Drywall Installation and Repair in Lehi, Utah

Its five services cover a basement from bare studs to paint-ready walls, and the repairs and ceilings upstairs: drywall installation, taping and finishing, texture and texture matching, repair and patching, and popcorn ceiling removal. For a free estimate with no obligation, call (801) 735-8491 or describe the job in the estimate form.

How Lehi's growth shapes the drywall work here

Lehi had 8,475 people in the 1990 census and 75,907 in 2020. Between 2000 and 2010 alone it grew 149.1 percent and climbed from Utah's 29th largest city to its 13th.

The houses show it. Census Bureau estimates for 2020 to 2024 put the median Lehi home at 2007, and about three in four were built in 2000 or later. Only about 3 percent date from before 1950.

In a house that new, the walls are usually drywall on wood studs and the problems come from a house settling in. Typical jobs are finishing open basements, patching after a plumber or electrician has cut in, and fixing cracks and pops from framing that is still drying.

Why newer Lehi homes get nail pops and ceiling cracks

The Gypsum Association names shrinking lumber as the most common cause of popped screws and nails. New framing goes up with more moisture in it than it keeps once the furnace runs. As the studs and joists dry, they pull back from the drywall and the fastener heads push through the paint.

Its advice on timing helps: pops that show up after the heating season has started are best fixed once the season ends, when the wood has stopped moving. Each pop is reset with a new screw beside it, then the old head is set below the surface, filled, sanded and painted.

A crack where the ceiling meets an inside wall that opens every winter and closes every summer is often truss uplift. The top of a roof truss sits in the cold attic and takes on moisture, while the bottom stays warm and dry under the insulation, so the truss arches a little. Retaping the corner rarely lasts. The lasting fix fastens the ceiling edge to the wall's top plate or to clips, so the corner stays put and the ceiling flexes.

What Lehi asks for when you finish a basement

Lehi lists the basement finish as its own residential permit type, and applications go through the city's online Building Permit Submittal Portal. The city's basement finish checklist asks for:

• A floor plan with dimensions, and the location and size of every window
• Electrical, plumbing and mechanical plans
• An engineering packet, if the project needs one
• A gas piping diagram on paper, if gas lines are part of the work
• A completed building permit application

Inspections and the order of work in a Lehi basement

Lehi needs 24 hours' notice for any inspection, booked by calling (385) 201-1035, and charges a re-inspection fee when a project is called in clearly not ready. Drywall covers the framing, wiring, ducts and insulation, so the schedule is built around those checks.

Utah builds homes to the 2021 International Residential Code with state amendments. A few of its rules decide how a basement is boarded:

• Habitable basement rooms need a 7-foot ceiling, and beams and ducts may drop to no lower than 6 feet 4 inches, so duct soffits are planned around that height
• Foam board insulation on the walls must be covered by at least 1/2-inch gypsum wallboard or another approved thermal barrier
• Walls furred out from the foundation need fireblocking at the floor and ceiling and at least every 10 feet along their length
• A closet under the stairs with a door needs 1/2-inch gypsum board on its walls, the underside of the stairs and any soffits
• Each bedroom needs an emergency escape window with a sill no higher than 44 inches, which means a deep window return to finish

Building a basement apartment under Lehi's ADU rules

Lehi allows one internal accessory dwelling unit in an owner-occupied, single-family detached home on a lot of at least 6,000 square feet, outside the areas on the city's ADU restricted map. The owner signs an affidavit, recorded against the property, saying they live there.

It takes two approvals, a permit from the Planning Division and a building permit from the Building Division. The unit needs its own off-street parking stall, and an active ADU license while it is rented.

One rule shapes the drywall plan. There must be a physical connection, such as a locking door, between the main home and the apartment, so the space can rejoin the house if the apartment closes. That door and the wall around it belong in the framing plan from day one.

Asbestos testing and texture matching in a younger house

Utah's Division of Air Quality no longer requires an asbestos inspection before renovating homes of four or fewer units built on or after January 1, 1992. With about three in four Lehi homes built in 2000 or later, most jobs here skip that step. Census figures put about 12 percent of Lehi homes before 1990, and a house built before 1992 still needs the inspection before a contractor disturbs its ceiling texture or joint compound.

In newer homes the harder part is often the texture. A patch on an orange peel or knockdown wall has to match the spray pattern and the paint sheen, so it is sprayed to blend past its edges and tested on scrap board before it goes on the wall.

Drywall questions from Lehi homeowners

Do I need a permit to finish my basement in Lehi?

Yes. Lehi treats a basement finish as its own residential permit, applied for through the city's online portal with a dimensioned floor plan, window sizes and the electrical, plumbing and mechanical plans. Questions about a specific project can go to the city's inspections line at (385) 201-1035.

Why does my new Lehi house have popped nails in the drywall?

Usually the framing is drying out. Lumber shrinks as a new house goes through its first heating seasons, and the studs pull back from the board until the fastener heads push through.

When is the best time to fix nail pops and winter ceiling cracks?

After the heating season. Pops that appear once the furnace is running are best reset in spring, and a corner crack from truss uplift needs the ceiling edge refastened so it can flex.

Can I rent out a basement apartment in Lehi?

Often, yes. You must live in the home, the lot must be at least 6,000 square feet and outside the city's ADU restricted areas, and the unit needs a planning permit, a building permit and an ADU license while it is rented.

What should I put in my estimate request?

The rooms involved, rough wall and ceiling sizes, ceiling height, the texture you have and whether the work is part of a permitted basement finish. Call (801) 735-8491 or write it in the estimate form. There is no charge for the estimate and no obligation.