InstaBids

What should a drywall estimate include?

Check that your drywall estimate names every wall and ceiling area, the board for each room, wet board removal and haul-away, the finish level, texture match, primer or paint and payment stages, plus the work description, materials, completion date and price the FTC says a written estimate should include.

Source: FTC home improvement guidance, read 15 October 2026.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 15 October 2026 Updated 2026-10-16

New drywall sheets, a bucket of joint compound and rolls of tape waiting in a garage.

Key facts

Which board types belong in my drywall quote?

Ask for a drywall quote that lists each room and surface, names each board, such as standard, water-resistant or fire-rated board, and states the thickness, how far the tear-out goes, the finish level, the texture to match, corner bead, primer or paint, debris disposal and a finish date.

The FTC's home improvement guidance, read 15 October 2026, says: "A written estimate should include a description of the work to be done, materials, completion date, and the price." For drywall, the materials line is where board type and thickness belong, and the work line is where tear-out, taping and texture belong.

Source: FTC home improvement guidance, read 15 October 2026.

  1. Areas: Which walls and ceilings are covered, in which rooms, and does the quote give the rough size of each patch or full sheet run?
  2. Board: Which board goes in each area, and is a bathroom, laundry or garage wall getting a different board from the bedrooms?
  3. Finish level: Is each surface finished smooth enough for flat paint, or only taped for tile or a texture coat?
  4. Texture: Which texture, such as knockdown, orange peel or a smooth wall, is being matched, and on how much of the surrounding wall?
  5. Ceilings: Is any ceiling board included, and does the quote say how sagging or stained ceiling sections are handled?
  6. Paint: Does the drywall quote stop at primer, include finish paint, or leave both to you?

Treat a small hole and a water-damaged ceiling as different jobs on paper. A patch may be a cut-in piece with a backing strip, while a stained ceiling may mean pulling down whole sheets to the joists; ask which approach each line of your quote assumes, and whether the new seams will be feathered wide enough to hide under raking light from a window.

Use the code text to frame your bathroom questions. The 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, section R702.3.7.1, read 15 October 2026, says: "Water-resistant gypsum backing board shall not be used where there will be direct exposure to water, or in areas subject to continuous high humidity." Ask the bidder which board it proposes beside a tub or shower, and why.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, Chapter 7 Wall Covering, read 15 October 2026.

Ask about any wall or ceiling between the house and an attached garage. Section R302.6 of the same code, read the same day, says: "The garage shall be separated as required by Table R302.6. Openings in garage walls shall comply with Section R302.5. Attachment of gypsum board shall comply with Table R702.3.5. The wall separation provisions of Table R302.6 shall not apply to garage walls that are perpendicular to the adjacent dwelling unit wall." Ask the bidder to name in writing the board it plans for that wall and the requirement it is working to.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, Chapter 3 Building Planning, read 15 October 2026.

InstaBids gets you competitive written quotes without calls or home visits to bid; contractors never pay to see a request or to bid, and there is no fee during our pilot.

Post your request

Which tear-out exclusions should my drywall quote explain?

Check whether your drywall quote explains how far wet or stained board is cut out, whether wet insulation behind it goes too, and who handles debris disposal. Ask each bidder, in writing, what happens if the tear-out reveals more damage than the photos showed.

After a leak, a roof problem or storm water, ask how the bidder decides where to stop cutting. EPA's guide to mold, moisture and your home, read 15 October 2026, says: "Absorbent or porous materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be thrown away if they become moldy. Mold can grow on or fill in the empty spaces and crevices of porous materials, so the mold may be difficult or impossible to remove completely."

Source: EPA A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, read 15 October 2026.

The same EPA guide says: "If wet or damp materials or areas are dried 24-48 hours after a leak or spill happens, in most cases mold will not grow." Ask whether your quote includes drying the wall cavity before new board goes up, or assumes someone else has already done that.

Source: EPA A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, read 15 October 2026.

Ask about older textured ceilings and walls before anyone sands or scrapes. EPA's page Learn About Asbestos, read 15 October 2026, lists among places where asbestos may be found: "Textured paint and patching compounds used on walls and ceilings". Ask whether the bidder proposes testing a popcorn or textured surface first, and who would arrange it.

Source: EPA Learn About Asbestos, read 15 October 2026.

EPA's page on protecting your family from asbestos, read the same day, says: "Generally, you can't tell whether a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it, unless it is labeled." Keep any testing question as its own line in the quote, separate from the hanging and finishing work.

Source: EPA Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos, read 15 October 2026.

Ask where the drywall work stops and other trades begin. The Florida DBPR page What Requires a License, read 15 October 2026, lists under its "Does not need a DBPR License" column: "Installation or replacement of drywall if the contract does not include other work on the load bearing part of the wall or any plumbing, electrical, or air conditioning work."

Source: Florida DBPR What Requires a License, read 15 October 2026.

