EXTERIOR
How to Estimate House Wrap Installation
Contractor method for estimating house wrap rolls, tape, waste and labor.
House wrap is priced by the rolls needed, the tape, and the install labor. Waste for laps and cutouts decides how many rolls you actually buy.
THE SHORT ANSWER
How do you estimate house wrap installation?
Add waste to the wall area, divide by the roll area, then add tape and labor. 2,000 sq ft at 10% waste is 2,200, needing 3 rolls of 1,000 sq ft: $600 material + $6 tape + $300 labor = $906.
Measure the wall area
Total the exterior wall area to cover, accounting for the wrap being a full layer, not just openings.
Add waste for laps
Horizontal laps and cutouts around openings add waste. Ten percent is a common default.
- Wall area
- Roll coverage
- Waste %
- Tape
Count the rolls
Divide the area with waste by the coverage per roll and round up. 2,200 ÷ 1,000 = 2.2, so buy 3 rolls.
Add tape and labor
Tape seals the seams and costs per roll, and labor is the wall area times a rate. Use the House Wrap Installation Cost Calculator.