Looking for input on drywall bid

[ich_liebe_meine_arbeit]

I have a two bay garage, simple split level house. 7' ceiling height and I'm looking to have drywall installed on 3/4 of the ceiling. Want to leave 1/4 that has all of the exposed plumbing for the above bathrooms open for easy access during bathroom remodel that will be happening down the road. My father and I measured and rounded up 10% for safety and came up with 12 sheets of 4'x8' 5/8"drywall.

I have spoke with 4 different companies about this job, only one guy has gotten back to me and given me a bid of $425 for materials and labor, says he can get it done in an evening or two.

I have a couple of buddies who may be able to come and help me do it in an evening. I'm figuring $150 in materials for the drywall and screws. Does ~$275 labor for such a job sound low, high, about right? Should I just sack up and try to conquer this with my buddies?

 

[7th Kahuna]

That doesn't sound too bad to me. I haven't bid a lot of residential work, but for commercial, $350 was basically the minimum charge. The other consideration is we are talking about a ceiling. I expect if you were experienced, you wouldn't be asking this question. Ceilings are a royal pain in the a** if you don't know what your doing. Too much mud means sanding, sanding, sanding, which in turn means a crook in the neck and so forth. Ceilings aren't fun even if you do, there's the lifting and looking up for hours. $250 to $275 to have someone else do it could very well seem like a bargain in hind sight.

If you weren't intending to mud it at this time, then that's a different story. I would probably grab the friends and do it. (But then I'm stupid that way. )

 

[Fixed]

Is the contractor picking up the material, or would you have to? Is he legit (insured, etc), or is this a cash job on the side? Is the area under the ceiling to be rocked completely cleared? Are the joists all straight, or will shimming be necessary? All of that kind of **** goes into figuring out a quote, so it's hard to say...

If it was me, I would do it. But only because I already own a drywall lift... if I didn't, well, doing it is a pain in the ***, and buying/renting the lift + value of my time would make the DIY option feel like it wasn't worth it.

I'm not a pro though, so just my 2 cents.

EDIT: & I assume from the OP's post that he's just talking about putting up the sheetrock. If that price includes tape & mud (guessing it doesn't since there's a space being left open), then for good work that would be a steal.

 

[7th Kahuna]

It does beg a question though. What is the time frame for the bathroom remodel? There are two reasons for attached garages being drywalled and neither is appearance. One as you may well know, is to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the living space. If you ever warm up your car in the garage in the morning, that can certainly be an issue. The second and more important (in my mind) is the threat of fire. Having seen two parked cars burst into flame over the years, I am very conscious of the fire issue. Fortunately neither was in a garage at the time, though one destroyed a carport. If that bathroom remodel was too far off in the future, I'd go ahead and drywall the whole thing. Take pictures and measurement so you know what to open up when the time comes. Drywall repairs are really nothing to be afraid of, especially if your walls are untextured.

 

[ich_liebe_meine_arbeit]

Thanks for the quick replies guys! The quote is for just hanging the drywall, no taping, no mud, no finish work. Also, we don't park our daily driven vehicles in the garage at this time. One is a weekend/fun day driver that gets taken out a couple of days a month at max. The other is a shell of a car with no drive train in it at the moment. It is on dollies so it can and will be rolled out on the drive way for the work. The house was built in the 60's? So I assume the joists are not all even, but I'm honestly not that concerned with the overall appearance. Just want to cover up the paperback insulation and be able to get better lighting in so I can actually work on stuff. The bid came from a guy and it would be a cash on the side job, I doubt he is insured on his own.

I think I'm going to try it tomorrow evening with my friends. My brain wondered into the territory of not wanting to have a couple of dudes I don't know knowing what all I have in my garage. I hate to be that way, but these days you never know.

 

[BADSIX]

call a rental place and see what it cost to rent a sheet rock jack, it makes putting sheet rock up almost fun.
Jay D.

