I'm in the process of buying a house. Probably might get a portable building around 14x24 to put in the back for a little shop area as the garage is enclosed.

I've been pricing around the materials for what it would cost for me to fix it up and make it usable year round. It would be already wired up for electrical from the builder.


Drywall total wasn't too bad. A lot of elbow grease, but not bad.

Flooring - probably cheap waterproof vinyl plank


But I'm researching insulation. As for the ceiling and roof...I don't know...I really depends on which style I get. Lofted barn vs cabin.

But wall insulation...holy crap.


~$50 for 15x93 batt insulation. That would be damn near $2k....


Then I kept looking.... $16 for 15"x32ft roll of the same stuff.


Why so huge of the price difference? Obviously the roll seems the way to go for my hopeful situation...for cost and probability that the batt may need cutting/additional insulation to fit the wall section.



I'd be putting in a window unit. It's hot and humid in the summer. Winter can get cold...but it doesn't last long.

look at your price per sq/ft, on the roll vs the batts. also, are they both the same r-value?

 
Yes

How many batts come in the 15x93 bundles?  I think it's usually 12 but might be wrong.  

You're doing your math wrong.  There is NO WAY that a 14x24 building would cost $2k for fiberglass batt insulation.

In all seriousness, call a few local insulation companies.  They might not want to do such a small building but if so, they can usually install batts for less than you can buy them for.

 
I was reading online.  The way they described it, made it sound like it was for a single batt. Good to know

Take a look at these batts and this roll at Home Depot. Same width, same kraft paper facing, same R-value. The batts have 11 per bag.

Batts: $34.98 for 106.56 sq. ft. = $0.328 per sq. ft.
Roll: $10.48 for 40 sq. ft. = $0.262 per sq. ft.
Difference = $0.066 per sq. ft. (Basically 7 cents per sq. ft. more for pre-cut batts) or $0.639 per stud cavity.

Estimate 57 stud cavities (76 ft. of wall, 16" stud cavities) and that's $36.44 more to use pre-cut batts rather than rolls.

57 stud cavities means you'll need 6 bags of batts, or $209.88 worth of insulation.

ETA: All of my examples were with R-13 insulation for 2"x4" walls. It'll be slightly more expensive if you have thicker walls.

Thanks bergen.
I didn't see price/Sq ft or anything saying how many batts were in a bag, so I assumed 1. Probably didn't notice anything because it was late at night

Mystery solved!

Seriously check out insulation places. For a whole house it's usually cheaper for them to install it than for you to just buy it yourself. Save yourself time and money.