About Us

Established in 1981, Dan Gardner Drywall has provided the Cedar Rapids area with drywall installation, repair, and maintenance services and more for almost 40 years. Throughout the years, Dan has added to his services portfolio to include EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) and spray foam insulation to better serve the needs of his customers. In 2008, Dan became the first Certified Green Professional in his field for eco-friendly, green practices.

As a full service drywall company, Dan Gardner Drywall is dedicated to being reliable, punctual, responsible, polite, and clean. Dan has been active with the local Home Builders Association since 1984 and has been on the Board of Directors for all but four of those years. He has earned the honor of Associate of the Year in 1998 and 2008 for his dedication and donated time and efforts with numerous Home Builders Association events and committees. Through his membership with the Greater Cedar Rapids Area HBA, Dan is proud to have had an impact on the following charities and organizations:

Drywall Prices Cedar Rapids

What Affects Drywall Prices?

Homeowners trying to add drywall to their home may not fully understand the different factors that affect these prices. This lack of knowledge can be costly because you can end up having to pay a lot of money for this installation and suffering from a bloated budget. As a result, you need to understand what factors affect drywall prices in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Doing so helps to make sure that you don’t spend too much on a process that can be quite costly otherwise.

Typical Average Costs

When you are considering drywall prices, there are a few different factors to consider. However, the national averages for these costs are pretty cut and dry and easy to understand. As of 2019, drywall installation costs about $2.12 per square foot. This average is garnered from tracking the different prices available around the nation, adding them up, and dividing by the number of prices. This information gives a fairly reasonable idea of what you can expect to pay.

However, there are many other factors to consider here before choosing a contractor. First of all, the minimum per-square-foot cost is around $1.20 in the nation as of 2019. And the maximum price found was approximately $3.00. The typical range that you can see from most installation experts is around $1.60 to $2.35 per square foot. Again, these prices do vary heavily based on many different factors, each of which is important to consider when budgeting for your drywall project.

As a result, you should read on to learn more about what is causing your drywall to go up in price when you install it. These factors can change depending on your project and may be hard for some people to understand. Thankfully, most of these elements are surprisingly simple and shouldn’t take a rocket scientist or a drywall professional to comprehend. Fully grasping them can make finding a contractor a more straightforward process for you and your family to handle.

Costs Per Drywall Sheet

The first factor to consider when gauging drywall prices is the cost of each sheet that you install. These sheets are much larger than a square foot and will cover a fairly extensive area in your home. And their prices can vary quite heavily depending on many different factors. As of 2019, the average price for drywall sheets is around $11.25 per sheet. However, the costs typically range from about $9.50 to $18, so make sure that you take these factors into account when budgeting.

What affects the price of your drywall sheets so much? Typically, the brand will profoundly affect how much your installers charge. Some brands are more expensive than others due to that ever-present brand awareness angle. Other experts charge more due to drywall thickness. Some sheets are thicker than others and cost more because they provide more protection. Thankfully, your drywall experts often know where to buy drywall in bulk and can save you money in this way.

How many sheets can you anticipate using in a standard room? Experts state that in a 12-foot square room, you would use 12 total panels for the walls. You would then use five more for the ceiling to make it stronger. So you would use a total of 17 panels on a room of this size. Multiply the cost of each panel by the total number of panels to get an estimate on how much the entire room costs. You then need to extend this estimate to every room getting drywall in your home to get the best guess.

Drywall Expert Labor Costs

Next, you need to consider how much the labor is going to cost. These prices will highly vary depending on the experts, but as of 2019, average around $36 per hour per worker. Typically, a single worker with a hoist or lift can hang around 4-5 sheets of drywall every hour. So in a standard 8-hour day, they can hang anywhere from 35-40 sheets. This process should be enough to handle 2-3 rooms, depending on their size and other factors, such as the shapes of the walls.

However, the walls are not done when the drywall expert leaves for the day. They have to tape and leave them overnight to sand their surface. As a result, the 2-3 rooms that your drywall expert seemed to have finished the previous day need to be tended the next. As a result, you usually find that these experts don’t work alone but have 3-4 more workers instead. While this will obviously drive up drywall prices, it may also cut back on the number of total workers by concentrating the work and getting it done in fewer days.

Ultimately, this process requires you to examine how much you want to spend and the number of hours you have to invest in drywall. Many people prefer to hire a large number of workers simply to get the process done more quickly. However, others may prefer a single worker who charges less per hour. The choice is yours, but it should be based on your budget and how much you can afford. Trying to avoid going over budget can be a challenge for many in this situation.

Should You Cut Labor Costs With DIY Installation?

Many people try to cut their drywall prices by installing it on their own instead of hiring a professional. This step is seldom a good idea for most people. While it might seem easy to hang drywall or perform essential maintenance on it, the chances that you’ll make a mistake are quite high. Drywall is a tough beast to get right because it requires precision and accuracy.

Even a mistake of one-eighth of an inch can be problematic in this scenario. For example, you may end up experiencing issues that cause your panels to hang awkwardly on your walls and even fall off if you aren’t careful. Some people also find that mistakes in how they hang their panels may create damage to their drywall that is hard to handle and which may otherwise affect the quality of their home.

Therefore, it is usually best to reach out to experts to get your drywall installed and maintained instead of trying to do it yourself. These professionals typically have years of experience working with drywall and fully understand how to install and maintain it. They will also ensure that you don’t make mistakes that could compromise the structure and strength of your home and its many walls. You may pay more in the short-term, but you will save a lot of money in the long haul.

Let Us Help You Get Great Drywall

If you want great drywall prices in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, please contact us at Dan Gardner Drywall right away to learn more. Our experts have worked with drywall for years and fully understand how to make this process less costly for you. We can work quickly, but efficiently, and ensure that you walk away with the finest drywall that your money can buy.

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