To calculate the cost to install drywall depends on the size and the complexity of the job. There are jobs that are easy in standard regular rooms and others present difficulties such as arches and non-standard dimensions.
According to Homeadvisor, the cost to install drywall is $2 per square foot. Drywall Price Guide proposes a price between $1.30 and $4.00 per square foot. The cost per panel ranges from $60 to $90 after adding material and labor.
The cost to drywall a whole house ranges from $5,000 to $30,000. You need to take into account the size of the house, the materials needed and the number and types of rooms or spaces involved. For example, it is a different job to install drywall on a ceiling than doing it on a bathroom.
A regular 12 by 12 foot room would need 18 panels. This would place the cost of the entire room somewhere between $1.000 and $1.600.
To drywall a Garage it is recommended to use fire-resistant panels, which cost up to 50% percent more. Depending on the number of cars it could cost somewhere between $1200 and $5100.
A basement will require moisture resistant panels, a 10% percent more expensive. The average cost will be between $6500 and $18500.
You can determine yourself the cost of the drywall by measuring each wall or section of ceiling, adding up the square footages and adding an 8% for waste.
For walls multiply the length by the height of each wall. Then measure and subtract the area of windows, doors and other surfaces that won’t be covered in drywall.
For ceilings the same principle applies. Since it is sometimes hard to measure the ceiling, you can measure the floor instead, then adding a 10% if the ceiling presents a vault shape. If the slope is steep, better add 30%.
To accurately calculate the estimate you should consider:
- Materials, which vary in the dimensions and types of the panels.
- The Transportation of the materials and equipment to the job site.
- Preparation of existing structures and finishes to protect them.
- Labor setup and mobilization time.
- Following Clean-up and removal of debris.