Need quotes for home renovation (drywall) (1 Viewer)

TheDeparted

VIP Contributor
Joined
Dec 5, 2006
Messages
22,246
Reaction score
33,566
Location
--
Offline
Some of you may recall that I was recently informed by the builder of my house that Chinese Drywall was installed in my house during construction. I didn't make a separate thread about it, though.

Anyway, because the New Home Warranty Act appears to protect the builder from this type of litigation and, even if it didn't, only allows the home owner 1 year to discover defects (the house is just over 2.5 years old), it's looking more and more like I'm basically just screwed. Royally.

In performing my due diligence (which my wife hates :smilielol:), I am considering every possible option - everything from renovating the house to simply saying "screw all of this" and simultaneously declaring bankruptcy and abandoning the house (i.e. giving up)....but not before stealing and selling all the appliances and fixtures :mwink:


Right now I am trying to discover what the approximate costs and timetables of re-drywalling the house will be. I'm interested in estimates for both contracting and DIY so I can play around with mixing them to maximize value and minimize costs. I figured there are probably a few people on the board who are in this business....


Other questions are regarding the possible toxicity of the drywall while being removed, and what, if any, considerations must be made if hiring someone to remove the drywall (and if the disposal companies will even take the stuff!).


I would also appreciate some comments on the actual difficulty of performing the job myself (with help, of course). In theory, the practice of drywalling seems simple enough...but this is not taking into account the actual back-breaking labor involved nor the preparation - removal of items from the house to storage, removal of cabinets and other fixtures and the rental of a 40 yard roll-off for the extrication of existing drywall and tainted materials such as carpeting and insulation and possibly some wiring.

Though my wife is against renovation because she's heard estimated costs of ~$75,000, if properly planned and executed, I figure I can get enough friends and family to volunteer help that getting the house to a point where it's at least a viable residence (maybe the walls are in place in the living areas but not finished, etc) might only take a month of weekends plus the odd weekday night and could be completed to an acceptable level of quality for a minimal (though not cheap) expenditure...the estimates of which will drive my decision on what to do.

Also, if renovation is actually doable and the wife is still determined to never set foot in the house again, I might explore trying to rent or lease the place out to mitigate the ongoing costs of ownership...provided I feel the place is safe to live in, of course.


Information on the house:
  • 2196 sf living
  • ~2600 sf under beam.
  • Orange Peel finish preferred :)

Floorplan:

brent2flp.gif
 
No one has any input? Did I post in the wrong subforum?
 
Hanging sheet rock isn't all that difficult (he says with a smile). The problem I had(outside of finding the studs -insert joke here) when I did my house was with taping the seams. Started with your standard paper tape in one room and switched to a mesh tape for the others. I much prefer the mesh.
Make sure there's no "give" in the rock when it's hung up and don't go overboard with the screws. Remember: You're going to mud and sand all those screw holes and make sure the heads are recessed. You'll need a brace when you do the ceiling, or some one to hold the sheet in place while you secure it to the ceiling.

Don't confuse me for a pro, I'm just a regular guy who does his own home repairs.

Two, three time if necessary.

Hope it helps.

Right forum too. :)
 
Thanks; I got the impression that the basic work was simple (conceptually), but I'm going to have a hard time convincing the wife...

The number for remediation of the Chinese drywall floating around in the media is something like $75,000 for 2000sqft. For that money I would rather skip out on my mortgage, if you know what I mean. I have a hard time coming up with that number though, so I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Users who are viewing this thread

    Back
    Top Bottom