The worst drywall job I saw was in a brand new house in Austin

I did a patch job last month in a house that was built 3 years ago in a new development near downtown. The homeowner said they had nothing but problems from day one. I pulled off a baseboard and saw the bottom edge of the drywall was just sitting on the concrete slab with no gap at all. Moisture had wicked up into the board and it was all crumbly and soft for about 4 inches up. The whole room probably needs to be redone because of something that should have been caught during the install. Has anyone else seen builders skip the gap at the bottom on purpose?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty12611d agoTop Commenter

That's a good point about the gap, but the real code rule is that the drywall needs to be at least a half inch off the concrete. I've seen builders try to say they forgot the gap, but honestly it's usually laziness saves them a few bucks on trim. They figure the baseboard will cover it up and nobody will notice until the rot sets in. The moisture wicking up from the slab is exactly why that gap matters, especially in a place like Austin where the ground stays damp.

oliver24211d ago

Wait, they really just set the drywall right on the slab with no gap at all? That's just asking for trouble, I can't believe a builder in a newer development would cut that corner.