# Help please...



## Ohio Drywall (Aug 13, 2006)

Hello,i am a drywaller in Northeastern,Ohio and i am not very expierenced in reading blueprints. I need a ruff estimate on a house that is 3,256 sq.ft,one floor.Has anybody ever done a house close to this house and remember how much drywall footage they used?The ceilings are a average of 10 ft tall.The house is not up yet and they want a price.I do know this size is over 20,000 sq.ft of drywall,but...Thanks for all your help Tarney drywall


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## Peladu (Jan 8, 2006)

Please help!

I am a carpenter and have to build a dog house for a customer.
Does anyone know how many nails I may need.
I can't figure out how to estimate the amount of nails.
If I had a calculator, could I do this?
Keep in mind, I am a carpenter.


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## Ohio Drywall (Aug 13, 2006)

Ha Ha Not at all what i am asking.Im not trying to get exact numbers.Just a rough idea.Even if somebody has done a 1700 sq.ft house lately,how much drywall did you use?11,000 sq.ft of drywall or....
I realize there is alot of different variables that go into the inside of each house.I am not new to this,just thought somebody that does houses could give there numbers to there 3,200 ft house.Thanks


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## maj (Mar 13, 2006)

Ya know, I'm not quite sure what you are asking here or even why?


> i am a drywaller





> how much drywall footage they used?





> I do know this size is over 20,000 sq.ft of drywall





> house that is 3,256 sq.ft,one floor





> The ceilings are a average of 10 ft tall





> Even if somebody has done a 1700 sq.ft house lately,how much drywall did you use?


You seem to have the numbers right there. 

For me a quick estimate is square footage of floor area X 3.5 = sq.ft. of board.

And I'm not a drywaller!!!!!!! I would think if you were in fact a drywaller, wouldn't you be able to figure out how much you need?


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## DaveH (Jun 2, 2006)

You may get lucky with a square foot of floor space calculator, but it doesn't allow for how many feet of walls there are in a house/building. You can have two houses with the same Sq Ft of floor space and a wide difference in wall footage. The way to do this properly is to measure all your exterior walls and take them times the height. make sure to measure through you doors and windows!. This will give you your Sq ft of drywall for the exterior walls. Then do the same for your interior walls except take the total length of you walls times the height times 2. this will give you your footage for your interior walls. If there is green board or Durock being used use the same method for these them minus them from your total. Once you have you walls you measure your ceilings. always round up th e the next even foot I.E. 9' becomes 10'. Add all these up and you have your ceiling footage. Next if you have cathedrals or volume ceilings add your extra footage for these. You know how much you pay per board or sq ft for installation. So use these amounts to figure your labor. If you pay more for ceiling hanging you already have your qty break-out for this same for high work in cathedrals or volume areas. I even break out the soffit seperate because you usually will pay more for these. Now for the materials. You get a quote from your supplier for the board to make sure you are covered. You take your Sq Ft of board and divide it by 1500 for the rolls of 500' tape you need or 750 for the rolls of 250' tape. Then you take your total footage and divide it by 500 this will give you your total numer of boxes/buckets of mud for the job. Figure one screw/nail per foot. Now you have your labor and materials you can do the final step which is adding Profit and overhead. You should never bid a job without knowing EXACTLY how much Material - Labor - and Profit you have in it. This is the only way to estimate any job. Don't forget to add in your cornerbead scissor lifts or scaffolding as well as any supervision you may have.
Dave

Taken from an earlier post...Please read thru some old post you will find your answersas needed for most problems


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## maj (Mar 13, 2006)

Dave..........



> I need a ruff estimate





> Im not trying to get exact numbers.Just a rough idea





> i am not very expierenced in reading blueprints


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## Tom R (Jun 1, 2004)

Uh-oh, - - Dave appears to have broken some kind of newfangled 'too exact' rule!! :laughing: 

At least it's comforting to know I'll prob'ly never get busted on that one!! :whistling


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## Gordo (Feb 21, 2006)

Peladu said:


> Please help!
> 
> I am a carpenter and have to build a dog house for a customer.
> Does anyone know how many nails I may need.
> ...


:w00t: :laughing:


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Jeeze, some of you guys are downright mean. I decode this post more like this:

Ohio Drywall is probably a good drywaller. Perhaps he can hang and finish as good or better than anyone in his market. He's been doing it for years. Now that he's in business for himself, he's got to pick up a new skill... estimating. He's got an impressive sized job, 3200 square feet, and wants a little help comfirming what he thinks he needs in terms of drywall. 

