shocked at a drywall quote

[Gnfantic]

Hey guys. I am still looking into options on how to finish my walls and ceiling. So for the hell of it I asked a professional drywall guy to give me a quote on installation and tape. I buy ALL materials, he wants $50 for every board (4x8x10) installed and taped. So $4000 to drywall my garage with me supplying all materials. I am shocked on the price, is this a fair price?

 

[NUTTSGT]

Well, considering you're in Long Island, I'm not surprised.

 

[machsnell]

My buddy who is a builder pays 15 a sheet install tape and mud. He buys all materials

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[marineman]

How big is the garage? Doesn't seem too far out of line. I paid $500 for just the walls in a bedroom hung and taped. I'll gladly pay it again when I get to the next room. Not many projects I enjoy less than drywall and mudding.

 

[Gnfantic]

I need to buy 80 boards on my own plus mid and tape. Talking about 6k to sheetrock s 28x32 garage with 19ft ceiling. Its nuts

 

[The Cobbler]

thats about $2 per sqft and you have tall ceiling.

 

[56Mark]

I think the going rate around here for labor only to hang, tape, mud, and finish sand is about $1/sq ft. So a 4 x 10 sheet would be about $40.

 

[engineer2]

I've found busy contractors will quote high just to see if you'll take the bait. If you do, it's gravy for them. I got quoted as high as $4000 to paint the trim on my house with me supplying the paint. Found a crew for $700 and it was a good job.

 

[argulator]

The labor quote for drywall on my 24x30x10 was $1800. Around $43/sheet if my calcs are correct. That's in Ok City

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[DieselNut88]

That price sound right.

 

[yeldogt]

My buddy who is a builder pays 15 a sheet install tape and mud. He buys all materials

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And what's it look like ....

 

[HotrodHR]

My detached shop was built when my house was built. This builder doesn't normally finish the detached garages and I was planning to do it myself, until I got the builder's quote: $1200 bucks. The was for a 24'x24'x12.5' shop; they insulated the walls and attic, mud and finished the Sheetrock, painted, and even installed base molding.

This was 7 years ago, and maybe they gave me a break on price or covered it somewhere else in the, either way I could not have done the job for that price.

I think $4k, even in Long Island, is way too much. As someone mentioned they might have quoted the high price to see if you'd bite. We have a ton of construction work available here in northern Alabama and I know some contractors pick and chose their work. Call a contractor around here that advertises "no job too big or too small" with a small job and after they stop by for a quote (if they even show up), you'll never see them again.

 

[Zeke]

I would ask to go look at a job or 2 that this contractor has done recently. Tell him you just want to see the finish and see what the floors looked like when they left.

Then ask the owner of that job how many the contractor has on a crew and how long they were there. With that and the size of the job (should come out somewhere during casual conversation) you can back out the per sheet figure and compare.

Drywall is objective and you can do this whereas painting can be very subjective and comparisons can be worthless. Roofing is objective and landscaping is not. You get the idea.

 

[ezover]

50 bucks a sheet fair or not I have no clue, but at that price I would have to grunt it out myself even if it took a few months.

 

[burleyfarm]

Get at lease two more quotes to compare.



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[Higgins]

$40 a sheet is reasonable. Once the ceilings go above 10Ft and require scaffolding, it will go to $50 a sheet!

 

[Super Mech]

Read this about 15 minutes ago and called a dry good friend of mine who is a retired taper. Probably one of the best around. He said that is a good price with ceilings that high. He’s from NY also.

 

[2level]

$1.25/sf for hanging, taping, and a smooth final finish? It's about the same going rate here. ~8k sf of drywall in my shop was going to run about 10k. I turned it into a DIY project.

 

[yeldogt]

It's the height .... most of my projects have high ceilings ...more money.

 

[Higgins]

IF you have a couple of GOOD FRIENDS you can use a DW lift, and need Sky Jack. Two on the floor to put DW on the lift and lift it to the ceiling. then the person on the lift gets to glue and screw the DW to the ceiling. You can do it, but it will take you a couple of weekends to do the ceiling....

 

[scottydosnntkno]

For that small of a job that’s a good price considering the high ceilings, and I’m in michigan for comparison.

It varies a lot based on the job size and complexity but in new construction typically under 15k board ft is $2/ft installed and finished (including board) so your right there at 1.25/ft plus the board (.20/ft) and mud and tape.

Over 15k-40k board feet is closer to 1.50 all in, but those are the better jobs where the finishes are already working before the hangers are even done hanging all the rooms so it keeps the crews busy in one spot for a couple weeks

 

[pbon]

For 16’ ceilings, the contractor will have to bring in scaffolding. Stilts won’t get a person that high. It might be at the higher end because it will take longer. The builder who pays $15 per 4x8 might give the contractor $50k or more in business a year. And the contractor might charge more than $15 per sheet for a job with 16’ ceilings.

