SolarRoofPlan

Design retrofit-free rooftop solar layouts in minutes to skip complex engineering.

Score: 7.8/10UKMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Small business owners are deterred from adopting rooftop solar energy due to high upfront costs and complex installations requiring major retrofits.

Solution

Business owners input roof dimensions and upload images; AI generates optimized panel layouts avoiding structural changes. It outputs CAD-like plans, permit checklists, and installer bids to streamline approvals. No more guesswork or expensive engineers.

Target Audience

Small business owners with commercial rooftops aiming to adopt solar energy

Differentiator

Focus on minimal-retrofit designs with auto-generated permit docs, cutting installation complexity by 60%.

Brand Voice

supportive/professional

Features

Roof Dimension Input

must-have18h

Drag-drop editor for roof layout.

AI Layout Optimizer

must-have25h

Generates max-efficiency panel placements.

Permit Checklist Gen

must-have15h

Custom checklists for local codes.

Installer Bid Form

must-have12h

Exports plans for quick bids.

Plan Viewer

must-have20h

Interactive 3D previews.

Collaboration Sharing

nice-to-have10h

Invite team to edit plans.

Cost Estimator

nice-to-have8h

Basic hardware/labor quotes.

AR Overlay

future25h

Phone-based AR roof viz.

Total Build Time: 133 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo

plans

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
roof_area_sqftintNo
image_urltextYes

Relationships:

  • user_id -> users.id

layouts

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
plan_iduuidNo
panel_countintNo
layout_jsontextNo

Relationships:

  • plan_id -> plans.id

API Endpoints

POST
/api/plans

Create plan

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/layouts/generate

AI generate layout

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/plans/:id/export

Get permit/bid exports

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + Shadcn/UI + Konva.js
Backend
Next.js API + Supabase
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Replicate AIpdf-lib

Build Timeline

Week 1: Setup & editor

22h
  • Auth
  • Roof editor

Week 2: AI integration

28h
  • Layout gen

Week 3: Viewer & 3D

25h
  • Interactive views

Week 4: Exports & bids

20h
  • Checklists
  • Bids

Week 5: Sharing & payments

18h
  • Collab
  • Stripe

Week 6: Launch prep

12h
  • Tests
  • SEO

Week 7: Polish

10h
  • Bugs
Total Timeline: 7 weeks • 165 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

Basic exports

  • 1 plan/mo

Pro

$15/mo
  • Unlimited plans
  • Permit docs

Enterprise

$99/mo

Unlimited

  • Team collab
  • Custom branding

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11504%$90$1,080
Month 61,2006%$1,080$12,960

Unit Economics

$35
CAC
$400
LTV
4%
Churn
90%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 11.4xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Plan Retrofit-Free Solar Roofs Instantly

AI layouts + permits = fast installs without engineers.

Feature Highlights

Drag-Drop Editor
Optimized Layouts
Permit Checklists
Installer Exports

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Permits approved in days!' - Restaurant Owner"

First Three Customers

Email roofing contractors for referrals; post in commercial real estate Facebook groups; run LinkedIn ads targeting 'small business owners' + 'solar'.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/commercialrealestateHacker News

SEO Keywords

rooftop solar layout plannercommercial solar permit toolno retrofit solar design

Competitive Analysis

Aurora Solar

aurorasolar.com
Enterprise $500+/mo
Strength

Pro tools

Weakness

Too complex/expensive for SMBs

Our Advantage

Self-serve SMB pricing

🏰 Moat Strategy

User-generated plan data for AI improvements.

⏰ Why Now?

Supply chain easing + labor shortages make planning tools essential.

Risks & Mitigation

technicalmedium severity

Layout accuracy

Mitigation

Partner w/ solar experts

legallow severity

Permit variances

Mitigation

Disclaimer + updates

Validation Roadmap

pre-build10 days

Interview 20 installers

Success: Interest in tool

mvp21 days

10 plan exports

Success: Positive NPS

Pivot Options

  • Residential planner
  • General roof design SaaS

Quick Stats

Build Time
165h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$4,000
Market Size
$30000.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
3
API Endpoints
3
SolarRoofPlan - Complete Startup Blueprint | Startup Tribunal