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Satellite Roof Reports vs Plan-Set Takeoffs: Which One a Commercial Roofing Bid Actually Needs

By The Sharp Pencil team

A satellite or aerial roof report measures a roof that already exists in the imagery. A plan-set takeoff reads the drawings and specs for the roof you are being asked to build. So for new construction, and for any spec'd re-roof where the bid documents define the new system, you need a takeoff from the plans. An aerial report can still help on an existing building, as a quick check on overall size or for a service call. It can't tell you what the architect specified, and it can't see a building that hasn't been built.

Why send your takeoffs to Sharp Pencil

When the bid documents define the roof, the takeoff has to come from those documents. Here's what you get when you send them to us.

• Delivered within 48 hours*. Bid dates don't wait for a backlog.
• Every quantity names its sheet. Each quantity lists the sheet it came from, so you can check any number against the drawings.
• No silent blanks. Anything the drawings can't settle goes on the open questions (RFI) list that comes with the takeoff. Not a blank. Not a guess.
• Questions instead of guesses. If the set leaves something open, like a deck type the structural sheets never confirm, you get a drafted RFI on the Questions tab. Send it to the architect, send us the answer, and once your questions are answered we do one re-run of that same job.
• Priced with your numbers. Send us your costs once in a simple price book. Each takeoff then comes back with a client-ready proposal and a re-price sheet.
• UNPRICED instead of a guessed number. If a cost is missing, the line says UNPRICED and still shows the quantity.
• Checked before it goes out. Every paid takeoff is checked before delivery.
• Your plans stay yours. Nothing is shared or sold. See what happens to your plans.
• Optional monthly plans, with your first takeoff free. Your first takeoff is free on a job you are actually bidding. After that it's $395 for a new set of drawings or a new address, or pick one of our optional monthly plans: Shop 12 at $2,750 a month, Shop 25 at $5,500 a month, or Shop 60 at $11,000 a month.

Can you use a satellite roof report for a new construction bid?

No. Aerial and satellite reports start from an address and photographs of what is standing there. On a ground-up project the roof doesn't exist yet, so there is nothing to photograph. Even on an addition, the imagery shows the old building, not the new wing.

Imagery also has a date. Public orthoimagery is a good example of how old it can get. The USGS says the base orthoimagery in The National Map comes from the USDA's National Agriculture Imagery Program, which USDA now flies on no more than a 3-year cycle (generally every other year for most states) (USGS FAQ, USDA NAIP, checked 2026-10-16). Any aerial report has a capture date too, so ask for it on every report. A rooftop unit added last year or a curb that got pulled won't match a picture from two seasons ago.

What does each source actually tell you?

Put simply, imagery sees the top surface. A commercial bid gets priced on what is under the top surface and what the spec says goes there.

Where aerial reports fall short on a commercial low-slope bid

The spec drives the price, and imagery can't read a spec

Two roofs with the same square footage can carry very different costs. A 60 mil fully adhered TPO over two layers of polyiso and a cover board is not the same job as a 45 mil mechanically attached system over one layer. That information lives in Division 07 and on the roof plan notes. No photograph shows it.

Edge metal has to match a tested system

On low-slope built-up, modified bitumen, and single-ply roofs, IBC 2024 section 1504.6 requires metal edge systems (except gutters and counterflashing) to be tested to ANSI/SPRI ES-1, as quoted on NRCA's edge metal testing page (checked 2026-10-16). NRCA notes ES-1 covers embedded edge metal, fascia, and copings, and that project specs often call for it too. So the estimator needs the profile, the gauge, and the spec requirement for each edge, not just a perimeter length.

Wind zones depend on dimensions from the drawings

Perimeter and corner zones change fastener and adhesive quantities. Under ASCE 7-16, the roof zone width on buildings 60 feet or less in height depends on building height, and building height and parapet height are inputs to uplift, per SPRI's ASCE 7 presentation (SPRI, ASCE 7, checked 2026-10-16). Elevations and the wind design criteria on the structural general notes give you those numbers for the building as designed. For more on this, see our roofing takeoff software comparison, which also covers when an aerial report is the right tool.

When an aerial report is still useful

To be fair, on an existing building an aerial report can be handy for:

• A budget number before drawings exist. An owner calls about a re-roof and nobody has drawings yet.
• Service and repair work. You need a rough size fast and there's no bid set.
• A sanity check. On a re-roof bid, compare the plan-set roof area to the report. A big gap is worth a look before you price.

It is a poor fit when the bid documents define the new roof, when the building isn't built, or when the spec changes the system from what's there now.

A worked example: a hypothetical spec'd re-roof

Say you're bidding a re-roof on a one-story warehouse. This is a made-up job to show the point, not a real project. The owner forwards an aerial report showing roughly 48,000 square feet. The bid set includes a roof plan, a tapered insulation plan, Division 07 specs, and two new rooftop units on the mechanical sheets.

Here's what changes once you work from the plan set:

1. The system. The spec calls for full tear-off, a new tapered layout to the drains, a cover board, and a fully adhered membrane. None of that is in the report.
2. New penetrations. The two new units and their curbs appear only on the mechanical sheets. The imagery shows the old units, one of which is being removed.
3. Edge metal. The details call out a new coping at one parapet and an ES-1 tested fascia elsewhere. That's two profiles at two different prices.
4. Questions. If the drawings don't say whether the existing deck is steel or concrete in the office area, that goes on the RFI list instead of into a guessed number.

The square footage may land close to the report. Nearly everything else in the bid comes from the drawings.

FAQ

Can I use EagleView or another aerial report for a new construction commercial bid?

No. Aerial and satellite reports measure roofs that exist in the imagery. A new building, or a new addition, isn't in the imagery yet, so the takeoff has to come from the plan set.

Is an aerial report good enough for a commercial re-roof bid?

It can give you an area for the existing roof, which works as a cross-check. It can't tell you the specified system, the tapered layout, deck type, edge metal profiles, or new penetrations, and that's what drives most of the price.

How old is satellite or aerial imagery?

It depends on the source. Public base imagery from the USDA program used by The National Map is flown on no more than a 3-year cycle (generally every other year for most states), per the USDA. Ask your report provider for the capture date of each report.

What drawings does a plan-set roofing takeoff need?

At minimum, the roof plan, roof details, and the Division 07 roofing specs. Structural sheets for the deck, elevations and sections for heights, and mechanical and plumbing sheets for curbs, penetrations, and drains fill in the rest.

What does a Sharp Pencil takeoff cost?

Your first takeoff is free on a live bid. After that it's $395 for a new set of drawings or a new address, or pick one of our optional monthly plans: Shop 12 at $2,750, Shop 25 at $5,500, and Shop 60 at $11,000 a month. Delivered within 48 hours*.