 

[cupcakemike]

I remodeled my basement a few years back, ended up needing about 40 sheets (around 1300 sq ft) hung, no ceilings but quite a bit of seaming/feathering required. I got 5 quotes, and the best one I got was $3800, they provided everything and $2800 if I provided and stocked the drywall. That works out to $3/sqft all in or about $2/sqft with me providing the board. This was crazy to me, as my dad has been retired from contracting for just a few years and said the most he would bid my job was $2/sqft (all in) and thats if he didnt want to do it.

I did drywall for several years when i was younger, working for him, but its been about 15 years since I've done it on a regular basis. I purchased all the materials and special tools and spent $600. Took me about 3 weeks (on days off), probably would've taken pros 4 days. My job was not perfect but its one of those things people don't really notice the seams unless i point them out and 5 years later no cracks. I'll take it.

 

[Bruce 993 SEA]

All good advice has been previously posted up.

I ran my estimating program on this job and your quote is fair.

You have a classic case of Make/Buy going on.

On one hand if you are working 60 - 70 hours a week and make big money then maybe it is best to have it done. If you have lots of free time and some cronies, could be a good chance to DIY.

You will likely be somewhere in the middle. If you DIY, as has been mentioned previously, a DW lift could be rented and have your buddies come over on a weekend and get the ceiling done first. Then the walls could be done without the time restraint of the rental.

Drywall is labor intensive and is broken up into pretty finite tasks. Delivery, hanging, mud and tape and texture.

You are already responsible for delivery. That is 40 trips back and forth to get it in place...with someone on the other end of a 2 sheet bundle. Plus hauling with your pickup. Most pros use a drywall supplier with a crane to get it in the rooms where it will be used.

Oh, wait it is a garage. You could have it dropped in the driveway or even better just inside the garage for weather protection.

You could look for some construction going on around you and find a hanging crew. They will usually work for cash. Same thing with a mud crew.

Anyhow, let us know what direction you go.

Cheers!

 

[rustyjames]

19' ceiling? I can see that kind of pricing.

 

[scottydosnntkno]

For 16’ ceilings, the contractor will have to bring in scaffolding. Stilts won’t get a person that high. It might be at the higher end because it will take longer. The builder who pays $15 per 4x8 might give the contractor $50k or more in business a year. And the contractor might charge more than $15 per sheet for a job with 16’ ceilings.

Your numbers are just a little off. I don’t think anywhere in America, there are guys hanging and finishing drywall for $.50/ft. I know my guy gets $1.20 from Pulte, but they only use that as filler work because it’s always there and available. The going rate is 1.50-2/ft minimum currently at least in MI.

And 50k/yr is peanuts to a production drywaller. Thats the equivalent of two small ranches here. I have another guy who has 35 guys on his drywall crews and they hang and finish 2-300k ft a month usually. It’s crazy what they do

 

[Gnfantic]

So to save $4000 I am going to either put LP smartsiding on the walls or t1-11. I am also going to save money by installing Roxul batt inslation instead of spray foam. This garage stuff can get out of hand

 

[rburke65]

White metal ceiling liner and the Smart siding...I did mine.love it.

 

[mike1956]

Well, considering you're in Long Island, I'm not surprised.

Rubbish

 

[scottydosnntkno]

So to save $4000 I am going to either put LP smartsiding on the walls or t1-11. I am also going to save money by installing Roxul batt inslation instead of spray foam. This garage stuff can get out of hand

Is it attached or detached? If attached, and in a permitted county (like LI is I’m sure) you have to have at least 5/8” type x fire resistant drywall on any wall that touches the house or attic. Smart side won’t pass inspection as it burns

 

[skulldrinker]

I did my 2-1/2 car garage myself. Just Fire-taped it. Why in hell does it have to look like my livingroom. If I could do it all over i would use plywood.

 

[ard]

So to save $4000 I am going to either put LP smartsiding on the walls or t1-11. I am also going to save money by installing Roxul batt inslation instead of spray foam. This garage stuff can get out of hand

Understand that the sealed and painted face of drywall is a vapor barrier.

If you are not doing sheetrock, consider what replaces the VB,

 

[Bad00SS]

I need to buy 80 boards on my own plus mid and tape. Talking about 6k to sheetrock s 28x32 garage with 19ft ceiling. Its nuts

my quote I just got for my 28x32 was $3,800 cash deal so it was discounted a little for walls and ceiling. I cant swing it so I grabbed 20 sheets on my own from menards for $260 and had a crew of Mexican guys hang the ceiling so far for $400 cash. looks good so far.

 

[edcantu9]

Sounds like DIYing if possible should be considered. Take the savings and go on a vacation!

 

[fasteddie]

Sounds like DIYing if possible should be considered. Take the savings and go on a vacation!

Or use the savings to pay the chiropractor.

 

[86turbodsl]

My 3000ft house was 10K taped mudded and finished. It was a LOT of board.

 

[countrysquire]

I can't remember now what I paid per sheet when I did my garage addition, but what I do remember is that they charged by the sheet, no matter the size, so it was a substantial savings using 12' sheets versus 8'.