 

[Playwme]

For that price I'd pay the guy. Don't forget, your buddies labour won't be free, you'll have to help them out with a job later on.

 

[7th Kahuna]

My brain wondered into the territory of not wanting to have a couple of dudes I don't know knowing what all I have in my garage. I hate to be that way, but these days you never know.

call a rental place and see what it cost to rent a sheet rock jack, it makes putting sheet rock up almost fun.
Jay D.

I support both notions. The jacks are inexpensive and can be rented at Home Depot if you have one with a tool rental section. Otherwise I would guess most rental yards would have them. I have never used one myself, it has always been the labor of family, but I suspect you might be able to do it on your own if you had one. Consider grabbing a chalk line or a piece of 1 x 2 and a pencil to mark the joist lines. It can make screwing the ceilings a bit easier when you're standing on a ladder and can't get a clear view. Good luck.

 

[mattygee]

Don't know how detailed your bid was or what the building codes are out that way but in these parts you need to have 2 layers of drywall in a garage ceiling that has living space above. Just thinking if that's that's the case out your way also, the contractor may have been quoting for 2 layer.

 

[Thumper68]

With only a 7' ceiling height you and your buddies should be able to knock out 12 sheets in a couple of hours, no ladders or lift needed.

 

[maxpower_hd]

Don't know how detailed your bid was or what the building codes are out that way but in these parts you need to have 2 layers of drywall in a garage ceiling that has living space above. Just thinking if that's that's the case out your way also, the contractor may have been quoting for 2 layer.

I'm in MA also and here I was required to use one layer but it had to be 5/8 which is what the OP is using. I am assuming it is for the same reason since there would be no other reason to EFF with 5/8. The double layer is if you use 3/8.

Depending on how many friends are helping you may be able to get by without a lift. Hanging 5/8 overhead ***** which is why some folks double up 3/8. I only had one person to help at the time so we ended up borrowing a lift and that made a HUGE different.

I would do it myself if you are able.

 

[jetnow1]

I installed 5/8 in a 30 by 24 garage by myself using my drywall lift. Only way to go if you
have a clear floor. For what you have to do one man and a lift will work, two guys will make it easier to lift the drywall onto the lift and much faster to screw it off.

 

[APEowner]

There is no way I would do automotive work in an attached garage that wasn't fully drywalled. Do the whole thing now.

I'd do it myself but the one bid you got is in the ballpark but without competitive bids there's no way to really know if it's reasonable for the area.

 

[nh_yota]

Instead of renting a lift you can make a jack out of a couple of 2x4's in a T shape, however a lift works better if you're doing it alone.

 

[finn]

My wife and I installed ceilings in four rooms and two hall alcoves in our "project house " this spring, with a lift

She would vehemently assert that your quote for 12 sheets of 5/8" is a bargain, and I would agree.

 

[Casey69]

With only a 7' ceiling height you and your buddies should be able to knock out 12 sheets in a couple of hours, no ladders or lift needed.

agreed. i'd have him do it if if he was supplying the materials, taping & mudding, for $425. just screwing it to the ceiling isn't worth his bid.

you could buy all the materials & this lift for <$200 (with a coupon) & sell it on CL when you're finished too, & still be below his bid:
http://www.harborfreight.com/drywall-panel-hoist-69377.html

 

[Whitworth]

I'd want it hung, taped and at least two coats of cucka for that price. But that's me.

 

[James-W]

I have a feeling that if you do it yourself, you will wish you had paid the money and hired it done. I helped a buddy drywall one room and ceiling in his house and we used a lift. I was pretty darn tired and had some really sore arms and neck by the time we got done. It isn't all that difficult to do, but unless you do this type of work all the time you will be using muscles you don't normally use and that can be a bit painful the next morning.

 

[jd_1138]

Sounds like a fair price. You're paying for his expertise, tools, truck costs/maintenance, overhead (workman's comp, health insurance), business taxes, time to go fetch the materials, loading/unloading, etc..

