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INSULATION · JOB COSTING SOFTWARE

CONTROLQORE FOR INSULATION CONTRACTORS.

Generic accounting software can't read cost per square foot by insulation type, separate substrate prep from the application rate, or flag a waste factor over what the bid assumed. ControlQore can.

QUICK ANSWER

ControlQore for insulation contractors uses cost codes by insulation type and square foot, meaning batt by R-value, blown-in insulation, spray foam by open or closed cell, and board insulation, so actual cost per SF can be compared to the estimated rate weekly. Substrate prep gets its own cost code and its own SOV line. Waste factor by project geometry is documented at bid and tracked at installation. The WIP schedule is produced monthly from cost-to-cost percentage complete.

The difference isn't the report list. It's when you find out. QuickBooks tells you total labor cost on the job, and total labor cost on an insulation job is four businesses added together: batt set piece by piece, machine-blown bags, sprayed chemical, and board. Cost codes built to match the insulation estimate turn the same hours and the same material into a rate per square foot by type, readable in week two against the rate you bid. That's early enough to change crew size, change the method, or open a change order conversation while the GC still has a reason to listen.

BY JOSH LUEBKERPublished 2026-08-06Updated 2026-11-01
WHAT IT SEES

THE NUMBERS GENERIC SOFTWARE MISSES.

By Type
Cost Codes by Insulation Type and SF
Weekly
Cost Per SF vs. Estimated Rate
By Geometry
Waste Factor Tracked at Installation
Monthly
WIP Schedule From Actual Data
THE DEFINITION

WHAT IT IS.

ControlQore is a job costing and WIP platform for contractors that tracks cost by job and cost code, so an insulation subcontractor can read actual cost per square foot by insulation type against the estimated rate every week while the job is still in progress.

The cost code structure is the foundation of the whole system. Cost codes built to match the insulation estimate format produce a direct actual against estimated comparison by cost category, every week. Cost codes built from a generic template produce blended totals that mask variance until closeout, which is the month the crew is already on the next building.

WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH

WHERE IT GOES WRONG.

01

No Cost Per SF Visibility by Insulation Type

QuickBooks job tracking shows total labor cost by job. Batt by R-value, blown-in, spray foam by open or closed cell, and board insulation all post into that one total, and each of the four uses different production math. ControlQore shows actual cost per SF by type against the estimated rate weekly, so a type that's over the rate is visible in week two instead of at closeout.

02

Variance Stays Undiscovered Until Closeout

Blended totals don't tell you which cost category moved, so the overrun is found when the job closes and the only thing left to do is write it off. A cost code more than 10% over the estimated cost for two consecutive weeks is a decision point while the job is still open. If the cause is added scope, that's a change order, and a change order has to be submitted while the GC can still tie it to work in front of them.

03

Substrate Prep Absorbed Into the SF Rate

Prep work done inside the insulation unit price disappears into the application rate and never appears as its own cost or its own billing. The crew still spends the hours, so the rate per square foot looks worse than the production was, and the estimate gets calibrated against a number that includes work nobody priced. Prep belongs on its own cost code and its own SOV line item.

04

Waste Factor Treated as a Fixed Assumption

Geometry, substrate, and overspray tax every job differently, so the waste factor in the bid is an assumption that has to be checked against what the job consumed. Without waste documented at bid and tracked at installation, the same assumption gets rolled into the next estimate whether it held or not. When actual waste is more than 5 points over estimated waste, that's a cost variance with a cause and often a change order.

HOW SPM SETS IT UP

WHAT WE BUILD.

Cost Codes by Insulation Type and SF in ControlQore

SPM builds ControlQore cost codes for insulation clients by type: batt by R-value, blown-in insulation, spray foam by open or closed cell, and board insulation. Each cost code points at the corresponding category in the insulation estimate. When a foreman posts hours, they post to the same bucket that was used in the bid, which is what makes the actual against estimated comparison direct instead of a reconciliation exercise.

Weekly Variance Review Against the Bid Rate

Actual cost per SF by type is compared to the estimated rate every week. When any cost code is more than 10% over the estimated cost for two consecutive weeks, SPM flags it, and the cause is identifiable in the cost code detail rather than guessed at. If a change order applies, SPM builds it and submits it. The review takes place while the job is still in progress, which is the only time the answer can change the outcome.

Substrate Prep as a Separate Cost Code and SOV Line

Substrate prep is tracked to its own cost code and billed as a separate SOV line item at inspection and acceptance. Prep gets billed at occurrence rather than absorbed into the SF application rate. Two things come out of that: the application rate reads as production instead of production plus prep, and the prep hours get paid for in the month they were spent.

Waste Factor by Geometry, Bid to Installation

Waste factor by project geometry is documented at bid and tracked again at installation, so the assumption gets tested on every job. When actual waste exceeds estimated waste by more than 5 points, a cost variance is documented and a change order is evaluated. Over a few jobs the waste factor stops being a habit passed forward and becomes a bid input with numbers behind it.

WHAT YOU GET

THE OUTPUTS, LISTED.

