Serious math brain fart

[atgcpaul]

I need to figure out how much siding I need for some repair work at my house. For a set of fixed siding course lengths, I measure the distance of that section to replace.

This is what I've got:

14' x 5 courses
11' x 6 course
6' x 5 courses
4' x 7 courses
8' x 15 courses
24' x 5 courses
21' x 5 courses
14' x 7 courses

To get how much siding I need, I can multiple the length times the number of courses--to get the total length of siding needed for that section--and then add those numbers and divide by the length of 1 piece of siding (12'). If I do that to the above list, I get a little more than 53 pieces of siding.

I am blanking on other math properties that would make this calculation faster. Is there one?

[jabe]

Aloha Paul,

14 X 5 = 70' divide by 12 = 5.8333, round off to 6 pieces. Do each wall section individually divide by 12 round off the answer, then total up each section. Then I would multiply the total by 10% and add that to the total for any mistakes or waste. When I was teaching Building & Construction classes, I would multiply the total by 20% as the kids will make more mistakes. You can always return the extra uncut pieces, it's always better to have that little extra so you don't have to stop production to run to the store to get 1 or 2 more pieces to finish the job. You will need to stagger the joints so the joints don't fall on the same place on the next row. Most material supply stores can figure it out for you. Some sidings come in 16" section too.

Hope this helps, good luck. Jimmy