In many cases, it is necessary to determine the roof slope and that too, accurately. However, contrary to popular belief, measuring the slope of the roof is not very difficult. Such measurement can be carried out in a very short time and that too without going through too many hassles. Usually, any kind of home improvement work can be quite stressful, and at times, even intimidating. But measuring the slope of your roof is not so.



The slope of the roof is measured as the amount by which the roof rises vertically, for a known measure of horizontal run. This horizontal distance is usually 12" or one foot for consistency between different results. Thus, the slope of your roof is the amount by which it rises for every 12" of horizontal run. Measuring this is very easy exercise, which you can do it yourself, or alternatively, ask a friend or a roofing professional if you are not very comfortable doing it yourself.

While measuring the slope of the roof, it is very important to take care of your safety. While the task in itself is not very dangerous, it is still important to take some basic precautionary measures so as to avoid any chances of a freak accident. To begin, place a ladder on the outer edge of the roof along the house, so that you can access the bottom edge of your roof. Your position should be such that you are standing parallel to the peak of the roof. Thus, the roof should be sloping upwards either on your left or your right, but never away from you.

Before beginning with the measurements, make sure that the ladder is properly secured. You will need to make use of both your hands to measure the slope of the roof, and thus it wouldn't be very comfortable if the ladder were shaky. You will also need all your concentration on the task, and you should make sure that there are no distractions when you are standing at a height. Such actions can be very dangerous, thus you should make sure that the ladder is safe to climb on. If you have fear of heights, or are not very comfortable doing it, you should ask someone else to do it for you; either a friend, or roofing professional.

Once you have secured yourself, you can begin with taking the readings. The good part is that you will not be required to climb on the roof, and thus he exercise is not very difficult, nor dangerous. You will need a framing square, and this should be held along the roofline such that the long arm of the L is pointing towards the center of the roof, while the shorter arm is pointing towards the ground. The long end of the square should meet the edge of the roof at the 12" (1 foot) mark. Level the square horizontally and take down the reading on the short end of the square. For the slope, always remember that the rise is the measurement on the vertical leg, while the run is the 12" measurement on the scale.