The same row, under its "Needs a DBPR License" column, reads: "Installation or replacement of drywall if the contract also includes work on the load bearing part of the wall, plumbing, electrical, or air conditioning work." If an outlet box must move, a pipe was the leak source or a wall is load bearing, ask the bidder to state in writing that this work is outside its drywall scope.

Source: Florida DBPR What Requires a License, read 15 October 2026.

Ask too about baseboard and trim removal and reinstallation, plastic sheeting and dust barriers over doorways, floor protection, sanding dust cleanup and furniture moving. Each of those belongs on a written line, so a missing one shows up before work starts.

Which finishing stages should my payment schedule describe?

Check that your drywall payment schedule ties each payment to a stage you can see: tear-out finished and debris gone, new board hung, tape and coats of joint compound applied, sanding and texture done, primer or paint finished, then a final walk-through in good light after cleanup.

Florida Statutes section 489.126(1), read 15 October 2026, states: "For purposes of this section, the term “contractor” includes all definitions as set forth in s. 489.105(3), and any person performing or contracting or promising to perform work described therein, without regard to the licensure of the person."

Source: Florida Statutes s. 489.126, Moneys received by contractors, read 15 October 2026.

Section 489.126(2)(a), read the same day, states: "A contractor who receives, as initial payment, money totaling more than 10 percent of the contract price for repair, restoration, improvement, or construction to residential real property must: 1. Apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days after the date payment is made, except where the work does not require a permit under the applicable codes and ordinances, and 2. Start the work within 90 days after the date all necessary permits for work, if any, are issued, unless the contractor has just cause for failing to apply for the necessary permits, starting the work, or refunding the payment, or unless the person who made the payment agreed, in writing, to a longer period to apply for the necessary permits or start the work or to longer periods for both."

Source: Florida Statutes s. 489.126, Moneys received by contractors, read 15 October 2026.

Whether these passages reach your agreement is a question for a Florida attorney. Ask how long the bidder waits between coats of joint compound, whether humid weather changes that, and how many visits it expects for taping, coating and sanding before texture goes on. Ask the bidder to keep board delivery, hanging, finishing and texture as separate payment lines, and to put any extra tear-out found behind the wall into a written change order you approve before that work is billed.

Who handles permits for the quoted drywall replacement?

Ask whether any permit applies to your drywall replacement at your address, who would apply for it, who books any inspection and when, and which business name appears on that paperwork. Get those answers into the written quote before old board comes out, and keep the building department's answer with it.

Chapter 1 of the 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, section 110.3.5, read 15 October 2026, says: "Lath, gypsum board and gypsum panel product inspections shall be made after lathing, gypsum board and gypsum panel products, interior and exterior, are in place, but before any plastering is applied or gypsum board and gypsum panel product joints and fasteners are taped and finished."

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, Chapter 1 Scope and Administration, read 15 October 2026.

The exception printed with that section reads: "Exception: Gypsum board and gypsum panel products that are not part of a fire-resistance-rated assembly or a shear assembly." Ask the bidder whether any wall or ceiling in your job is part of a fire-resistance-rated or shear assembly, and how taping is scheduled around any inspection the building department calls for.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, Chapter 1 Scope and Administration, read 15 October 2026.

Which photos explain my drywall repair request?

Photograph each damaged wall or ceiling from across the room and up close, including stain edges, soft spots, cracks and nail pops, then describe in your written scope the room, the rough size of each area, the texture you need matched and whether primer or paint is part of the job.

Note whether the leak behind any stain has already been repaired, and by whom, and add a close photograph of the nearby texture in raking light so every bidder sees the same pattern.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 15 October 2026.

Which texture details should I align across drywall quotes?

Compare drywall quotes area by area, starting with the board named for each room, the tear-out limit and haul-away, then the finish level, texture match, primer or paint and the start and finish dates. Ask any bidder whose written scope differs from yours to explain that difference before you choose.

  1. Texture: Does each quote match the same pattern, and over the patch only or the whole wall or ceiling?
  2. Board: Does each quote name the same board for the bathroom, laundry and garage walls?
  3. Tear-out: Does each quote stop cutting at the same line, and include wet insulation and haul-away?
  4. Finish: Does each quote finish to the same level, ready for the paint you plan to use?
  5. Other trades: Does each quote state in writing that moving outlet boxes or repairing a leaking pipe is outside its drywall scope?

List a full-ceiling retexture or a full-wall skim coat as an option beside your original line, so it never quietly replaces your scope. If one bidder spots hidden damage, add it to an updated written scope and send that version to every bidder.

Use that same written scope, with its board, tear-out, finish and texture answers, each time you request competing written responses.

Next: How InstaBids works, Florida hiring checklist.

InstaBids is in an early pilot in Broward and Palm Beach counties. InstaBids is new in your area, so finding contractors can take longer, and a request may get no bids.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 15 October 2026.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 15 October 2026.

Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 15 October 2026.

Parent: InstaBids home.