How to Save Money on Roofing Materials Prices

Doing some research before purchasing your roofing materials will save you money. A new roof is an expensive proposition whether it is your diy project or you hire the work done professionally. There are a few simple steps to follow that will end up saving you some money, especially when it comes to the roofing materials prices.Roofing has been an essential part of any man-made structure since the days of ancient Rome. Roofing that was used in those days were curved connectors with flat ceramic sheets for weatherproofing on most structures. The Spanish use a similar roof even today. History shows that roofing that started out being ceramic has evolved through many stages from straw to wood to metal and now today’s asphalt shingles.Before making a purchase of your roofing materials you will need to get either a roof estimate or compare the index of the materials available from your local sources. By doing a little comparison shopping you can save significant money on your roofing materials prices. You might want to do this kind of comparison shopping even if you are comparing quotes from professional roofers. If you know what the cost of materials is in your area you will have a better idea if the quote that you get is reasonable.Once you begin searching for comparison pricing you will find that the cost of roofing materials does vary a great deal depending on the manufacturer and the outlet store. To get an accurate materials list you will need to carefully measure your roof. Roofing materials are more than just felt paper and the singles. It also includes roofing cement, roofing nails and various tools. In some areas you may also have to change the valleys, vent assemblies and pipe flashing. Replacing the will depend on the local code restrictions and the condition of these items.  The proper way to measure your roof is breaking the area up into rectangles. For instance, rectangles measuring 15 ft. by 25 ft. or 10 ft. by 10 ft. squares. When you have all your measurements you will know how many squares of roofing materials you will need to cover the entire roof.  A square of roofing measures 10 ft. by 10 ft, so if you have 2500 square feet of roof then you will need 25 roofing squares to complete the job.  The roof will not come out exactly square so you will just round up.You will of course being getting prices from your local lumber yard or box store but you can also get materials through a local distributor which can be found in the yellow pages. You can find these by looking under roofing materials prices or just the roofing section. The best time to approach distributors is between the hours of ten and noon or two and four in the afternoon. They are not as busy during those times and more likely to take the time to help you with your purchase. Be sure to keep a detailed copy of all your findings and be sure to check into any miscellaneous fees like fuel surcharges or delivery fees when calculating the cost of roofing.