# Drywalling bulkhead and wall repair after basement reno



## Simon96Taco (Nov 11, 2009)

So, a few months ago I finished a renovation involving removal of a telepost in my basement by adding two very large beams to the existing beam (steel, bolted). This allowed me to remove a wall and create a large enough space for a pool table.

I'm now ready to do the finishing so that I can buy and move in that pool table, so I'm on the hunt for a contractor to patch up the drywall. I contacted a few in the local classifieds, heard back from a couple who had requests for more details and pictures, and sent them both the following email and attached pictures:

_Here are some pictures of the area that needs drywalling.

Picture 1 - north - this is an overall picture of the bulkhead that was half removed, exposing floor joists above and cutting into the ceiling. You can also see the two walls (corner) that need patching towards the left of the picture, in the hallway. Roughly the top two feet of the wall needs patching.



Picture 2 - south - this is another view of the ceiling and the wall at the south end (foundation) that needs patching.



Picture 3 - bulkhead - this is a view from directly under the previously existing bulkhead. I have removed about half of it to make way for renovation - as you can see the right half is still there (you can still see some framing). I think an entire new bulkhead needs to be built.



Picture 4 - just a closer view of the north end, where you can see into the furnace room.



Picture 5 - a closer view of the ceiling texture._​




For your reference, the bulkhead to be built would be approximately 15' long, 6' wide, and about 10". There are sections of wall that you can also see that need to be patched - they will require some framing to do so.

One of the two got back to me quickly and said it would be $3500 - $5000 . Does this sound reasonable? It is WAY more than I expected. When I first got the support beam installation work quoted, one of the contractors quoted me *$500* extra if I wanted to have him patch up the drywall after the work was done (in hindsight, I should have hired him!).

I am also curious about low profile bulkhead techniques. As you can see there was a bulkhead there previously, which is now half removed. The rest will have to be removed to build a new bulkhead.......or, I could drywall around the beam and the bulkhead and leave them exposed. Any thoughts about this? I want to avoid, if possible, a bunch of 2x4 framing under that heating duct which will reduce my already low overhead clearance by another 1.5". I know it doesn't sound like much, but every inch counts when it gets down under 7', which it is.

Thanks in advance for all your input!

S


----------



## Simon96Taco (Nov 11, 2009)

Sorry mods for the double post - please delete! Thank you


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Who specified that beam and how it was supported?
Did you get a permit and inspection.
I guess my main concern is just seeing a lolly column on one end and not seeing the bottom of the sheetrock removed to access the footing for the column. 
Yes there's a good reason for my asking.

What are those pipes and wiring hanging down under the floor joist, if they where up out of the way it would make the job easier to close all that back in.
One reason that may be for the high price is it's still not done and there just guessing at what the job involves at this point.
Looks like a lot more of that old sheet rocks going to have to come down to do this right. Just looks from the pictures there's a lot of wall and ceiling areas with no framing to support the rock.
I'd be very leery of anyone quoting prices that has never even been to the job to look at it.


----------



## paparocks (Jun 29, 2011)

Dont hire a drywall guy to do your framing. Yes frame and hang the underside. There's a big difference between 2k and 5k. somebody is questioning their ability or their wouldnt be.
drywall and only drywall, I would ask for a grand to hang and finish.
As the home owner I would insist that the drywall finisher only use Tape-on corner beads. Sofits are renown for cracks in the bead.
also be sure and pull the rest of the bead on that outside corner off. Dont try and make a joint there. It will crack.


----------



## Simon96Taco (Nov 11, 2009)

Hi Joecaption, thanks for the response. Here are answers to your questions:



joecaption said:


> Who specified that beam and how it was supported?
> Did you get a permit and inspection.
> I guess my main concern is just seeing a lolly column on one end and not seeing the bottom of the sheetrock removed to access the footing for the column.
> Yes there's a good reason for my asking.


