Summary: Insulation contractors determine what their insulation bids to you will be based on the square footage of actual area to be insulated as well as the insulating material to be used, and the R-Value you desire for the various areas of your home.
Carl, Can you tell me how do insulation people determine their insulation bid? Do they charge by square footage? I’m just learning and would appreciate your help with this matter.
Thank You, Michelle
Hi Michelle, Great question! Insulation contractors determine what their bids to you will be based on the square footage of actual area to be insulated as well as the insulating material to be used, and the R-Value you desire for the various areas of your home.
But NO, you do not ask for, nor accept insulating bids based on a price per sq ft!
This is because it is an absolute fact that NO two people will ever come up with the same square footage of any given area, so bids based on square footage can turn into a point of contention down the road.
What you do is have each insulation contractor give you a total contract price or total contract price per specifications bid on your insulation job.
You tell them (in writing) the type of insulation YOU desire and the R-value YOU desire. These items are called the “Specifications”. Each insulation contractor will then have the same “specifications.
Each insulation contractor will then do his or her own (behind the scenes) square footage calculations to come up with a bid that they can live with and that is competitive and comparable.
You don’t need to know how many square feet are actually involved. You DO however, need to know what R-value you desire to achieve for each area of your home that you are insulating. That’s easy as the required R-values for each area of a home, can be calculated by a insulation calculator.
An insulation calculator can tell you what R-values you need based on where you live. An R-Value indicates insulating power or thermal resistance. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power. Higher R-values are more effective at maximizing your energy savings and comfort. The calculator gives you R-value recommendations.
Then after researching what type of insulation you prefer, decide the type you want and “Bingo”, you are ready to write out your insulation specifications. Give them to each insulation contractor when you start getting your bids.
Choose the insulation contractor you want based on the total price for the complete job and what their references have to say. Be sure you get references for any contractor you plan to hire.
Also, it wouldn’t hurt to read my article Insulation Calculator.
Other pages I have on insulation: ·
I hope I have answered your question and good luck, Carl Heldmann
