Short answer: a good drywall contractor can answer ten questions without hesitating, and the answers tell you whether two quotes are for the same job. Ask them before you sign anything:
- Is the price per square foot of board or of floor area?
- Which finish level is each room getting?
- What board types are going where?
- Are corner bead, bulkheads and ceilings included?
- Who hangs and who finishes — the same crew, or subcontractors?
- Can you send a certificate of liability insurance?
- Is the quote written, with HST as a separate line?
- How are minimums and extras handled?
- What does cleanup and dust control look like?
- What happens if a seam cracks next year?
This checklist is written to be used on us as much as on anyone else. Each question is unpacked below, followed by a template for laying two quotes side by side and the red flags that end a conversation early.
The ten questions, explained
1. Per square foot of board, or of floor area?
Drywall is measured by board area — every wall and every ceiling — not by the floor. A 12 × 12 room has about 144 sq ft of floor and roughly 530 sq ft of board. A quote that looks half the price of another may simply be measuring the floor. Until both quotes use the same unit, nothing else can be compared. IntraBuild prices per square foot of board and shows the board area for each room on the quote.
2. Which finish level, room by room?
Level 3 for a garage, Level 4 for living spaces, Level 5 where light rakes across a wall or under dark paint — the levels are explained in our guide to drywall finish levels. A contractor who quotes one number for the whole house has either averaged the levels or picked one; a contractor who cannot say what level they are quoting is not quoting a finish at all. Expect the level to change the price: $2.25–2.85, $3.00–4.25 and $4.25–5.75 per square foot for Levels 3, 4 and 5 on our drywall installation page.
3. What board types are going where?
Standard ½” board is the baseline. Bathrooms and laundry rooms get moisture-resistant board; garages and the ceiling under a legal suite get ⅝” Type X fire-rated board; a shared wall may get sound-rated board or a second layer. Each costs more than standard and the quote should say where it goes. A quote with no board types listed usually means standard board everywhere, including the shower wall.
4. Are corner bead, bulkheads and ceilings included?
Ceilings are slower than walls, bulkheads add corners and taping, and corner bead is where cheap jobs crack first. A quote that says “walls and ceilings, all bulkheads, metal corner bead on outside corners” is complete. A quote that says “drywall, 800 sq ft” is not, and the missing items arrive as extras.
5. Same crew, or subcontractors?
Hanging and finishing are different skills, and on large jobs they are often different trades. That is fine when one company is responsible for both. It is a problem when the hanger and the taper each blame the other for a wavy wall. Ask who is on site each day and who you call when something is wrong. With IntraBuild, the crew that quotes is the crew that shows up, start to finish.
6. Can you send a certificate of liability insurance?
Drywall does not need a provincial licence in Ontario, so insurance is the paperwork that matters. A contractor with liability coverage can produce the certificate in an email; one without it will change the subject. Condo boards ask for it routinely, and so should a homeowner. IntraBuild is insured on every job and provides the certificate on request.
7. Written quote, HST separate?
A written quote with material, labour, cleanup and HST on separate lines is the only document you can compare, hold someone to, or show an insurer. A number on the phone is an estimate that will move. IntraBuild sends a written quote within 48 hours; the “no HST” conversation is covered under red flags.
8. How are minimums and extras handled?
Small jobs carry minimum charges — $1,000, $1,500 and $2,800 for Levels 3, 4 and 5 with us — and every contractor has a rule for work discovered on site. Ask both up front: what is the minimum, and what happens if the old plaster is worse than it looked? The good answer is “we stop, show you, and price it in writing before continuing”.
9. Cleanup and dust control?
Sanding drywall produces fine dust that travels through a house. Ask about plastic at doorways, covering the floors and vents, and whether the site is cleaned daily or at the end. “Site left the way we found it” is the standard we hold; ask any contractor to describe theirs.
