Australians Can Now Measure Their Roof Online And Benchmark Replacement Costs Before Calling A Roofer

Aussie Roof Repairs has launched a free Australia-wide roof measurement and replacement cost tool and published its own Sydney re-roofing rates, giving homeowners a starting point for checking quotes before speaking to a roofing company

By Julius Ewudo, Cyber Era NG ASEAN Region Representative

Australian homeowners can now enter their address, have their roof measured remotely and receive an indicative replacement cost range in under a minute, without providing a phone number or speaking to a salesperson.

The free online tool (https://www.aussieroofrepairs.com.au/roof-replacement-cost-calculator/) works on properties across Australia, using aerial and satellite mapping data to calculate approximate roof area and roof geometry.

Aussie Roof Repairs has also published the rates it uses as the starting point for Sydney roof replacements: $170 per square metre for Colorbond, $180 per square metre for concrete tile and $200 per square metre for terracotta, supplied and installed.

The calculator applies those published rates to the measured roof area and provides an indicative range, with an allowance for factors such as roof pitch, access and complexity.

Outside Sydney, the pricing is intended as a benchmark rather than a local quote, as labour, freight and other market conditions can vary between regions.

Joshua Liptak of Aussie Roof Repairs said homeowners had traditionally had very little information to work with before requesting roofing quotes.

“Most homeowners know what their house is worth and roughly what a kitchen or bathroom renovation might cost, but when it comes to replacing a roof they are often starting completely blind,” Liptak said.

“You should not have to book three roofers just to find out whether you are dealing with a $20,000 project or a $50,000 project.

“The measurement tool works across Australia, and we have published our own Sydney rates so people have a real number to start from. We are giving away some of the information advantage the industry traditionally holds, and that is deliberate.”

How It Works

A homeowner enters a street address and the tool calculates the approximate size and layout of the roof from mapping data.

The user then selects the roofing material and receives an indicative replacement cost range based on the measured area and Aussie Roof Repairs’ published Sydney rates.

A recent test on a Milperra property measured approximately 176 square metres of roofing across eight separate roof sections.

At the published starting Colorbond rate of $170 per square metre, a 176-square-metre roof would have a base replacement figure of approximately $29,920 before factors such as access, roof pitch and project complexity are considered.

Garages, granny flats and sheds can be added separately, allowing homeowners to see the estimated total change as additional structures are included.

Individual sections can also be removed where mapping data has included a neighbouring structure or another area that is not part of the job.

The estimator flags unusually large roof measurements for review rather than automatically producing a price.

A Benchmark, Not A Quote

Aerial and satellite data can measure the approximate size and shape of a roof, but it cannot determine everything a roofer may find during an on-site inspection.

The condition of the existing roof, asbestos, structural repairs, difficult access, scaffolding requirements and other site-specific issues can all affect the final price.

“An online estimate is not a roofing quote and we do not pretend that it is,” Liptak said.

“It is there to give homeowners a sensible starting number before they invite anyone onto the property.

“Use it to check our quote just as readily as you would use it to check somebody else’s. If the quote you receive is dramatically different from the benchmark, you now have enough information to ask why.”

Liptak said publishing the company’s own rates was an important part of making the calculator useful rather than simply turning it into another online lead form.

“A calculator that hides the assumptions behind the number does not give the homeowner much more power,” he said.

“We have put the square-metre rates in public because people should be able to do the arithmetic themselves and compare what they are being offered.”

The tool is free to use, requires no account and displays the estimate before any contact details are requested. It is listed under Tools on the Aussie Roof Repairs website.