A civil engineer designed and engineered the beam support. I have stamped drawings before the work commenced and he came back and inspected it once complete. The reason the lolly column (telepost?) was not removed is because the footing under it was sufficient to take the new load. The footing was drilled, inspected, and load calculations made by the engineer to determine that.



joecaption said:


> What are those pipes and wiring hanging down under the floor joist, if they where up out of the way it would make the job easier to close all that back in.


The pipes are water pipes, and a gas line. The wire is just hanging loose and can be secured higher to the joists in some cases. It would be easier if it wasn' tthere, but those are not going anywhere. They would have had to be drywalled around the first time the basement was finished too.



joecaption said:


> One reason that may be for the high price is it's still not done and there just guessing at what the job involves at this point.


Agreed - I won't take any quote too seriously unless they come and look at the job. That said, I'm not even inviting a guy to come and look with a quote like 3500-5000.



joecaption said:


> Looks like a lot more of that old sheet rocks going to have to come down to do this right. Just looks from the pictures there's a lot of wall and ceiling areas with no framing to support the rock.
> I'd be very leery of anyone quoting prices that has never even been to the job to look at it.


You're right......perhaps I should finish the demolition and try my hand at finishing the framing? I've never done it before, and don't know how much of an effect my work will have on potential finish work.


----------



## Simon96Taco (Nov 11, 2009)

drywallfinisher said:


> Dont hire a drywall guy to do your framing. Yes frame and hang the underside. There's a big difference between 2k and 5k. somebody is questioning their ability or their wouldnt be.
> drywall and only drywall, I would ask for a grand to hang and finish.
> As the home owner I would insist that the drywall finisher only use Tape-on corner beads. Sofits are renown for cracks in the bead.
> also be sure and pull the rest of the bead on that outside corner off. Dont try and make a joint there. It will crack.


Drywallfinisher, thanks very much for the feedback. I never thought about splitting the job into the two tasks - framing and drywalling, but you're right, I should maybe look at it that way.

I'm not too familiar what tape on corner beads (or corner beads at all for that matter!) are, so I'm off to do some research on this stuff! Figure out the difference between a corner bead and a joint  Cheers!

S


----------



## mikegp (Jul 17, 2011)

Framing and drywall are not that hard if you take some time to check out youtube and google some info. For $5k it is definitely worth a shot. I know some people are scared to diy, but just a suggestion.


----------



## Simon96Taco (Nov 11, 2009)

mikegp said:


> Framing and drywall are not that hard if you take some time to check out youtube and google some info. For $5k it is definitely worth a shot. I know some people are scared to diy, but just a suggestion.


For the price, I'm definitely considering it. The reason I wanted a pro to do it is that I'm not starting from scratch, i.e. I have to tie into existing framing, frame around things, tie drywall to existing etc, which makes it a bit more complicated than if I was starting with a blank slate. I'm hoping to get one or two more quotes then I can make my decision.

I will take a couple more pictures tonight showing some of the complexities of the job a little more clearly.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Big mistake in my option to not take the time to relocate that wiring and pipes.
Because your unsure how to do it is not reason enough to not have it done.
Looks like someone may have notched the bottom of the beam to try and recess it. Not the right way to do it.
It needed to be drilled though the middle of the joist at least 2' away from the end.


----------



## paparocks (Jun 29, 2011)

Simon96Taco said:


> Drywallfinisher, thanks very much for the feedback. I never thought about splitting the job into the two tasks - framing and drywalling, but you're right, I should maybe look at it that way.
> 
> I'm not too familiar what tape on corner beads (or corner beads at all for that matter!) are, so I'm off to do some research on this stuff! Figure out the difference between a corner bead and a joint  Cheers!
> 
> S


I wish I could show you how this is done. especially when it comes to recreating the new seam that runs the distance of the ceiling. finishing it is one thing but finishing it and spraying it as to not see the joints behind the texture IS TOUGH.
What I do is after the final coat of finish on the joint, I sand it hard. I'd hand sand the edges that run into the existing texture, to knock off any ripples or heavy edges. it's time consuming but has to be done IMO to make sure that the hide is there.
good luck


----------

