Permanent lighting calculator
Enter an address and this calculator measures the roofline for permanent lights. It shows the feet of light track for the front, the front and sides, or all the way around, with or without the gable peaks. Installers price from that footage, and your own rates turn it into a price in Measured Bid.
Coverage
- Front only49 ft
- Front and sides89 ft
- All the way around118 ft
Measurements from Google aerial roof data, measured by the same engine Measured Bid prices from. No prices are shown here. Confirm every number on site.
How many feet of permanent lights do I need?
Add up the eaves on every side you want lit, then add the peaks if the lights follow the gables. The calculator does it in this order.
- Pick the sides to light: the front, the front and sides, or all the way around.
- Measure the eaves along those sides. Each run is numbered on the aerial.
- If the lights run up the gables, add the sloped edges to each peak.
- Add the runs together. That's the feet of light track to quote.
MeasuredOur model house, one story
- Front eaves
- 49 ft
- Front, with peaks
- 67 ft
- Front and sides
- 89 ft
- All the way around
- 118 ft
- Peaks, all the way around (estimated)
- + 35 ft
- All the way around, with peaks
- 153 ft
The model house has several roof sections, so its peak lengths are estimated from the eave footage. On a simple gable roof they are measured from the roof's width and pitch.
How the roofline is measured
Roofline footage
- The eave runs are the same ones the gutter calculator measures from the aerial roof data, numbered on the map.
- The front is the side that faces the street, found from the address. When the street side isn't clear, the longest side is treated as the front and the result says so.
- Peaks are the sloped edges at the gable ends. On a gable roof their length comes from the roof's width and pitch. Hip roofs have no gable peaks.
- On roofs with many sections, peak length is estimated from the eave footage, and the result says so.
- On a two-story house, lower roofs are measured as their own runs.
Check the layout on site
Footage gets the quote started. The install depends on details the aerial can't show.
What to confirm before you install
- Which runs the customer wants lit. Some sides sit behind trees or face a neighbor.
- The peaks and any second-story rooflines.
- Where the controller and power supply go, and the distance to an outlet.
- Gutters, fascia and trim the track mounts to.
How accurate it is
The roofline uses the same eave measurement as gutters. We compared quoted gutter footage with the footage on the final invoice.
9 invoiced gutter jobs. The jobs came from one gutter company that uses Measured Bid. Eight were full replacements and one was a repair and guards job. A small sample, so ranges in Measured Bid widen when the data is weaker.
See how we testedPrice it with your rates
Permanent lighting is priced per foot of track, with a rate for each story, a controller fee and a job minimum. You set each one in Measured Bid.
FAQ
How many feet of permanent lights do I need?
Add up the eaves on every side you want lit. Add the gable peaks if the lights run up them. The calculator does both from the address and shows the total for each coverage.
Is the lighting calculator free?
Yes. You can measure up to five new houses an hour without an account.
How does it know which side is the front?
It matches the house to the street from the address. When it can't, it treats the longest side as the front and tells you, so you can check the runs.
How accurate is the footage?
Roofline footage uses the same eave measurement as the gutter calculator. We tested quoted gutter footage against 9 invoiced gutter jobs. The jobs came from one gutter company that uses Measured Bid. Eight were full replacements and one was a repair and guards job. The median absolute error was 14.2% and the mean absolute error was 16.2%. We also used these jobs to tune the engine. Treat every number here as a starting point and confirm it on site.
Can homeowners get a lighting price on my website?
Yes. Measured Bid's widget asks which sides to light and whether to add peaks, then shows a price range from your per-foot rates and controller fee.
Related pages and tools
Quote permanent lighting from an address
Add your rates once. Your team gets estimates from an address, and homeowners get a price range on your website. 14 days or 25 estimates free, no card.