Drywall estimating software
Bid by the board. Bill by the month.
Drywall pricing lives in the phase split — hang, tape, finish level, texture — each with its own production rate. BuiltSum ships those assemblies plus metal-stud framing and insulation, applies your rates and markup, and turns the winning bid into the schedule of values you’ll bill the GC against every month. The estimator below is live.
Try it now — drywall pack loaded, free
Phase-split assemblies
Hang (1/2", 5/8" Type X, MR board, ceilings), tape & finish L4, L5 skim add-on, texture, corner bead, patches — labor separated the way your crews actually run.
Framing & insulation included
3-5/8" and 6" metal stud walls, soffits, batt and sound insulation — bid the interior package, not just the board.
The 20th-of-the-month workflow
SOV, percent complete per line, retainage, stored board — AIA-style pay applications on every plan, penny-exact so the GC can't kick it back.
Billing a GC already? Start with the free pay application generator and the retainage calculator.
What is in the drywall pack
17 assemblies ship in pack 2026.08. Every material cost and labor rate below is a starting default for a mid-market, non-union crew — edit any of them, and your own won jobs become the defaults over time.
Hang
- Hang 1/2" board — walls, wood studsSF
- Hang 5/8" Type X — wallsSF
- Hang ceiling board (lifts incl.)SF
- Hang moisture-resistant board — wet areasSF
Finish
- Tape & finish — Level 4SF
- Level 5 skim add-onSF
- Spray texture (knockdown/orange peel)SF
- Corner bead — install & finishLF
Framing (metal stud)
- Frame 3-5/8" metal stud wall @ 16" oc, to 10 ftSF
- Frame 6" metal stud wall @ 16" ocSF
- Soffit/bulkhead framing + boardLF
Insulation
- Batt insulation in framed wall (R-13/R-19)SF
- Sound batt + acoustic sealantSF
Repairs
- Patch — up to 2 SF, finished & texturedEA
- Patch — up to 16 SF (sheet section), finishedEA
- Demo existing drywall + disposalSF
Factors
- High-ceiling factor add-on (above 10 ft: scaffold/lift time)SF
Frequently asked questions
How do you estimate a drywall job?
Quantity the board (wall and ceiling square footage, by board type), then price each phase separately — hang, tape and finish to the specified level, texture — because each has its own production rate and crew. Add framing if you carry it, corner bead by the linear foot, high-ceiling factors above 10 feet, and your burden and markup. The assemblies on this page follow exactly that phase split.
What finish level should I price?
Level 4 is the standard for painted walls; Level 5 (skim coat) is for critical light or gloss finishes and is priced here as an add-on per square foot, which keeps the upcharge visible to the GC instead of buried. Pricing L5 as its own line also protects you when the spec changes after award — it becomes a clean change order.
Does BuiltSum do drywall takeoff from plans?
On-screen plan takeoff is on the roadmap (browser-based, feeding these same assemblies). Today you enter quantities from your Bluebeam/plan measurements or field measure — with math allowed in every field, so 12*9+14*9 is a valid wall entry.
How does the monthly GC billing work?
Commercial drywall is progress-billed: your accepted estimate becomes the schedule of values, and each month you bill percent complete per line on an AIA-style G702/G703-style pay application with retainage tracked line by line. It's included on every BuiltSum plan — no $200+/month tier gate.
The sub's whole month, one chain
Estimate → SOV → pay app → retainage release. Unlimited projects from $49/mo.
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