On facade work, profit is usually lost not to low rates but to lines left out of the estimate: scaffolding hire time, the plinth, window sills and flashings.
If you are looking for what facade insulation costs per square metre rather than how to price it, see our construction calculators.
Sections for an ETICS facade
Scaffolding — erection, dismantling and hire for the period; preparation — removing old render, washing, priming, crack repair; insulation — bonding and fixing boards per m², material and labour separately; reinforcement — base coat with mesh, corner and drip profiles, reveals in linear metres; finish — primer and decorative render; the plinth as its own section with XPS and plinth profile; sheet-metal work — sills, reveal flashings and relocating the rainwater system to suit the new insulation thickness; plus waste removal and protective netting.
Ventilated facades change half the lines
Brackets and rails, wind barrier membrane, the ventilation cavity and cladding with its own fixing system. The substructure is the line most often underpriced, because its cost depends heavily on how uneven the wall is.
Units
Facade planes in m²; reveals, profiles, sills and the plinth line in linear metres; scaffolding in m² or days. Forcing everything into m² is what makes quantities fall apart in the first dispute.
See also LBN 501-17 and overheads and profit.