Drywall Installation per sheet cost


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Old 03-19-06, 04:51 PM
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Question Drywall Installation per sheet cost

I have a bid to finish my house at $30/sheet. Includes hanging, taping, and ceiling texture and clean up.

The work includes a 2 story atrium, a kitchen, dining room a master bedroom and hallways.

Walls are 9' & 8'. There are a lot of windows.

Thoughts on the price? - it is a guranteed job.

Thanks
 
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Old 03-19-06, 05:11 PM
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Assuming they are using 4x12 sheets, it seems like a good price (for my area SE PA) it is a real good price. (If I bid that I would lose money)

A 4x12 sheet costs $13, mud and tape $2, (bead $1). So half is materials, and $7.50 to hang and $7.50 to finish would have to be non tax paying around here, as 40% goes out in taxes, leaving a hanger with about $4 per sheet labor. It takes 2 people to hang it, leaving one person $2 per sheet for 10-15 minutes work.

Would you haul 92 pounds of sheetrock up a scaffold and hold it on the ceiling with one hand while you screw it in with another for $2?

So to answer your question, yes... it's a very good price (around here)...

(and I didn't even mention corner bead at $5 per stick, or anything in regard to texturing, as that would come off the $2 labor)

Around here a 4x12 is about $48 to the homeowner. Ceilings over 8' cost more per room.

I hope this helps.
 
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Old 03-20-06, 05:09 AM
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Clarification

The materials (at least the sheets) are not included in the price.

The sheets are a mixture of 8', 9' and 12'. Primarily 8'

Thanks

Sounds like not such a great deal now.
 
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Old 03-20-06, 06:50 PM
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If you look at $48/sheet (4x12), the labor is usually just about $30. Ceilings over 8 foot tall generally run $100 per foot, per room, over 8'. In turn, each room with 9'ceilings costs $100 more, each room with 10' ceilings costs $200 more.

As you said you have a number of high ceilings, it sounds as though they gave the extra work in a "per sheet" manner, rather than per room.

They are also including texturing, which is rarely (virtually never) done in my area, as any ceiling with texture on it is assumed to be damaged and then covered rather than fixed right. (It doesn't mean it was, it's just assumed to be that)

Finishing tall vaulted ceilings is a pain, which they have also included, and off angles (where the wall meets a non-90 ceiling also takes more work to do it right.)

In short, the price you got doesn't seem outrageous, but you are not getting it "for free" either. If it did include sheetrock I would be suspect; as again, I would lose money if I did it for that price.

As it takes virtually the same amount of work to install a 12' sheet as it does an 8', all new construction is done with 12'rs. If they need an 8' sheet, then it is cut from the 12. The logistics of trying to buy just the right amount of each isn't worth the labor to move each sheet to the right room, and if they scrap an 8, they will be cutting down a 9, 10, or 12 to get another one anyway.

In a new house, about 10% scrap for drywall is about right, (when we order it), so a 1900 square foot house has about 180 boards, with about 18 going into the dumpster in bits and pieces and 1/2 sheets. The last thing anyone wants is 6 guys sitting around waiting for more drywall to get there because 18 boards is about $200, but that gets eaten if they waste 1/2 day, not to mention the need to "patchwork" the last room because they don't have enough big pieces to do it right.

Good luck, and please let us know how it turns out!

I hope this helps
 
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Old 03-21-06, 08:37 AM
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I agree with mudslinger on using 12' sheets. Not only that, if you have 9' ceilings, you can order sheets wider than 48", so that you don't have an extra seam.
 
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Old 03-21-06, 11:21 AM
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Thanks to all

More background, if you need it:
  • I had planned on doing this myself
  • I have gotten about 3 rooms done
  • Wife is tired of living in a house of sticks
  • About 90% of the drywall is already purchsed.
  • I screwed up and did not order the 54" wide stuff, but got 9' for vertical installation.
  • I screwed up and did not get enough 12'.

Thanks again. I am getting a couple of more bids to verify the price.
 
 

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