got quotes to drywall my unfinished basement and theyre all around $12-15k just for the drywall portion. its about 900 sq ft with 8 foot ceilings and one bathroom rough in. ive done small patches and repairs before but never hung a full sheet in my life. the youtube guys make it look so easy but im looking at this basement thinking theres no way i can do this. anyone here actually finish their own basement? how bad was it? im trying to figure out if i save $10k or just create a $10k mess
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Did my 1100 sq ft basement last summer. took me about 6 weekends for hanging and another 4 for taping/finishing. Honestly the hanging part isnt that hard if you have a buddy help with the ceiling sheets. Buy a drywall lift for the ceiling, dont try to muscle 4x12 sheets up there with a tbar like i did the first day. almost dropped one on my head lol. The finishing is where most people struggle but your basement walls dont need to be perfect. nobody is examining them with a flashlight
6 weekends for hanging is way less than i expected. did you use 4x8 or 4x12 sheets? and what did you spend on materials total if you dont mind
used 4x12 for the long walls and ceiling to minimize seams. 4x8 for the shorter walls and around the bathroom. total materials was around $3200 including mud tape screws and the lift rental. so yeah saved about $9-10k doing it myself
my husband does this for a living and ill be honest he would tell you to hire it out. not because you cant do it but because basements have specific challenges. moisture is the big one. you need to make sure your vapor barrier situation is right before any drywall goes up or youll have mold in 2 years. also if you have any ductwork or pipes running along the ceiling framing around those is tricky. the flat walls are the easy part
heres what i wish someone told me before i did my basement. do the walls yourself and hire out the ceiling. ceiling drywall is brutal, heavy, awkward, and the taping has to be way better because light hits it at angles that show every flaw. i did my whole basement myself and the ceiling took longer than all 4 walls combined. if i did it again id pay someone to do just the ceiling and do the walls myself. youd still save a ton of money
thats actually a really smart compromise i hadnt thought of. wonder if a drywaller would even take a job thats just a ceiling though
some will some wont. smaller guys doing side work are usually more flexible. i found a guy on nextdoor who wouldve done just the ceiling for $2800. kicking myself for not going that route
i did my basement with zero experience 3 years ago. its not perfect but my family uses it every single day and nobody cares about the slightly uneven seam behind the tv. biggest tip: watch vancouver carpenter on youtube before you start. that guy explains stuff better than anyone and saved me from so many mistakes. also get a cordless drywall screw gun, dont try using a regular drill. makes a huge difference in speed and consistency