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.
Where these numbers come from. DRR Drywall Repair's own published flat-rate pricing for Marion County — a $400 minimum charge for standard repairs and $1,250–$1,350 for a full day — cross-checked against national cost guides (Angi, HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide, Homewyse, This Old House) and Central Florida pricing data. They're planning ranges, not a quote: your final price is confirmed in writing after an in-person look, before any work starts.
A note on materials. These ranges are figured with standard drywall board and the finish level you pick. Board isn't all the same price, though: moisture- and mold-resistant board — the green or purple board for bathrooms and basements — costs more a sheet than standard board, and on a big job that can push you toward the top of your range, or a little past it. Tell us where the work is and we'll confirm the exact board and the price at the in-person estimate, before any work starts.