Drywall repair in Ottawa: every patch on one list

Sort the damage into sizes before you send it

The company prices drywall by size class, so do the sorting for them. Four classes cover most homes:

• Dents and nail pops. Small marks a coin covers.
• Small holes. Up to the size of a doorknob or a fist.
• Large holes and cut-outs. Bigger than a hand, often left by a plumber, an electrician or a removed fixture.
• Cracks. Give the length and where they run: over a door, along a ceiling seam, at a corner.

Write the count for each class and the room it is in. “4 dents in the stairwell, 1 doorknob hole in the hall, 1 cut-out 30 × 40 cm in the laundry ceiling.” Ceilings and stairwells go on their own lines, since they mean ladders and more setup.

How a drywall list gets priced

Single patches are often priced as a job: $75–150 each on the HomeStars Gloucester page. A list of patches is often cheaper as time, because one trip covers the coats on all of them. TaskRabbit’s Ottawa figure for drywall repair starts at $50 an hour, with one Tasker there booking 2 hours at least, and the HomeStars Ottawa guide puts handyman time for patching at $85–120 an hour.

Larger jobs move into drywall-contractor territory. In HomeStars’ Ottawa data, drywall projects ranged from $200 to $11,000, with an average of $2,619, based on 49 homeowner reports up to March 2022. If your list includes a whole wall or ceiling, expect a contractor price, and say so in the request.

Paint is its own line. The Gloucester page lists small painting projects at $200–400 per room or area plus materials. Ask whether the price covers only the patched spot or the wall from corner to corner.

Older walls in Ottawa homes

Kanata’s first street went up in 1964, Barrhaven’s first subdivision houses date from the late 1960s, and Orléans grew quickly through the 1970s. Health Canada says asbestos may still be found in older building materials, including plaster, drywall, spackling and paint, and that before 1990 asbestos was used mainly for insulation. Its advice: avoid disturbing materials that may contain it, and have a professional test before you renovate.

For a patch list, that means two things. Put the build year in the request. And ask the company before the visit how it handles a pre-1990 wall: whether it tests, works around the material, or asks you to arrange a test first.

When another trade opened the wall

Plumbers and electricians often leave holes behind. For wiring, ESA requires an inspection before an electrical installation is concealed, and the rough-in inspection comes before insulation, vapour barrier or drywall go on. Close the wall after that inspection, and ask the electrician for confirmation. For plumbing work, ask the plumber whether anything still needs a look before the patch goes on.

New homes: warranty first

Barrhaven and Kanata both have neighbourhoods still under development. If you took possession of a new home in the last year or two, the builder’s warranty may cover the work. Tarion’s one-year warranty starts on the date of possession and covers defects in work and materials. The two-year warranty adds items such as water getting in through basement or foundation walls and defects in electrical, plumbing and heating systems. Report the defect through the builder and Tarion before paying for a private repair.

Who you are dealing with

Ottawa Handyman Desk passes your drywall list to one independent local company. That company calls you, prices the patches and paint, and does the work.