When sourcing sheetrock, is it most cost effective to get it at HD or Lowes? Or should I be calling around to local building supply companies?

I'd personally use local building supply companies. I trust their drywall more then the big box retailers.

not to mention Lowes charges like 80 bucks to deliver. I found a local place that delivers for 6 bucks. Now I just have to figure out how much I need, does anyone know a good way to calculate how much drywall i need easily, figuring in error and all too.

It varies from location to location... best to call around and even keep an eye out for Big Box coupons that surface time to time.

Best of luck.

not to mention Lowes charges like 80 bucks to deliver. I found a local place that delivers for 6 bucks. Now I just have to figure out how much I need, does anyone know a good way to calculate how much drywall i need easily, figuring in error and all too.

Most big box retailers get their drywall from the same place and is usually cheaper than the local drywall distributing Co. The only major selling point for me is the distributer will deliver and put in house for a small fee. To calculate drywall
in square foot is height x width. Then you need to decide on 8 foot sheets or twelve foot sheets. 8 foot sheets = 32 square feet, 12 foot sheets = 48 square feet. 12 foot sheets will have less butt joints to finish.

I have had much better experiences buying drywall from independent retailers. Better service (that's not hard), and better pricing.

We got ours from an independent company. They had a better selection of sheet lengths (8', 12', 14' and 16') plus they carried the specialty sheets like 1/4" hi-flex. Did cost a tab bit more but not a lot. I'd rather support the local guys instead of the big box stores if there isn't a big difference in price.

I like the local drywall supplier much better. They had 9 ft lengths,
The brand had a lightly printed grid which helped with hitting the studs.

They carried a better brand of screws (Grabber).

And best of all a guy brings it out to my pickup on a forklift and helps load.

ALL FOR ABOUT THE SAME PRICE!!

Before you ask, Global building supply in Leesburg, Also a full assortment of metal framing and track.

Lowes with a 10%-off coupon was the same price as a distributor in my area. But like Big, I needed 9' sheets which are not carried at my big box stores.

If you are doing it yourself, delivery to the basement for an extra $1 per sheet (from the distributor) is well, well worth the money. My co-pay for hernia surgery is $350. :)

Thinking back to my days of unloading and carrying 12 ft sheets into the basement MYSELF I can see paying a buck a sheet.

Thinking back to my days of unloading and carrying 12 ft sheets into the basement MYSELF I can see paying a buck a sheet.

That's exactly why I paid a supply house to deliver my drywall. Lowes / Menards would only deliver to the garage. There's no way I was attempting 4500 board feet of drywall down to my basement.:eek: It was well worth the extra money.

I just had 3500 square feet of drywall delivered from a local drywall supply company. It was well worth the extra cost. I was also able to get 16 footers which as mentioned above are not available at HD, Lowe's, or Menards. The other thing that is great is the supply company will come and pick up the excess (uncut) drywall that I have at no charge and give me a full refund.

Menards will deliver sheet goods in to your basement at a cost of $1 to $2 per sheet, depending on the size of the sheet.

Go for the local distributer. They will have a better selection, they should beat HD and Lowes on price if you negotiate with them (Never pay the price they have posted especially since 1/2" board is down to $160/1000), they will deliver to your room, and drywall is usually all they deliver so their employees know how to handle and stack properly whereas the big box store is not as specialized.

Plus, some local drywall suppliers carry Green Glue and you can get it for a better price than online because you don't have to pay shipping costs.

Chris

I need to get delivery to a 3rd floor, walk-up attic...and my hallway to the walk-up is too narrow to turn an 8' sheet in and get through the door. Someone suggested that if I purchased from other than Lowes/HD that I could have it delivered and that these guys are pretty used to having to take out a window and forklift the sheets up.

Is this true? Anyone have a ballpark on what this usually adds to the materials bill? If I'm planning on having someone do the hanging and mudding, should I just let it be their headache to deal with?

Thanks,
CD

If there is a window in the attic area then a drywall supply company will have boom trucks that will swing the board up and in. Usually for the same $1 per sheet delivery charge. Make sure they stack it flat, NOT on edge and no more than 14 sheets in a pile. Any more than that and you will overload your floor joists and they will deflect too far and crack the finished drywall in in the rooms below your HT. Also, try to make sure the stack is perpendicular to the floor joists, not parrallel to them. This will distribute the weight more evenly.

I need to get delivery to a 3rd floor, walk-up attic...and my hallway to the walk-up is too narrow to turn an 8' sheet in and get through the door. Someone suggested that if I purchased from other than Lowes/HD that I could have it delivered and that these guys are pretty used to having to take out a window and forklift the sheets up.

My theater is up a stairs and it twists around a corner which is too narrow for the 8' sheets.

We purchased 12' sheets from contractor supply and cut them into 6' pieces. you might be able to get 6' pieces up there because doors are more then 6'.

My theater is up a stairs and it twists around a corner which is too narrow for the 8' sheets.

We purchased 12' sheets from contractor supply and cut them into 6' pieces. you might be able to get 6' pieces up there because doors are more then 6'.

One other option would be to cut a hole in the floor of the up stairs and ceiling of the downstairs to make a hole between the joist. The delivery people can pass the drywall up thru the hole. I have seen drywall delivered to basements and attic rooms this way when there is not enough clearance in the stairs for 8' sheets.

If the room is unfinished then removing a window shouldn't be that big of a deal. Remove the outside trim and then the nails holding the window frame in.

If you are having someone do the drywall for you I would have them give their opinion on what the best way to get the drywall up there would be.

My theater is up a stairs and it twists around a corner which is too narrow for the 8' sheets.

We purchased 12' sheets from contractor supply and cut them into 6' pieces. you might be able to get 6' pieces up there because doors are more then 6'.

Well, I thought about doing this with 8' sheets, but then you don't have "butted" ends to mud over, right?

CD

Well, I thought about doing this with 8' sheets, but then you don't have "butted" ends to mud over, right?

CD

The word you're looking for is "Beveled", and every size of sheet comes with them, other than exterior sheathing, and various tile backing products. All interior drywall products, 1/2", 5/8", moisture board, etc. all come with beveled edges to allow for drywall tape and mud to be applied and still maintain a smooth finish.

Most building supply companies will have a delivery truck with a crane. They'll take a window out of the frame and crane it right up to the third floor. The ones that have come to my house had a 60' reach and the charge was probably the best ROI I got on my remodeling projects.

The advice you have received is somewhat one-sided. Figured I would provide a balanced perspective.

1. Lowes and Home Depot are cheaper on a per-sheet basis over local retailers. However if you are buying in bulk quantities, the local guys can beat it since they typically deliver for free while the big box guys charge delivery fees.

2. Lowes and Home Depot actually have better drywall in the sense it is handled less. The good and the bad with local guys is that they accept returns. Handled drywall isn't as smooth and has the "potential" of more work at the finishing stage.

3. Generally speaking, the drywall offered by Home Depot is of better quality than Lowes. They also offer more choices.

4. Local guys are better if you want drywall in non-standard sizes such as 12' length or 1/4" thickness.

Several of the earlier replies mentioned 9 ft. lenghts. If you need 9 foot for height get stretch rock which is 54 inches wide instead of 48. Standing drwall to get 9 foot high walls is very difficult if your walls don't work out to be exactly 48 inch wide drywall sheets. You can only get this at Drywall suppliers. Get quotes before you buy. In my area the Supplier was cheaper than the Big boxes.