# Measuring / estimating methods



## sfcurt (Jul 23, 2017)

Hi all,

Flipper/GC here, and I've hired out many drywall jobs over the years and done a few as well. I encountered a new issue and want your opinions. My current drywall sub is charging by the square foot (I've usually used job quotes) and he says the way they measure square feet for drywall is:
- round each measurement UP (ie a 4'1" wall would be 5')
- don't deduct for any door or window openings

Thus, a say 10'4" x 8'6" wall with a 4x3 window opening, which I would calculate as 76 square feet (using the inches and subtracting the opening) he would calculate as 99 square feet (11x9). As you can imagine this adds up to quite a difference.

Is this standard practice and I just haven't encountered it before?

Thanks,

Curt


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

When measuring for materials to be installed, you actually are best off rounding to the nearest two feet. At least on wall heights. So 9'6" (horizontally stacked) walls are rounded off to 10' for calculating sheetrock purposes. Since at 9' 6" in height, the top rip of sheetrock will have a 2' 6" rip left over to use as the top filler on the next wall. There will be a 12" non factory edge scrap left over that may be unusable. On small windows which will be picture cut, it makes sense to measure through them. As the cutout scraps will likely be unusable. On walls where there is a lot of glass, I would deduct some or most of the window area. As these walls are not going to be picture cut. This "rounding off 2' " is similar to buying lumber. If you need a 10'- 2", 2"x 6" stud, you must cut it from a 12", 2"x 6" stud.


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

Now if your sub contractor bases his labor on how many sheets are installed and taped, it would make sense to use the square footage of sheetrock installed. And not the actual square footage of the walls and ceilings. Regardless, the amount you pay out is the square footage x price per foot. Also note that many things, such as window wraps, door wraps, soffits, reglit details, etc do not relate well to square foot pricing. And must be priced separately.


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## sfcurt (Jul 23, 2017)

Thanks endo. Yeah I definitely agree with you in terms of how much material to buy. Decking, flooring, tile, or anything else you always need more material - usually seems like 10% is a rule-of-thumb. But in those examples, no tile guy would consider the 'overage 10%' amount part of their 'per square foot charge'. Just seems like an odd way to calculate cost...


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

I was taught to go over doors and windows and this will be your waste. We put door and window cutouts in closets. He's doing it just as I was taught and I'm from the bay area. once the sq ft was calculated we'd multiple it using our labor cost and material and put 10 to 15% to clean it up.


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## Cletus (Jan 15, 2017)

Yep, I measure straight thru doors and windows...takes labor to cut out a window and screw off. I always take the odd measurement to a even number 11'2" goes to 12'...Job is priced off sq-ft of materials, and not sq-ft of wall/ceiling space


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

A lot of piece work drywall labor is done per sheet used. And so one needs a reliable method of figuring materials for the job. Whatever that method is that one chooses. You could demand that your installer works by actual square footage of the job. That is fine. But they would then probably have to increase the price per foot so that it reflected the man hours of labor involved for the job. Counting sheets is a very easy method of accounting for he amount of labor the job will probably take. One problem here is that there is an incentive for hangers to generate a lot more waste than should be necessary. Since they are getting paid for all those pieces that hit the floor along with the ones on the walls and ceilings.


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

endo_alley_revisited said:


> One problem here is that there is an incentive for hangers to generate a lot more waste than should be necessary. Since they are getting paid for all those pieces that hit the floor along with the ones on the walls and ceilings.


Once I worked for a builder who gave us the plans for each sheet that needed to be used - where to go and the size. At the end off the job the waste fitted in a wheelbarrow. From than, I applied that system: size of the wall = x sheets. If you messed the job up you have to foot the bill and get your sheets.


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

Cletus said:


> Yep, I measure straight thru doors and windows...takes labor to cut out a window and screw off. I always take the odd measurement to a even number 11'2" goes to 12'...Job is priced off sq-ft of materials, and not sq-ft of wall/ceiling space


True story told by one of my friends: Builder employed hanging crew. At the end of the job he took out of the bill the size of the doors, windows... the boys didn't argue with him and they moved into the next job, where they didn't cut out the windows and the doors ...because there was no payment for that.... and guess what happened ...got paid for both jobs


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

Sounds like a good way to p!ss your DWC off. You are free to get other estimates if you think he is charging too much. But if he does good work then just figure his pricing into your budget from the get go. That is why I only give a flat price for every job. I don't care if I have 50 sheets left that I figured into the original price. I never give out sheet counts. If I'm short I bring them on my own dime, if I have a bunch of sheets left then that is money in my pocket. Builders aren't loyal anyway... Like I said you are free to get more pricing if you feel it is unfair.


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## Mr.Brightstar (Dec 2, 2011)

thefinisher said:


> Sounds like a good way to p!ss your DWC off. You are free to get other estimates if you think he is charging too much. But if he does good work then just figure his pricing into your budget from the get go. That is why I only give a flat price for every job. I don't care if I have 50 sheets left that I figured into the original price. I never give out sheet counts. If I'm short I bring them on my own dime, if I have a bunch of sheets left then that is money in my pocket. Builders aren't loyal anyway... Like I said you are free to get more pricing if you feel it is unfair.




Yeah, What he said. ☝


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 1mudman1 (Dec 15, 2018)

That is the way I handle my jobs, It's a job price if i need more sheets i bring them on my dime. If they are leftover that represents my labor and i have to carry them off and store them , which is labor. Of course if the builder wants them he can take them off my hands.


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## legendofrock (Feb 13, 2019)

Have you ever walked into a supply house and picked up a half a sheet of drywall? Probably not. There is a waste factor involved with drywall that you have to account for.
When it comes to pricing its potatoes/potatos. You buy drywall from the supplier at an established price per square foot. Every type of board has a different unit price and so on. To get your materials priced you have to buy by the foot.
So when a contractor is giving a per sheet he has already figured his unit costs for labor, materials, taxes and profits into a standard board usually 4x12.
One guy can give you a per sheet price of 500 sheets at $75per for $37500 and another can quote you 24000sft at 1.562 per sqft. Same thing


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