Estimate Desk
Insulation cost estimate
Attic blow or batts, plus an optional crawl. Air sealing is a separate toggle. The band is a Kitsap planning range, about ±15%, not a contract price.
Default scenario
1,000 sf blown attic, with air sealing
$2,500 – $3,300
Siding, windows, paint, insulation, gutters, and doors.
Planning band
$2,500 – $3,300
About 1 working day on site. Not a bid.
Line items, notes and what is not in the band are below the form.
Planning bandLine items and notes
$2,500 – $3,300
Point total about $2,900 · about 1 working day on site
Material and labor of the unit-priced lines: Material $1,348 · Labor $1,102
Default scenario: 1,000 sf blown attic, with air sealing. Not a contract price. The band is the point total plus or minus 15%, a planning allowance we set for early estimates, not a measured accuracy. Prices include materials, labor, JKM overhead and fee, and 9.3% Washington sales tax. Working days on site are crew days. Design, permits and material lead times add calendar time before and between them.
| Item | Qty | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Blown attic insulation | 1,000 sf | $2,450 |
| Attic air sealing before the insulation | 1 ls | $450 |
Notes
- Vent baffles are included in the blown rate. Knob-and-tube wiring has to be resolved before cellulose goes down.
Not in this band
- Hazardous-material abatement. Asbestos and lead are common on pre-1978 houses and are separately licensed work.
- Structural repair discovered after demolition.
- A new electrical panel, water service, or septic, unless that line is on this estimate.
- Design fees, except where a drawing line is shown.
- Financing and temporary housing. (Washington sales tax, 9.3%, is included in these prices.)
Planning band for Kitsap County. Not a bid. A site visit sets the number.
What the insulation estimate covers
The insulation estimate prices an attic and, if you want it, a crawl space. You enter the attic area, choose blown insulation or batts, and decide whether to air seal the attic first. A second switch adds insulation for the crawl space, with its own area. Each choice becomes its own line.
The default is a blown attic with air sealing and no crawl space, which keeps the first band to the simplest version of the job.
Air sealing comes first
Air sealing closes the gaps where warm air leaks into an attic, around wiring, vents and the tops of walls. Insulation slows heat flow, but it does not stop air, so sealing first is what lets the insulation do its work. The desk treats it as a separate line because it is a different task from blowing insulation, and because the amount of sealing needed varies from house to house.
You can switch the line off to see what it adds. A very small job is lifted to a minimum, and the desk shows that as a line when it applies.
What moves the number
Attic area is the base, and the choice between blown insulation and batts changes the unit price. The crawl space is a switch with its own area, priced separately and described in the line as a crawl-space floor batt with a vapor consideration. Days on site follow the attic area.
The blown rate includes vent baffles, which keep insulation from blocking the vents at the eaves and are a detail worth confirming on any quote.
What is not in the band
In an older house, knob-and-tube wiring has to be resolved before cellulose goes down, because insulation can bury old wiring that was never meant to be covered. That is a site-visit question, not a desk one. The band also leaves out hazardous-material abatement, structural repair, a new panel or water service, design fees and financing. Washington sales tax is already included in the prices.
Whether insulation work needs a permit depends on the project, especially if it comes with electrical changes. Our permit guides explain which Kitsap office covers your address. Use the band to decide whether to include the crawl space, then ask for a site visit so we can look at the attic before we write the real estimate.
Scope ladder
Insulation: three scopes compared
Each row is the Estimate Desk engine run on the inputs listed, so these numbers move whenever the desk does. They are planning bands, about ±15%, not bids.
| Scope and what was priced | Planning band |
|---|---|
Blown attic onlyBlown insulation across the attic with vent baffles, and no air sealing before it goes down.
| $2,100 – $2,800Point total about $2,500About 1 working days |
Blown attic, air sealedDesk defaultBlown insulation across the attic with vent baffles, after the attic is air sealed.
| $2,500 – $3,300Point total about $2,900About 1 working days |
Attic and crawl spaceAir sealing and blown attic insulation, plus batts on the crawl-space floor.
| $3,900 – $5,200Point total about $4,600About 1 working days |
Questions
Insulation estimates: common questions
What does the insulation estimate assume before I change anything?
The starting band, $2,500 – $3,300, is the default scenario (1,000 sf blown attic, with air sealing). It prices blown attic insulation with vent baffles and an air-sealing line done before the insulation goes down.
Why is air sealing a separate line in the insulation estimate?
Because it is a different job done before the insulation, and some houses need more of it than others. The desk shows it as its own line and as a switch you can turn off, so you can see what it adds.
Does blown insulation cost less than batts in the attic?
In the desk's unit prices the two are close, within a few cents a square foot, and blown is slightly higher because its rate includes the vent baffles. Which one suits your attic matters more than the price, so a site visit decides it.
What has to be dealt with before cellulose goes in the attic?
Knob-and-tube wiring. The notes under the result say it has to be resolved before cellulose goes down, which is something a site visit checks in older houses.
A site visit sets the number
Bring your result to the walk. We measure, check what is behind the walls, and replace the planning band with a written estimate.