 

[jd_1138]

I have a feeling that if you do it yourself, you will wish you had paid the money and hired it done. I helped a buddy drywall one room and ceiling in his house and we used a lift. I was pretty darn tired and had some really sore arms and neck by the time we got done. It isn't all that difficult to do, but unless you do this type of work all the time you will be using muscles you don't normally use and that can be a bit painful the next morning.

Yep. When I was out helping to do some work at my mom's new house, I'd wake up sore the next day as if I'd been in a fight. Knees, back, arms, etc.. Construction is brutal on the body.

 

[Know Wosad]

Do it all now and take pictures. Cut access back in for the works if-when it ever happens to the bathroom.
If you cut it right the replacing is easy. No big deal.

 

[Know Wosad]

BTW. Going rate to hang and finish 5/8 x 12 footer on a ceiling is about $15 a sheet in my hood.
Go buy the materials and get them to the house. Call a drywall-plaster dealer for the names of a couple guys who hang and finish by the sheet. They'll have a minimum but do the math. thats a bang it out job and you'll be pissed(and amazed) how fast they can do it.
Forget "carpenters' and know it alls. Get guys that do hundreds of sheets a week and nothing much else.

 

[ratdoggy]

Rent a lift...Drywalling a ceiling any other way *****

 

[ich_liebe_meine_arbeit]

Well we stuck to the original plan and I had the help of my father and 3 brother in laws. We got the majority of the section done we wanted to do less a few small cut pieces which I can do on my own or with the help of one other person.

It is certainly one of those jobs where about 3/4 of the way through the thought did cross my mind that I wished I would have paid someone to do it. That being said I'm glad I did it the way we did. Everyone enjoyed spending the time together, I saved some money and am happy with the results. I did wake up a little sore, but that wore off around lunch time and now almost back to normal.

 

[DalyArcher]

Boarding it is the easy part. Mudding it and having it look proper is an art. I remember the first time we hired a mudder to finish a site for us. UNBELIEVABLY FAST! He was done first coat on 15 offices in the time I may have been able to do 3.

There are lots of tricks to do with consistency of mud, laying the right amount down and most of all, knowing when to stop damn well messing with it! I don't mind mudding walls, and have gotten pretty decent at it, but I think I may hire someone to tape and mud the ceiling in my cabinet shop when it comes time for it.

 

[sberry]

Most jobs like that take more time to price and mess with finding someone than it worth plus you got to pay. It would be done before all that happened and with several guys and a couple t posts it would be easy enough. If you wanted to pay then you had a chance for about as good as it gets for a guy to step out and do a relatively small job and guys who "handle hundreds of sheets a week" aint gonna want to fug wit it.

 

[ich_liebe_meine_arbeit]

Most jobs like that take more time to price and mess with finding someone than it worth plus you got to pay. It would be done before all that happened and with several guys and a couple t posts it would be easy enough. If you wanted to pay then you had a chance for about as good as it gets for a guy to step out and do a relatively small job and guys who "handle hundreds of sheets a week" aint gonna want to fug wit it.

You hit the nail on the head. I called a number of places and people (more than 6) who were recommended via a post I put on the local facebook swap and shop over the course of about 3 weeks and only ended up with the one bid! The next soonest guy was 3 weeks out from when we ended up doing it last night! I guess it is good to be a sheet rock guy in KC right now. There is a lot of new construction going up, large apartments, high end homes etc, so I do believe they're probably keeping busy. If a guy is making good money I can respect his time and desire to spend it with his family or sitting on his *** drinking a beer and fishing. I'll post pics once I get my lights up.

 

[scottydosnntkno]

Construction anywhere in the country is booming right now. So many people still think contractors sit at home waiting for their phone to ring and should be glad for the opportunity to work on your house.

Our mid to high end remodeling company has been running 10-16 week lead times since May, 2015. No winter slow down, no lulls. Just non stop work. I could sell twice as much work if I could hire the guys to do it. Everyone is super super busy