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Drywall Repairs and New Board, Matched to Local Ottawa Contractors

See what a quote should cover, what the Building Code and the City say, and when to test first in an older house. Then get matched with local drywall contractors.

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Two drywall workers taping and finishing a new ceiling in a bright room, with stacked drywall sheets and joint tape in front and Parliament Hill behind the Ottawa Drywallers name

What Needs Fixing?

Pick the damage to see what a quote should cover, the rule that applies, and the published price range where one exists. A contractor has to look at it before anyone can say why it happened.

A hole or dent

What a quote should coverCutting the damaged board back to a clean edge, backing for a larger hole, the patch, tape, coats of compound, sanding and primer. Ask whether paint is included.

The ruleOn a wall or ceiling shared with an attached garage, the patch also has to restore the gas barrier the Building Code wants between the garage and the house (9.10.9.18.(4)): patch and seal it.

Published price rangeAbout $150 to $600 per small patch

Built before 1990? Health Canada advises a professional asbestos test before renovating. Test before anyone cuts or sands; a positive result is abatement work (ottawaabatement.com).

Read Hole & dent repair · Garage-to-house walls

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A crack

What a quote should coverOpening the crack, re-taping where the tape has let go, coats of compound, feathering and primer. Ask whether it is re-taped or only filled.

The ruleIn cold weather the Building Code wants the space kept at not less than 10 °C for 48 hours before taping and finishing, and for not less than 48 hours after (9.29.5.10.(1)). If structural damage is suspected, the City recommends a suitably qualified professional, such as a professional engineer.

Published price rangeAbout $150 to $900 per crack or area

Built before 1990? Health Canada advises a professional asbestos test before renovating. Test before anyone cuts or sands; a positive result is abatement work (ottawaabatement.com).

Read Crack repair · Taping & finish levels

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Water damage

What a quote should coverRemoving the wet board so the cavity can dry, new board, taping and finishing. Find and stop the leak first. Wet insulation behind it is an insulation contractor's job (ottawainsulationcontractors.ca).

The ruleThe City's 2026 flood-repair FAQ says a permit is not required for "Removal of drywall or other interior finish to permit drying of insulation." Replacing insulation with a different material, such as batt insulation to spray foam, does need one.

Published price rangeNo published range: the sources we found price this in different units.

Built before 1990? Health Canada advises a professional asbestos test before renovating. Test before anyone cuts or sands; a positive result is abatement work (ottawaabatement.com).

Read Water-damaged drywall · Ceiling repair

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A full room

What a quote should coverHanging board, taping the joints, corner bead, coats to an agreed finish level, sanding and primer. Ask the quote to name the board and the finish level.

The ruleBuilding Code fastener minimums for single-layer board on wood framing: nails not more than 180 mm apart on ceilings and 200 mm on walls, screws not more than 300 mm apart on ceilings, at least 10 mm from the edges. Board that supports insulation is at least 12.7 mm thick (9.29.5.4 to 9.29.5.9).

Published price rangeAbout $1.50 to $4.50 per square foot of board

Taking out old board in a house built before 1990? Health Canada advises a professional asbestos test before renovating.

Read Drywall installation · Finish levels

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A textured ceiling

Built before 1990? Test before anyone scrapes. A positive result is abatement work (ottawaabatement.com), not drywall work.

What a quote should coverA scrape only, or scrape, skim coat, primer and paint, or new board over the old ceiling. Ask how the room is protected.

The ruleHealth Canada says there are no significant health risks if materials containing asbestos are left undisturbed, so a ceiling nobody is touching can wait for a test.

Published price rangeAbout $2 to $10 per square foot, after a clear test

Read Textured ceiling removal · Ceiling repair

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No diagnosis: a contractor has to see the wall or ceiling. Building Code numbers are minimums for new work (Ontario Building Code, O. Reg. 163/24, Division B, as consolidated January 2025): ask the City how they apply to your renovation. Published Toronto and Ontario contractor prices, read October 1, 2026: not Ottawa prices and not a quote.

Two Walls the Building Code Treats Differently

Most drywall is a finish. Between an attached garage and the house, and between a secondary suite and the main home, the Code asks more of it, in different ways.

