The Short Answer
Most residential drywall repair in Chattanooga falls between $150 and $1,200. A single small hole patched, textured and left paint-ready is usually $150 to $350. A full sheet of drywall replaced is roughly $350 to $700. A water-damaged ceiling section is commonly $500 to $1,200 because ceiling drywall repair is slower, dirtier and needs more hands. Whole-room drywall repair after a flood or a fire is quoted per project and frequently crosses Tennessee's $3,000 Home Improvement licence threshold.
Chattanooga Drywall Repair Price Table
| Drywall repair job | Typical range | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Nail pops and hairline seam cracks (per visit) | $150 – $300 | Count, ceiling vs wall, texture type |
| Small hole, up to about 6 inches | $150 – $350 | Minimum charge dominates; texture match |
| Medium hole, 6 to 16 inches | $250 – $500 | Backing needed, number of coats |
| Full sheet replaced | $350 – $700 | Access, height, corner bead, texture |
| Ceiling drywall repair, one section | $500 – $1,200 | Overhead work, staging, texture matching |
| Water-damaged wall, cut back and re-hung | $600 – $1,800 | Extent, drying time, insulation replacement |
| Whole-room drywall repair and refinish | $1,800 – $4,500 | Room size, ceiling height, finish level |
| Plaster and lath section repaired with drywall | $400 – $1,100 | Depth shimming, key failure, blending |
These ranges are guidance for the Chattanooga market and are not a quotation. Only a written estimate from the contractor who looks at your wall is binding.
The Five Things That Move a Drywall Repair Quote
Two identical-looking holes can quote $180 apart. These are the reasons, in rough order of how much they matter.
- Ceiling or wall. Ceiling drywall repair costs more than the same repair on a wall — often half again. Everything happens overhead, off staging, with gravity working against the compound.
- Texture. Smooth is cheapest to match. Orange peel is straightforward. Knockdown and stomp need test boards and timing. A light popcorn ceiling is the hardest drywall repair to disguise and sometimes the honest answer is to re-texture the whole ceiling rather than chase a match.
- Cause. A drywall repair after impact is just drywall. A drywall repair after water means finding out how far the moisture travelled, and wet insulation behind the board changes the job.
- Access. A hallway at standing height is one price. A stairwell ceiling at fourteen feet in a Signal Mountain split-level is another, because the staging is most of the labour.
- Volume. Six drywall repairs in one visit cost far less than six separate calls. Walk the house before you phone and list everything.
Where Tennessee's Licence Thresholds Change the Paperwork
Here is the part worth knowing before you call anyone, including us. Tennessee has two thresholds, and Hamilton County is one of only nine counties in the state where the middle one applies.
- Under $3,000. No state contractor licence and no Home Improvement licence is required. Most single-room drywall repair lands here — a few holes, a cracked ceiling seam, one sheet of board. If a drywall contractor tells you a $600 patch legally requires a state licence, that is a sales line, not the rule.
- $3,000 to $24,999. A Home Improvement licence is required for residential remodelling in this range in Hamilton County, along with Bradley, Davidson, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford and Shelby. Most of Tennessee has no equivalent requirement at all. Whole-house drywall repair after a flood or a fire commonly crosses this line.
- Over $25,000. A full Tennessee contractor's licence from the Board for Licensing Contractors is required on the prime contract.
Ask which one your drywall job falls under and ask to see the licence number if it needs one. It takes thirty seconds and it is the single most useful question a Chattanooga homeowner can ask a drywall contractor. Insurance is the separate question and it matters at every price: the independent provider who takes your job carries general liability cover, and you are entitled to ask for the certificate.
How to Compare Two Drywall Repair Quotes
Cheap drywall repair quotes are usually cheap because a coat is missing. Ask each contractor the same four questions and the gap normally explains itself: how many coats of compound, is texture matching included or extra, is the drywall repair left primed or bare, and what is the minimum charge. A quote that is $120 lower and leaves the patch bare and untextured is not lower.