Job takeoff
Attic insulation upgrade takeoff
How much more depth an attic needs, and the bags or batts to reach it.
A takeoff is the trade word for the shopping list a job produces — every material, and how much of each, worked out by its own cited calculator.
- 5Measurements in
- 3Trades out
Give the job once
Every figure on the right follows these, in the units you choose.
Been given a quote for this job?
Paste it into the attic insulation quote check: each line is read against these same calculators — what it leaves out, what it adds, and what to ask.
Check the quoteEvery trade, from those dimensions
then change a dimension, and each line shows what moved.
| Trade | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
Attic Insulation Upgrade CalculatorThe depth the gap between those two R-values takes, at the default material.How this figure was reached
Resting on
Change any other figure on the Attic Insulation Upgrade Calculator | 12 in of additional insulation | |
Blown-In Insulation Bag Count CalculatorBags for the blown option at the default yield, for the added depth above — set it to the first row's answer or the bags stop short of the target.One of 2 alternatives — added together, your project costs only the one you choose.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
Change any other figure on the Blown-In Insulation Bag Count Calculator | 10 bags | |
Insulation Batt CalculatorPackages for the batt option — an alternative to the row above, not an addition. The count is by area only; buy batts rated for the R-value gap the first row works out, R-30 at the opening figures.One of 2 alternatives — added together, your project costs only the one you choose.
Why this quantity?
Resting on
The waste factor: the calculator's working figure, a trade convention. | 10 packages | |
Attic Insulation Upgrade CalculatorThe depth the gap between those two R-values takes, at the default material.How this figure was reached | 304.8 mm of additional insulation | |
Blown-In Insulation Bag Count CalculatorBags for the blown option at the default yield, for the added depth above — set it to the first row's answer or the bags stop short of the target.One of 2 alternatives — added together, your project costs only the one you choose.
Why this quantity? | 10 bags | |
Insulation Batt CalculatorPackages for the batt option — an alternative to the row above, not an addition. The count is by area only; buy batts rated for the R-value gap the first row works out, R-30 at the opening figures.One of 2 alternatives — added together, your project costs only the one you choose.
Why this quantity? | 10 packages |
Estimates, not a quote. Each row gives its base, the allowance on top, the adjusted figure and what to order; change an allowance on the row, or open its reasoning to see every figure it rests on. A trade's own page carries what it does not cover — open the one you are about to order against.
Labour and programme
Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.
- Blown-In Insulation Bag Count1.0 h (0.5–2.0)
- Insulation Batt8.0 h (4.0–18)
About 9.0 person-hours in the rows that carry them, between 4.5 and 20.
Trade by trade
- Labourer2 labourershalf a day
About half a day, one trade after another at eight hours a day. Left out: drying and curing, deliveries, inspections, trades overlapping.
1 row carries no hours of its own
- Attic Insulation Upgrade: its rate is per sq ft; this row gives in of additional insulation
Labour and programme
Person-hours for the rows going in, from trade rules of thumb: a range for each piece of work, never a price.
- Blown-In Insulation Bag Count1.0 h (0.5–2.0)
- Insulation Batt8.0 h (4.0–18)
About 9.0 person-hours in the rows that carry them, between 4.5 and 20.
Trade by trade
- Labourer2 labourershalf a day
About half a day, one trade after another at eight hours a day. Left out: drying and curing, deliveries, inspections, trades overlapping.
1 row carries no hours of its own
- Attic Insulation Upgrade: its rate is per m²; this row gives mm of additional insulation
Setups you have saved
The build-up, the dimensions and any allowance you changed — kept on this device, and reusable on any job. Your prices are not copied in: they stay in your price book, so a setup never holds a stale one.
How far does a budget go?
At your own prices, with this build-up unchanged.
About this job
Topping up an attic is the cheapest energy work in most houses and the easiest to over-order, because the quantity depends on what is already up there and nobody measures that. The first row asks for the current R-value rather than the depth, which is the right question: 200 mm of settled 1970s fibreglass and 200 mm of modern cellulose are not the same insulation, and the difference is most of the answer.
Diminishing returns are real here and worth knowing before you buy. Going from nothing to R-20 removes most of the heat loss through the ceiling; going from R-40 to R-60 removes a fraction of what is left. The depth row will tell you what reaching a target takes; whether that target is worth reaching is a different calculation.
Blown and batt are alternatives over the same area, not additions. Blown fills around obstructions and settles over time; batts hold their depth and leave gaps wherever a joist run is not the width they were cut for. Take whichever row matches how you are doing it.
How each line reads
- Base
- What the calculator gives for these dimensions, before anything is added.
- Allowance
- Cutting waste, a lap or spare stock — named, with where it comes from, and changeable on the row.
- Adjusted
- The base with its allowance on top.
- Order
- What to buy: the adjusted figure in whole boards, bags, rolls or lengths.
The order this happens in
Quantities do not tell you the sequence, and on this job the sequence is where the money goes wrong.
- Air-seal first. Insulation over an unsealed ceiling slows heat loss and does nothing for the air carrying moisture up with it.
- Deal with recessed lights, flues and anything else that cannot be covered.
- Check the soffit vents are clear, and fit baffles before the material buries them.
- Mark the depth on the joists or a rafter so the installer can see the target from anywhere in the roof.
- Fill evenly rather than deeply in the middle — the thin edges are where the heat leaves.
- Leave a walkway and a route to anything that will need servicing.
What this takeoff does not cover
- Air sealing, which matters more than depth and is not a quantity of insulation.
- Ventilation baffles, loft boarding and the raised walkway a topped-up attic needs.
- Anything that cannot be covered: downlights without a rated cover, flues, and old wiring.
- The hatch, which is usually the worst-insulated square metre in the house and is not part of this area.
Quote check
Been given a quote for this job?
Paste it into the attic insulation quote check. Every line of it is read against these same calculators and your measurements. Quantities only, never prices.
What it leaves out
Every line this takeoff has that nothing on the quote reads as.
What it adds
Labour, removal, hire, fees — each named for what it is.
What to ask
One list of questions, ready to copy. Never a verdict.
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Frequently asked questions
- What does the attic insulation takeoff give for a typical job?
- Opened at Attic length 10 m · Attic width 8 m · Added depth 0.3 m · Current R-value 19 · Target R-value 49, it orders: Attic Insulation Upgrade, 305 mm of additional insulation; Blown-In Insulation Bag Count, 10 bags; Insulation Batt, 10 packages. Opened at Attic length 33 ft · Attic width 26 ft · Added depth 12 in · Current R-value 19 · Target R-value 49: Attic Insulation Upgrade, 12 in of additional insulation; Blown-In Insulation Bag Count, 10 bags; Insulation Batt, 10 packages. Every figure follows the dimensions you give it.
- Which calculators does the attic insulation takeoff run?
- 3 calculators, one to a line: Attic Insulation Upgrade Calculator, Blown-In Insulation Bag Count Calculator, Insulation Batt Calculator. Each has a page of its own with its formula and its sources; the takeoff runs them all on one set of dimensions.
- What does the attic insulation takeoff leave out?
- 4 things, each named on this page: Air sealing, which matters more than depth and is not a quantity of insulation; Ventilation baffles, loft boarding and the raised walkway a topped-up attic needs; Anything that cannot be covered; The hatch, which is usually the worst-insulated square metre in the house and is not part of this area.
- Can I check a quote for this job against the takeoff?
- Yes. The attic insulation quote check reads a quote's lines against these same calculators and your measurements, and reports what it leaves out, what it adds and what to ask. It reads quantities, never prices.