I am planning a porch roof cover & got a sketch from a friend.
what's the easiest way(make that cheap) to estimate lumber needed for this project ? Is there software to do this, where I would feed in the dimensions and the software would break down the lumber sizes/ammounts needed ?
Thanks, Smitty
Do it like they did in the old days, before computers. Scale the drawing, measure each piece, and add it up! Greg
porch roof cover & got a sketch from a friend.
ditto. Order more than necessary, always. Sometimes the big box will take back boards you don't use for a full refund.
Bring the drawings to your local building supply yard. They'll do a material takeoff for free.
RSorry. . . I neglected to mention that the friend just did a floor plan of the porch slab . That is. . .I don't have drawings. That's why I was asking if there is a software program that will make a drawing after giving floor area and elevation measurements. I'm trying to save the money I would spend on drawings by an architect and spend it on materials. I could send an attachment of the sketch, but don't know how .
Thanks to all for you input (so far !) Smitty
Unless you're very familiar with construction, winging it is a sure way to spend more money on an inferior result. If you can't draw it, it's doubtful you can build it. It doesn't have to be architect pretty. Get some graph paper from an office supply store and draw it to scale. Use a pencil.
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