Insulation Commandos Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $220K – $515K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (5)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Insulation Commandos is a home services franchise installing and upgrading residential and commercial insulation. Franchisees run local operations, managing assessments, crews, and installation projects within a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A INSULATION COMMANDOS franchise requires a total initial investment of $220K – $515K, including a $65K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $220K – $515K
- 80th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 8th pct Home Services
- Units
- 64
- 51st pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $220K – $515K including a $65K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 also discloses per-job KPIs (Average/Highest/Lowest/Median Ticket, jobs completed, % of tickets meeting/exceeding average, Average Revenue Per Truck) which are per-transaction/per-vehicle metrics, not whole-unit revenue, and were excluded from avg_gross_sales per extraction rules. The disclosed 'Gross Revenue Less COGS, Other Disclosed Expenses & Imputed Fees' line is not a true franchisee net income/bottom line because Note F states it excludes numerous operating costs (office supplies, telephone, computer system expenses, certain insurance premiums, accounting fees, payroll taxes, bank charges, repairs/maintenance, meals & entertainment, owner compensation/draws, and other costs).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 73/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +30 franchised outlets in the latest year (32 opened, 2 closed); 22 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 6100.0% CAGR over 3 years with 64 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Insulation Commandos Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Commando Holdings, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2026 FDD
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Dustin Ingle
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 1170 Dunlop Lane, Building 300, Clarksville, Tennessee 37043
- Auditor
- DA Advisory Group
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.5M
- vs $1.1M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Commando IP
- currently offer
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Dustin Ingle
- Headquarters
- Tennessee
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 13
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 119% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $65K | $65K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $50K | $120K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $105K | $330K |
| Total initial investment | $220K | $515K |
Source: INSULATION COMMANDOS 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $220K – $515K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $120K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $65K – $65K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $0 – $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for INSULATION COMMANDOS is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one INSULATION COMMANDOS unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 also discloses per-job KPIs (Average/Highest/Lowest/Median Ticket, jobs completed, % of tickets meeting/exceeding average, Average Revenue Per Truck) which are per-transaction/per-vehicle metrics, not whole-unit revenue, and were excluded from avg_gross_sales per extraction rules. The disclosed 'Gross Revenue Less COGS, Other Disclosed Expenses & Imputed Fees' line is not a true franchisee net income/bottom line because Note F states it excludes numerous operating costs (office supplies, telephone, computer system expenses, certain insurance premiums, accounting fees, payroll taxes, bank charges, repairs/maintenance, meals & entertainment, owner compensation/draws, and other costs).
Includes company-owned outlets
- Item 19 type
- Total Revenue paired with a disclosed bottom line, 'Gross Revenue Less COGS, Other Disclosed Expenses & Imputed Fees,' presented one business at a time for the 2025 Measurement Period (1/1/2025-12/31/2025): six Reporting Franchised Businesses operating 25 territories between them, plus a separate panel for the one Affiliate-Owned Business. Franchised revenue ran $430,101 (Business #5, 4 territories, 1 truck, 5.8% left after disclosed costs) to $1,335,875 (Business #6), and the filing prints no average, median or combined row at all. The cohort is 6 of 16 franchisees - only those open the entire 2025 calendar year, less one that did not report full-year figures; 9 franchisees operating 37 territories were excluded as not open all year. The disclosed bottom line is not net profit: Note F says it excludes office supplies, telephone, computer, some insurance premiums, accounting, payroll taxes, bank charges, repairs, meals, owners' compensation and draws, and Note G says it excludes taxes.
- Range (low → high)
- $430K→$1.3MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 61 of the 2026 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 319 Home Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% (near the Home Services median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports revenue alongside profit figures rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 6100.0% CAGR over 3 years across 64 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services medians
How Insulation Commandos Compares
Category median of published Home Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 64
- Opened
- 32
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.1%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 2
- Signed, not yet open
- 22
- 0.34 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 22
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 13 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
13
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 5 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 5
- Loan volume
- $1.5M
- Median loan
- $350K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (5)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 5 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (5)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (5)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Insulation Commandos presents moderate-to-high risk due to explosive unsustainable growth metrics, lack of transparent financial performance disclosures, and high capital requirements relative to verifiable profitability claims.
Why this reads harsher than the A grade: the grade weighs financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency across the whole filing, while this summary lists individual flags without that weighting. The flags are worth checking with current owners; neither is investment advice.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · DA Advisory Group
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 73 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORExplosive unit growth of 3100% YoY suggests either newly launched franchise system or severe data anomaly — growth this extreme is unsustainable and indicates instability
- 02MEDMinimum royalty structure not disclosed — if monthly minimum is high, could create cash flow pressure for early-stage locations
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 350,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 60 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 28 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 7 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | State court of general jurisdiction closest to franchisor headquarters (Clarksville, TN) or U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | TN |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 44 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- Clarksville, Tennessee (designated training facility) plus remote virtual training
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee, subject to franchisor approval of site and demographic criteria
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- CRM Software Platform
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CRM Software Platform
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
2 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a INSULATION COMMANDOS franchise?
The total investment to open a INSULATION COMMANDOS franchise ranges from $220K – $515K, with an initial franchise fee of $65K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do INSULATION COMMANDOS franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the INSULATION COMMANDOS FDD discloses outlet figures from $430K to $1.3M but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns INSULATION COMMANDOS?
INSULATION COMMANDOS is franchised by Insulation Commandos Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Commando Holdings, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the INSULATION COMMANDOS FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the INSULATION COMMANDOS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is INSULATION COMMANDOS's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for INSULATION COMMANDOS (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many INSULATION COMMANDOS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, INSULATION COMMANDOS has 64 total units in the United States, including 62 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 32 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is INSULATION COMMANDOS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates INSULATION COMMANDOS as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 73 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.