Drywall Repair Cost Calculator — Ocala & The Villages, FL

Drywall Repair & Patch

Most single repairs land between $400 and $925. Small jobs price as patch jobs, not by the square foot: a section gets cut out, the wall dried and checked, new board set, and the finish blended back across two visits — and DRR carries a $400 minimum job charge for the visit — which is one reason grouping several spots into one trip is the cheapest way to fix them. That's why a 30 sq ft water-damage cut-out behind a tub typically lands around $505–$795, inside the same range most single repairs land in. A single large damaged section prices per square foot instead, on a scale that slides with size — $75–$100 a foot under 10 sq ft, $60–$85 at 10–25, $50–$75 past 25.

New Drywall Installation

For bare studs finished paint-ready (a standard Level 4 finish), plan on $1.60–$2.95 per sq ft of wall and ceiling surface, materials and labor included. A typical 12×12 bedroom with 8-foot ceilings — that's 528 sq ft of surface — runs about $890–$1,640 around Ocala.

Room Remodel & Replacement

Tearing out old drywall and hauling it off adds $0.60–$1.25 per sq ft on top of new installation — a combined $2.20–$4.20 per sq ft. That same 12×12 bedroom, gutted and re-drywalled, runs about $1,210–$2,300. Opening walls can uncover surprises — water damage, old wiring — and those get priced once they're visible, never guessed at in advance.

Garage Drywall

Garages run $1.55–$3.25 per sq ft depending on finish. Building code calls for heavier, fire-rated board on the wall a garage shares with the house and on a garage ceiling with living space above it — that is the fire separation, not an upsell. Most two-car garages land between $1,900 and $4,000 finished.

Texture, Skim & Paint

On walls that are already up: skim coating runs $0.95–$1.30 per sq ft, orange-peel or knockdown texture $0.80–$1.85, and primer plus two coats of paint $1.05–$2.85. A typical room's walls — about 415 sq ft of surface — usually land between $770 and $1,960 for texture and paint together.

What Moves the Price

• Finish level. A full Level 5 skim coat (for gloss paint or bright, raking light) costs more than standard paint-ready Level 4.
• Ceilings. Overhead work runs roughly 20–25% more than the same area on a wall — lifts, heavier board, two sets of hands.
• Ceiling height. Taller walls mean longer sheets, scaffolding, and slower work.
• Texture matching. Blending a patch into existing orange peel or knockdown is hand work, and it's priced like it.
• Tear-out. Removing old drywall and disposing of it is its own line on the quote.
• Job size. Small jobs carry a minimum charge; on big jobs the setup spreads over more feet, so the per-foot price drops.