10. What happens if a seam cracks next year?
Some cracking at corners and seams comes from a house settling or a dry winter rather than from bad work — but some comes from bad work, and the difference is visible to a professional. Ask how callbacks are handled, in what time frame, and whether that is in writing. A contractor who says “call us and we will look at it” and means it is worth more than one with a grand promise and no phone number.
Comparing two quotes
Put both on one sheet. If a cell is blank on one side, that is the question to ask before choosing.
| Item | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Board area (sq ft), per room | ||
| Finish level, per room | ||
| Board types and where | ||
| Ceilings, bulkheads, corner bead included? | ||
| Removal of old drywall or plaster | ||
| Minimum charge and rule for extras | ||
| HST shown separately? | ||
| Insurance certificate received? | ||
| Who is on site; one company responsible? | ||
| Start date and duration | ||
| Cleanup and dust control | ||
| Callback policy |
What the numbers should look like when they are filled in — per room, per basement, per sheet — is in our guide to drywall installation cost in Ontario.
Red flags
- A per-square-foot price with no finish level. You are being quoted a number, not a wall.
- A verbal quote. If it is not written down, it is not a price.
- “Cash, no HST.” No invoice, no insurance claim, no recourse, and it is not legal. Walk away.
- No insurance certificate. Whatever the reason, the risk is now yours.
- Level 5 everywhere by default. In a garage or a closet, that is a bill for work you cannot see.
- Nothing about board types. Standard board in a shower wall fails within a few years.
- A deposit that covers most of the job. Materials up front is normal; most of the labour up front is not.
Why the city is on the quote
Access changes the number. A downtown Toronto condo means an elevator booking, paid parking and carrying board up from the loading dock, which is why Toronto jobs sit at the top of each band; a Mississauga or Brampton house with a driveway sits lower. A contractor who does not ask where the job is has not thought about how the board gets in. Local pages: drywall installation in Toronto, drywall installation in Mississauga and drywall installation in Brampton.
What to send for an exact price
- Room dimensions and ceiling heights, or a floor plan, so the board area can be worked out.
- Photos of each room, including anything to be removed and any existing damage — small repairs are priced separately on our drywall repair page.
- Which rooms are living spaces, which are garage or utility, and where the bathrooms are.
- Anything unusual: bulkheads, curved walls, a shared wall to soundproof, a ceiling under a future suite.
- The address and, for a condo, the building’s rules.
IntraBuild quotes drywall this way across Toronto, the GTA and Southern Ontario: one insured crew from start to finish, a written price within 48 hours with HST separate, no travel fee, and the site left the way we found it. More on how we work is on our about us page. Get a drywall installation quote or call (647) 558-8723.
Frequently asked questions
How much do drywall contractors charge?
Turnkey, in the GTA: about $2.25–5.75 per square foot of board depending on finish level, or $48–70 per 4×8 sheet hung and finished; labour-only from around $1.50 per square foot if you supply the board. Minimums apply on small jobs. All before HST.
Do I need a licensed drywall contractor in Ontario?
There is no provincial licence for drywall, so “licensed” is not the test. What matters is liability insurance with a certificate you can see, a written quote, and a building permit where the work needs one — a basement finish or a legal suite, for example. Electrical behind the wall needs a licensed electrician under an ESA permit regardless of who hangs the board.
Should I hire separate hangers and tapers?
Only if you want to manage the hand-off yourself. One company responsible for both is simpler, and a flaw in the finish cannot be blamed on someone else’s hanging.
How do I check a drywall quote?
Confirm it is per square foot of board, names a finish level per room, lists board types, includes ceilings, bulkheads and corner bead, shows HST separately and comes with an insurance certificate. The comparison table above is the checklist.
What warranty should I expect?
Expect a clear answer on callbacks — what is covered, for how long, and how to reach someone — in writing. Be wary of long, vague promises from a contractor with no written quote; a short, specific commitment from a company you can reach is worth more.