For Pete's sake, help a new guy out.


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## Tom R (Jun 1, 2004)

mdshunk said:


> Jeeze, some of you guys are downright mean. I decode this post more like this:
> 
> Ohio Drywall is probably a good drywaller. Perhaps he can hang and finish as good or better than anyone in his market. He's been doing it for years. Now that he's in business for himself, he's got to pick up a new skill... estimating. He's got an impressive sized job, 3200 square feet, and wants a little help comfirming what he thinks he needs in terms of drywall.
> 
> For Pete's sake, help a new guy out.



Gotta agree with ya', - - doesn't hurt to help him out, - - but in all honesty, - - the only way he's really gonna narrow this job down is by learning to read them prints.

It's really pretty straightforward, - - especially as far as just the lengths of the walls are concerned, - - and he's gonna have to learn to do this on his own real quick anyway. 

He already knows the height and the ceiling space would be the same as the floor space.

Just a matter of adding up the walls and multiplyin' by 10.

Don't knock off for the doors and windows and that oughtta cover the waste allowance.

Best and quickest way to learn 'em is to jump right in.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Tom R said:


> Best and quickest way to learn 'em is to jump right in.


Yeah, well they why didn't you just say that, you little rabble-rouser you? :jester:


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## Tom R (Jun 1, 2004)

I try not to get in the FRAY . . . 

Now wait just one minute there, - - 'til I finish that sentence.

Unless it's POLITICAL!! :laughing:


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## maj (Mar 13, 2006)

Ohio Drywall said:


> I need a ruff estimate on a house that is 3,256 sq.ft,one floor.The ceilings are a average of 10 ft tall.*I do know this size is over 20,000 sq.ft of drywall*,but...Thanks for all your help Tarney drywall


Are you guys missing this?

He only states a RUFF(??)laughingestimate!!!! 

Besides that, He already knows from someone how much it will take?



My guess is a homeowner double checking a professional drywallers bid.


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## Peladu (Jan 8, 2006)

I gotta disagree --

Most drywallers are paid by piece....
Years of drywalling (and getting paid by piece) you should be able to guess how many sheets are used. Why wouldn't you know, prior years you were paid by the piece and walking up to a job you should have known how long you were going to be there and how many sheets you were going to get paid for. This is using the assumption that this individual was paid for piece work.

Now, I cant wrap my brain around the idea that someone can't make a run off of a print. Every print I have ever seen has every number you would need on it. But that's ME.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Peladu said:


> But that's ME.


I really don't get it. Your profile says you're in Chi town, but you keep talking about how they do it in Maine. Did you live there previuosly? Do they pay their drywallers by the board there?


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## Peladu (Jan 8, 2006)

mdshunk said:


> I really don't get it. Your profile says you're in Chi town, but you keep talking about how they do it in Maine. Did you live there previuosly? Do they pay their drywallers by the board there?


Right , I said, "But that's ME"
Not, "That's in ME."
This better? - "That is just me."
Or are you screwing with me like Tom R did?


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## Gordo (Feb 21, 2006)

maj said:


> Are you guys missing this?
> 
> He only states a RUFF(??)laughingestimate!!!!
> 
> ...


Or someone that did drywall for 6 months running mud. Now he is trying to estimate a 'big' job on his own. 

More power to you Ohio. If you have plans you should have all the info you need in front of you. Nothing hard here its basic mathematics. All measurements are right there. 

If you are having a hard time figuring if there are trayed ceilings ask the contractor.

No hard feelings. Hope you get the job and make a PROFIT!


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## j120strat (Jul 24, 2006)

its a home owner checking prices.


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## DaveH (Jun 2, 2006)

Maj, and anyone else who thinks I gave too much info...
The purpose here is no different than with my kids...
They ask for an answer and I don't just tell them I show them how to figure it out for themselves. I make a living off people who have prints but don't know how to read them, and give a proper estimate. Now he can properly price out a job that could easiliy break his A$$ and send him back to working for the "MAN". 

I think the saying goes like this..
Give the man a ruff number and he drywalls for a day..
Teach him to estimate and he drywalls for a lifetime....
Or something like that but with fish....


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## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

I think it is a weak shot at learning to estimate...I'm with maj, I do the 3.5Xsq/ft area for rough numbers on drywall...and if it is specific, the ONLY way to be accurate is off of a print. 


Good luck Ohio, if this is your first project.


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