical roofing ticket is material. These are the lines you tap onto an estimate, most of them priced per square; type the squares in:
| Line | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Tear-off, one layer | $100 a square |
| Each extra layer | $50 a square |
| Steep or high pitch | $75 a square |
| Underlayment | $30 a square |
| Ridge cap and flashing | $60 a square |
| Disposal and dumpster | $450 flat |
| Roof inspection or trip fee | $150 flat |
Add shingles and install labor to these lines and a plain one-layer reroof lands near the $500. A second layer or a steep pitch goes on top, as its own line, where the customer can see why the number moved.
Roofing
The tear-off, the chalk line, the last ridge cap nailed down.
Measured from the sky. Priced by the square.
The number is ready before you’re back down the ladder.
A full replacement, estimated at $9,500
A 19-square roof at a walkable 6 in 12, in architectural shingles. One layer to tear off, decking sound.
| Install shingles, labor (squares) | 19 × $136 | $2,584 |
| Tear-off, one layer (squares) | 19 × $100 | $1,900 |
| Architectural shingles, 10% waste added (squares) | 21 × $136 | $2,856 |
| Underlayment (squares) | 19 × $30 | $570 |
| Ridge cap and flashing (squares) | 19 × $60 | $1,140 |
| Disposal and dumpster | $450 | |
| Total the customer approves | $9,500 | |
| Materials cost (you), private | −$3,498 | |
| Est. profit | $6,002 |
All in, $9,500 over 19 squares is $500 a square. Nineteen squares plus 10% waste is 21 to order: 63 bundles at three to the square. Starter strip, drip edge and pipe boots ride in the ridge cap and flashing line. A permit fee isn’t in this number; it goes on as its own line, at cost. If you pay a helper, what you pay him comes out of what you keep, so the est. profit above is before his pay.
What a square runs, installed
Installed, asphalt shingles run $350 to $750 a square with materials, labor and tear-off in the number. That range is from our own roofing calculator. Metal and tile sit above it.
Most architectural shingles run three bundles to the square; check the wrapper on the heavier lines. The measuring tool’s squares already carry 10% waste. Add more on a cut-up roof with valleys and dormers than on a plain gable.
Squares, pitch and tear-off, priced
The calculator builds a roof from materials and labor, so its numbers are not the lines above. Install labor starts at $200 a square and you can change it; tear-off is figured at $55 a square for each layer.
A flashing repair, estimated at $380
A leak at the chimney. The step flashing up both sides has rusted through and the shingles over it are brittle.
| Pull shingles, replace step flashing, re-lay and seal | $220 | |
| Step flashing, galvanized (pieces) | 12 × $3 | $36 |
| Ice-and-water membrane, partial roll | $50 | |
| Shingles to match (bundle) | $48 | |
| Roof sealant and nails | $26 | |
| Total the customer approves | $380 | |
| Materials cost (you), private | −$114 | |
| Est. profit | $266 |
A repair is mostly your time on the roof: $220 of the $380. Send a photo of the rusted flashing with the estimate, so the customer can see the leak they’re paying to stop.
Layers, permits and insurance work
- Two layers is generally the limit for asphalt shingles, and the code your jurisdiction adopted decides. A third means a full tear-off, and damage that comes from laying over rotten decking or outside the manufacturer’s instructions may not be covered by the material warranty.
- A reroof may need a permit. Some states exempt it, so check with your building department before you start. The job’s permit panel holds the number, the office that issued it and the inspection dates, and the permit number prints on the estimate and invoice, next to your license number if you’ve entered one.
- A full replacement is big enough that many states require a contractor’s license or registration for it. If your profile has no license number, the job screen shows a caution once a job’s total reaches $1,000. Sending it is still your call.
- On insurance-funded work, several states bar a contractor from offering or promising to pay, waive or rebate any part of the deductible. The estimate and invoice you print carry a notice about it, along with a plain statement that the contractor is not a licensed public adjuster and cannot interpret the policy or negotiate the claim. The approval link the customer opens doesn’t show it, and where a state requires its own wording in the contract, SideWRK doesn’t supply it.
- Houses built before 1978 may fall under the EPA’s lead-safe renovation rules when the job disturbs painted fascia, soffit or trim.
SideWRK prints the notices and keeps the record. It doesn’t decide what your state requires.
$19 a month, or $190 a year. Five jobs a rolling year are free, no card, and the measuring tool is free whether you sign up or not. SideWRK takes no cut of a payment.
Start freeBefore you order the shingles
Can I measure a roof without climbing it?
Yes. Trace the roof on the satellite image, pick the pitch, and the tool returns squares with 10% waste included. Inside a job, the squares fill the quantity on the estimate.
How do I charge for a second layer?
Add the Extra layer tear-off line. It’s priced per square, $50 to start. Enter the roof’s squares as the quantity.
Does pitch change the price?
It can. Steep or high pitch is its own per-square line, $75 to start, so the surcharge shows on the estimate instead of hiding in the rate.
Can I write an estimate for an insurance job?
Yes. The printed estimate carries a deductible notice and a statement that the contractor is not a licensed public adjuster. It doesn’t interpret the policy, and it isn’t the contract wording some states require on insurance work. That belongs in your own contract.
Can I take a deposit before I order the shingles?
Yes. You choose per estimate whether a deposit is asked for and how much: 10, 25, 33 or 50%. With Stripe connected, they pay it by card right after they approve. Some states cap what a contractor can take up front on home improvement work, so check yours before you set the number.