WIP schedule built from actual ControlQore data, with cost-to-cost percentage complete by job, overbilled and underbilled positions, and projected final margin updated from the actual cost trajectory. Ready for bonding and banking conversations.
Job-level P&L by cost code. Every active job shows actual gross margin against estimated, and every completed job shows actual against estimated at closeout, which is how future insulation estimates get calibrated.
13 week cash flow forecast with every inflow and outflow mapped forward, so a cash shortfall is visible 8 weeks before it happens.
AR aging and collections report with every invoice over 30 days flagged and collections calls made every Monday. Most clients clear $50,000 to $200,000 of earned AR in the first 30 days of the engagement.
$10.7M+
Client AR Recovered Since 2023
48
Active Trade Specializations
60 DAYS
Average Onboarding Time
PRICING

FLAT MONTHLY FEE. NO SOFTWARE INVOICE.

Three tiers, priced by your trailing twelve month revenue. ControlQore comes with Strategic and Platinum, and it never appears as its own line item on an SPM invoice. Which tier you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk.

Built for subs doing $1M to $12M. Above $12.5M we quote.

Last 12 months revenueCoreStrategicPlatinumOne-time onboarding
Under $1M$1,900$3,100$3,300$2,500
$1M to $3.5M$2,600$4,100$5,300$4,500
$3.5M to $6.5M$3,800$5,900$8,300$6,000
$6.5M to $9.5M$5,100$7,600$11,800$7,500
$9.5M to $12.5M$6,100$8,900$14,900$9,000
Above $12.5MQuotedQuotedQuotedQuoted

The onboarding fee covers migrating your books back to the start of your last taxable year and getting you fully operational in 60 days. It's billed once, with your first invoice. It's the same for all three tiers, and it moves with your revenue band. Your first month is prorated, and your monthly engagement starts on the first of the first full month.

Just want the setup? Onboarding only is the same onboarding work with no monthly service after it, one time, at the onboarding fee plus $2,000. Start a monthly engagement later and $2,000 counts toward it. It starts at $4,500, and the price for every band is on the pricing page.

The three tier columns are the whole price. Which one fits depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No payroll. No hidden line items. The onboarding fee is right here in the table.

  • Online software only: QuickBooks, Sage, Viewpoint and similar. No VPN or hosted desktop.
  • Not in any tier: payroll, pay applications, collections on receivables.
  • Pricing valid through 2027.
Core

CFO work. Your own bookkeeper keeps doing the books.

You stop guessing.

You get the CFO work. Job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a meeting every month that ends in decisions and never in a report.

Your bookkeeper still does the books.

Strategic

Core, plus bookkeeping and bank reconciliations, plus job costing and WIP software set up and managed for you. Use your own online accounting software or we supply it, one price.

Every job shows its margin while it is still open.

Everything in Core, plus the bookkeeping and bank reconciliations done for you, and the job costing and WIP software set up, loaded with your cost codes, and managed every month. Use your own online software, or move to ours and we cover it.

A bookkeeper we choose does the books and reconciliations. No payroll.

Platinum

Strategic, plus a controller who handles payables and receivables the way an in-house controller would. You approve every payment.

You approve, and the money side gets handled.

Everything in Strategic, plus a controller we choose who handles your bills and receivables for you the way an in-house controller would. They call vendors, pay the bills and keep the accounting current. We plan the cash flow first, and you approve every payment because it is your money.

A controller we choose does the payables and receivables. No payroll, no pay applications, no collections.

COMMON QUESTIONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED.

SPM builds ControlQore cost codes aligned to the insulation estimate structure, which means cost codes by insulation type and square foot. Foremen post actual costs daily by cost code. Weekly you get actual cost per SF by type against the estimated rate. Monthly you get the WIP schedule from actual data. The owner sees job-level profitability in week two rather than at closeout.

Cost codes for insulation contractors cover batt by R-value, blown-in insulation, spray foam by open or closed cell, and board insulation, with substrate prep getting its own code. Each one points at the corresponding category in the estimate, so the actual against estimated comparison is direct and it happens weekly instead of at closeout.

Yes. SPM migrates all clients from QuickBooks to ControlQore at engagement start. ControlQore handles the accounting functions plus the construction-specific job costing and WIP reporting that QuickBooks can't do at the depth a commercial insulation subcontractor needs. Setup takes 30 days, and clients are fully operational at 60 days.

Three tiers, and which one you are in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. Core is where you stop guessing: job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a monthly meeting that ends in decisions, while your bookkeeper keeps doing the books. Strategic is where every job shows its margin while it is still open: a bookkeeper we choose does the books and the bank reconciliations, and the job costing and WIP software is set up and managed for you, on your own online software or ours. Platinum is where you approve and the money side gets handled: a controller we choose handles your bills and receivables the way an in-house controller would, and you approve every payment. No payroll. No scope gaps.
WHAT THIS TIES INTO
Josh Luebker, SPM The Construction CFO
Josh Luebker
FRACTIONAL CFO · SPM THE CONSTRUCTION CFO

Josh Luebker is a master electrician turned construction CFO, president of SPM The Construction CFO and author of CONTROL: C.F.O.S. Construction Financial Operating System.

WANT TO SEE THIS ON YOUR OWN INSULATION JOBS?

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