Updated April 9, 2024
Drywall is ubiquitous in the construction industry, favored for its practical applications in renovations and remodeling projects within commercial environments. Project Managers account for drywall costs in their project budgets, sometimes using it to temporarily section off areas within job sites to allow businesses to continue operations. However, the overall cost of using drywall for containment often fails to consider the disposal of drywall debris post-project.
In commercial renovations, it is common to stage construction to enable employees to continue their work with minimal disruption. Traditionally, contractors have used drywall to limit noise and minimize disturbance. While drywall serves its purpose during the construction phase, offering a temporary sense of permanence and reduced noise, it lacks reusability—once the project is complete, the material becomes waste, necessitating costly and labor-intensive disposal.
The construction of temporary containment walls with drywall also requires significant labor hours throughout the project. Additional hidden costs include:
Considering these factors, drywall proves to be a costly option for the temporary containment of construction dust and debris.
Drywall, when used for containment purposes, consistently represents a sunk cost—there is no return on investment (ROI), nor is there a payback period (PBP). In contrast, high-quality, durable modular wall systems act as long-term investments, yielding returns over multiple projects through their reusability.
STARC’s modular walls—including the RealWall™, LiteBarrier™, FireblockWall, and StackBarrier™ systems—stand out as superior alternatives offering tangible ROI, unlike disposable drywall. These systems are not only innovative and advanced; they are designed to substantially improve profit margins when used across multiple phases or projects.
A critical analysis reveals that when the reusability of STARC’s temporary construction walls is factored in, the costs range from $5 to $10 per linear foot. This pricing makes STARC’s solutions more economically viable than drywall, presenting a more strategic choice for cost-conscious construction firms.
By adopting STARC’s temporary reusable construction walls, Project Managers can significantly reduce their material costs for containment across numerous jobs, establishing these walls as a wise investment that pays for itself after just a few uses.
If the goal is to select a cost-effective and efficient containment solution that delivers solid ROI, the choice is clear: STARC’s durable, reusable modular temporary containment solutions can be used on hundreds of projects over many years, providing immense cost savings and environmental benefits while maintaining robust performance and reliability, backed by multi-year warranties.
To learn more about STARC’s full line of temporary reusable construction walls and accessories, click here. Or, if you have an upcoming project and would like to discuss its specific requirements with a member of our team, schedule a time to chat with us.