Factors to Consider when Thinking of Becoming an Insulation Installer

Installing batt insulation can be a great way to earn an income. Unlike your regular 9-5 job, where you might turn up, clock on and work at a desk all day, installing insulation has practically uncapped earning potential based on how fast you can install it. It is a performance-based industry where you get paid for how many square metres you install as opposed to how long you spend on site. The quicker and more skilled you become at installing insulation, the more you can earn.

Installing Insulation

However, if you think this means you can roll out of bed at 10am, and smash out a few hours’ worth of insulation, you might be in for a shock. Although the job is flexible to an extent and you are not working for a fixed hourly rate there are still deadlines to be met. As a subcontractor you will still probably be required onsite at the usual unearthly hour of the morning just like your typical carpenter, bricklayer or electrician. This is due to the fact that you may be allocated a certain number of jobs per day and as a subcontractor you will still be accountable for getting things done within a certain timeframe.

Working Around Other Trades and Services

Insulation is one of those trades that doesn’t always get treated with the respect it deserves. Plasterers for example, have been known to turn up to site and mount plaster even if it is clear that the batt insulation sitting on site hasn’t been installed yet. Likewise, air conditioning installers or electricians will not hesitate to carelessly pull out freshly installed batt insulation if they have some additional work to carry out prior to the plaster being fitted. This would be perfectly fine if it wasn’t for the fact that they categorically refuse to put it back where it was, instead leaving it in some corner of the house to get covered in sawdust. These are broad generalizations of course, but any insulation installer will tell you there is a distinct element of truth to these sweeping statements.

Avoiding the Itch from Batt Insulation

One reason that insulation is often treated with disdain by other tradesman is the myth that if you touch it, you will itch for a week. However, it is possible to work relatively cleanly with batt insulation, though this will obviously impact your performance. Some installers are quite happy to brave the unpleasantness of the itchy particles and get to the point where it honestly doesn’t bother them at all. Measures you can take to work more comfortably in and around insulation include wearing long sleeves, gloves, a cap, and a mask. All these measures reduce the amount of insulation you need to combat when you clean yourself up at the end of a working day.

The Necessity of Planning your Day

Another thing worth mentioning when considering installing insulation is the necessity to plan ahead. Factors to consider would be to allow for traffic congestion when travelling certain routes as well as weather factors that might impact your install, be it wind, rain or excessive heat.

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