subject: Exploring The Cost Of Drywall Installation [print this page] A lot of people have asked us recently what the cost of drywall is and how to save money on a drywall installation. With the economy where it is many of us are doing our own home improvement projects and not paying for time and labor for someone else to do it like we might have a few years ago. Depending on why you need to reinstall drywall in your home or business, you might be able to save money on the cost.
Typically drywall ranges anywhere from $0.60 to $1.00 per square foot. Now these prices could increase or decrease depending on where in the country you live, the availability of drywall at the time, any cost associated with the delivery of the drywall, and a number of other factors. You will also need to consider the removal of the old drywall (if there is any) and probably some expense for a dumpster to haul away the old materials.
You also need to consider the expense you will incur for any supplies you might need for a drywall installation. Let's say you want to do an entire room, you might need to buy a ladder, a hammer, drywall screws, and plaster, and if you are planning on replacing the ceiling you might need to buy a lift or a second ladder for your helpers to use. You won't spend a ton of money on all of these things but these little expenses really add up.
Before you actually buy anything you should also compare prices for local contractors. If you live in an area that has a lot of contractor competition you might be able to negotiate a similar price to what you would have paid to do it yourself. Remember, these contractors do it for a living so they have all the equipment and they know how to do things much faster than you do.
There are other ways to save money on a wall remodel too. For example if you are thinking of replacing a wall or a room full because you accidentally knocked a hole in the wall you definitely don't need to buy sheets of drywall, you can instead buy a patch kit for around $20-30 and repaint the wall. More often than not you won't even notice that there was a hole in there previously.
Overall, drywall is a really inexpensive fix and can make a big difference for the look of your home, but don't underestimate the cost of the supplies you may need to buy in order to do the job yourself. Shop around with your local drywall contractors and see if you can get a similar price from them. Do it yourself home improvements are great, but if having someone else do it is only a few extra dollars why bother?