Garage wall: gas-tight, not fire-rated

Continuous sealed gas barrier · door at the shared wall: self-closing, weather-stripped door

Where an attached garage serves only your home, the Building Code treats it as part of the dwelling and the fire separation "need not be provided" (9.10.9.18.(3)). What it requires:

An air barrier between the garage and the house that stops gas and exhaust fumes, with joints and penetrations such as wiring, boxes, pipes and ducts sealed (9.10.9.18.(4), 9.25.3.3)
Every door between them tight-fitting, weather-stripped and self-closing, and not opening into a bedroom (9.10.13.15)
Interior finish "need not be applied to garage and carport walls" (9.35.4.1.(1))

Many builders form the barrier with taped, sealed drywall. What the Code requires is that it is continuous and sealed, so holes in the garage-side wall or ceiling should be patched and sealed.

Garage-to-house walls & ceilings

Basement apartment: 5/8-inch (15.9 mm) Type X drywall both sides and underside

Hatched: 5/8-inch Type X, under the floor framing and on both sides of the separating wall

Adding an apartment needs a City permit even with little or no work, and the drawings show the fire separation. For new work the Code gives two routes (9.10.9.16):

A fire separation with a 45 minute rating between the units (9.10.9.16.(1)), or
A continuous smoke-tight barrier of not less than 5/8-inch Type X drywall on both sides of the separating walls and on the underside of the floor-ceiling framing (9.10.9.16.(4))
Supporting walls, columns and beams also get 5/8-inch Type X (9.10.8.3.(2))

Existing houses may use a compliance alternative: a 15 minute horizontal fire separation with smoke alarms in every unit and common area, interconnected. The City decides which route fits through the permit. The rest of the suite is outside this site.

5/8-inch Type X for secondary suites

Building Code numbers are minimums for new work (Ontario Building Code, O. Reg. 163/24, Division B, as consolidated January 2025): ask the City how they apply to your renovation.

Finish Levels 0 to 5: an Industry Scale, Not a Code Rule

The Gypsum Association's GA-214 guide counts the coats of compound at each level. The Building Code does not mention finish levels, so name the level you want in the quote.

Coats of compound beyond the tape, by finish level (GA-214-2022, industry recommendation)

Coats of compound beyond the tape, by finish level (GA-214-2022, industry recommendation)
Level	Tape	Extra coats on flat joints	Coats on fasteners	Skim coat over the whole surface	Where it is used
Level 0	None	0	0	No	Temporary work, or decoration not decided
Level 1	Set in compound	0	0	No	Concealed areas, such as above ceilings and attics
Level 2	Embedded and wiped	0	1	No	Under tile, or garages and storage
Level 3	Embedded	1	2	No	Heavy or medium texture finishes
Level 4	Embedded	2	3	No	Flat paint and light textures
Level 5	Embedded	2	3	Yes	Gloss or dark paint, critical lighting

Level 5 adds a thin skim coat over the whole surface. Published price pages agree only that a Level 5 skim costs more than a standard finish.

Drywall Jobs We Match

A range is shown only where two independent published contractor price pages agree. They are Toronto and Ontario prices, not Ottawa prices.

Drywall Pro IQ

Plain answers to Ottawa drywall questions: repairs, water damage, new board, finish levels, textured ceilings, permits and costs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does removing wet drywall need a City permit?

No. The City of Ottawa's 2026 Building Code Services FAQ on flood repairs says a building permit is not required for "Removal of drywall or other interior finish to permit drying of insulation." It does need a permit to replace damaged insulation with a different material, such as batt insulation to spray foam, or to remove or replace structural framing.

What do published price pages say a drywall patch costs?

Published Toronto and Ontario contractor pages, read October 1, 2026, put a small patch at about $150 to $600 per patch and crack repair at about $150 to $900 per crack or area. These are not Ottawa prices and not a quote: larger holes, texture matching and paint add to it, so compare written quotes for the same scope.

Should drywall in an older Ottawa house be tested before work?

Health Canada says asbestos was used in some building materials before 1990, including drywall and spackling, and advises hiring a professional to test before renovating or remodelling. If the test is positive, removal is work for a qualified asbestos removal specialist (ottawaabatement.com).

Do drywallers need a licence in Ontario?

No. Drywall, acoustic and lathing applicator, and drywall finisher and plasterer, are voluntary trades in Ontario: a certificate is not required, and Skilled Trades Ontario says holders do not appear on its public register. That does not make every job unregulated: fire separations and permit work are still inspected by the City.

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Tell us what needs patching, replacing or boarding and we send it to local Ottawa drywall contractors