Drywall contractor wants to bankrupt me!

[plowhog]

I'm building a new residence in Northern Nevada. Framing is done, windows in, most exterior doors installed, stucco lathing done. Almost ready for drywall. Lots of square footage and some 10' and 12' ceiling heights. Insulation is starting to be installed today.

Drywall installers say they need the house at 64 degrees or higher for drywall install and mud. They have three 50amp portable electric heaters-- one could go in the basement, two on main level. So far, so good.

I asked how long they need to run those heaters. Their response: until April! That's about 5 months of continuous electric heat, which I know is very expensive. Aaahhh. They say they don't want the house cooling down then heating up. Overnight temps over the winter are usually in the 20s, but I've seen it as low as 1F.

My furnace contractor said if I instead run the propane furnaces (three) it will void the warranty. Those cannot be run "during construction" as the fine dust and debris will damage them not to mention coating all of the ducting. I have not yet set the propane tank for those heaters, but I could if needed. The propane lines are run and the heaters are in.

I'm presuming the electric heaters would cost thousands of dollars to run for 5 months. I've never heard of keeping the heat up for that long. Is that typical for drywall?

 

[herm0016]

as soon as the dry wall is finished sanded, i would run the propane heat. use a good filter on it and call it a day. if you are doing something very dusty in one room, just block those vents. its crazy that they say you can't run the heat you installed until the house is completely done.

 

[Diggin It]

I only see an issue for the time needed for the mud to dry/cure.

I don't get how the furnace guys are involved with stand alone LP heaters. HVAC ducting is in many buildings during drywall work, so dust can't be an issue for the outside of it. Cover the registers and vets if they're worried about dust inside the ducts. .... OK, I re-read and now see LP furnaces. So what about standalone LP heaters? Or kerosene?

 

[plowhog]

I inquired about the "red eye" LP furnaces. They apparently get the ceiling above *real hot* while other areas are not. The contractor didn't say so, but I think they probably didn't like the idea of moving bottles of LP around.

 

[Ford850]

Around here, LP costs more than electric, or very close anyway. I don't know why they would need the heat that high once the mud was dried after a week or so. After that I would think 50 or 55 degrees as a minimum would be fine. Maybe 60 tops. In a new house with good insulation it wouldn't take a huge amount of electricity or LP to keep a steady temp at 55.

 

[deezler]

This makes no sense. I too was kinda of aghast at needing to run dual 10kW electric heaters to dry my insulation (sprayed cellulose, was pretty wet) and then properly hang/mud the drywall. But it only took one month, not 5.

How is this not common sense, or what am I missing here? They finish the drywall work (soon), then you clean up the dust and turn on the furnace.

 

[Diggin It]

My other question is about whether or not northern NV remains cold enough for months at a time for this to be an issue.

 

[RNeumann]

I think you are stepping over dollars to pick up dimes. Leaving the house at 64° post insulation and drywall.....meaning windows, doors, housewrap, roof and probably siding has been installed isn’t a big deal cost wise (in relation to the overall build).

It’s better to drive the moisture out now. Your finishes (flooring, cabinets trim etc) will all turn out better with a nice constant temp. You are lucky you have a builder who wants to do a high end job and is worried about the “little things”.

 

[KennyG]

If it's fully insulated, the electric heat may be a little more than LP would cost, but probably not a lot. Remember you will not be spending anything for gas.

 

[Budweiser John]

First off exactly how big is the house?
My working career included finish carpentry in several 5000 square foot homes and the drywall was usually completed in 3 months or less.
The GC always furnished the heat using the installed furnace(s) and when it came time for the finish trim all the material was delivered to the job site and allowed to acclimate for several days before it was installed. There was never an issue with the HVAC systems as B/4 occupancy all filters were changed and the property was professionally cleaned.

B. John