The average cost to install a wall is between $974 and $3,176, with an average of $2,066. Your total will depend on materials used, plus the wall’s size and location.
Whether you want to divide a room into two or put a wall in your open plan for privacy, building a wall will cost you between $974 and $3,176, with most homeowners paying $2,066 on average.
While installing a wall might seem easy to some people, it consists of many steps depending on the type of wall you want to build, such as framing, electrical work, and finishing.
| Wall Length (Linear Feet, by 8-Feet-Tall) | Average Cost Range |
|---|---|
| 10 | $200–$300 |
| 15 | $300–$450 |
| 20 | $400–$600 |
| 25 | $500–$750 |
| 35 | $700–$1,050 |
| 40 | $800–$1,200 |
The bigger the wall, the more expensive it is to build. The standard wall height is 8 feet tall, although you may need something taller or shorter. Once you figure out the wall length you need, just multiply it by the height to get the square footage.
You can expect a finished wall, including framing, drywall, and electrical, to cost around $20 to $30 per linear foot. Half-walls cost $10 to $20 per linear foot and are useful for dividing areas in bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and more.
The cost to install a wall varies depending on the material of the wall. Walls come in a wide range of materials, from brick, plaster, stone, and concrete.
| Material | Cost Per Square Foot |
|---|---|
| Drywall | $1.50–$3 |
| Plaster | $3–$10 |
| Glass | $25–$75 |
| Concrete | $10–$60 |
| Wood | $10–$40 |
| Stone or stone veneer | $15–$80 |
| Brick or brick veneer | $5–$45 |
Drywall is the most common material for walls, consisting of boards made from material bonded to a gypsum plaster core. The price of building drywall runs between $1.50 to $3 per square foot. A typical panel is 4 feet by 8 feet or 32 square feet. Framing interior walls with drywall costs $20 to $30 per linear foot.
Drywall sheets can be used for both your walls and ceilings (and can be built simultaneously). Drywall is heavy, and installation usually requires at least two workers.
Plaster is great for curved interior walls and decorative touches to get older house styles or textures. Expect to pay $3 to $5 per square foot for plaster wall prices, though it can sometimes go as high as $10 per square foot.
The cost to install glass walls is $25 to $75 per square foot. You will pay an extra $1,000 to $3,000 or more to add a glass door, depending on the location.
Stone walls are mostly used for outdoor walls and are great for building retaining walls. For indoor walls, veneer stone is lighter and more cost-effective. Stone walls cost anywhere from $15 to $80 per square foot, depending on the type of stone and wall you choose, and a stone veneer costs about $20 to $40 per square foot.
Brick is used for both indoor and outdoor walls. Brick walls cost about $10 to $45 per square foot. You’d use a thin veneer brick for interior brick walls, which runs $5 to $15 per square foot.
Building a concrete wall costs $10 to $60 per square foot. They’re durable and easy to maintain. And unlike other materials, concrete walls never rot when exposed to moisture.
Wood paneling costs $10 to $40 per square foot. Wood upholstery or paneling is a great and cost-effective way to personalize the design of your home. You can hide flaws in the walls, exposed cables, and wiring with wood paneling.
Whether you want to install a partition wall for privacy or a load-bearing exterior wall, the function of the wall you build determines the final cost.
Interior non-load-bearing walls that extend from the floor to the ceiling cost toward the lower end of the pricing scales, based on the type of materials you use. Load-bearing interior walls, on the other hand, have additional considerations, including using double top plates and 16-inch-on-center stud spacing for framed walls. Expect costs near the higher end of the scale for the material you're using for load-bearing applications.
The cost to add a partition wall depends on the type and size. They come in different materials, including glass, panels, and half walls that don't reach the ceiling.
| Partition Wall Type | Price per Square Foot |
|---|---|
| Glass walls | $25–$75 |
| Panel walls | $1.50–$2.50 |
| Drywall half wall | $10–$20 |
Framing load-bearing walls can cost slightly higher than non-load-bearing ones because they need more studs throughout. Exterior walls need additional studs at the corners plus insulation, increasing material costs by 30%.
The most common interior wall covering and finish is drywall. The cost to hire a drywall installer ranges from $1 to $2.10 per square foot. However, other costs can include texturing and painting, which add between $1 and $2 per square foot for texturing or painting.
The cost to hire a mason to construct a brick or similar wall is between $70 and $110 per hour or between $10 and $45 per square foot. The cost will reflect the type of masonry installation, ranging from adding a brick veneer or installing real bricks at the low end of the pricing scale to installing hollow bricks, which costs closer to the high end of the pricing scale.
While most wall installations require you or your local general contractor to obtain a building permit, when building load-bearing walls, your municipality will often require you to hire a structural engineer to sign off on your construction plans in order to qualify for the permit. The cost to hire a structural engineer to ensure your building plans meet code and the new walls will be structurally sufficient averages between $70 and $250 per hour, or roughly $2 to $10 per square foot of the project.
Here are some additional costs you can expect to run into when planning to build a wall. Not all of these options are necessary, but depending on your project, you may find that you’ll need some of the following items.
Walls with openings such as windows, doors, or pass-throughs can cost an additional $120 to $200 per opening. An opening needs studs and beams to support the wall's weight. Depending on the size and whether the wall is load-bearing, an arched opening may cost $1,000 to $5,000 to install. In addition, you’ll pay $300 to $1,000 for the trim, frame, sill, doors, windows, and other materials.
Most of the walls in your home contain some electrical wiring, which powers your outlets and lighting. You may have to hire a local electrician to add electrical work such as a light switch or a power outlet when building a wall, which can increase the total cost.
Structural changes in your home require a building permit. Expect to pay $100 to $300 for a permit to build a simple interior wall, but it can vary significantly depending on what you're building and your location.
The cost of wall insulation is $0.40 to $6.75 per square foot on average. The most affordable types of insulation are fiberglass, cellulose, and polystyrene. The more costly materials are Rockwool and wood fiber.
Professional soundproofing costs around $10 to $30 per square foot and soundproof drywall costs $40 per panel. In addition to soundproofing walls, you can soundproof ceilings, floors, doors, and windows.
Adding skip trowel texture to your wall costs approximately $1.25 to $2 per square foot. It’s a cost-effective way to dress up a simple, smooth wall.
Installing wall paneling averages $2.50 to $40 per square foot. The budget-friendly option is shiplap, which is around $2.50 to $7 per square foot.
Board-and-batten and beadboard paneling cost about $7 to $20 per square foot, while raised panels are $10 to $30 per square foot. Overlays are on the higher end of the spectrum, ranging between $10 to $40 per square foot.
You might opt for trim to help hide the space between the floor and the baseboard, like shoe molding and quarter-round trim, which cost about $0.50 per linear foot. If you want something a little more eye-catching, you could go with base molding, which depending on the materials you choose, is $0.60 to $1.20 per linear foot.
Higher-end trim options include crown molding, which runs around $2 to $10 per linear foot. For a luxurious look, you can go with wall-frame trim for $8 to $25 per linear foot or casing trim for $0.60 to $1.20 per linear foot.
Building a wall might sound like a simple project on the surface, but it isn't your everyday DIY task. There are a lot of different skill sets that you would need as a DIYer to get the job done right, from carpentry, electrical, and potentially even plumbing. As with any major project, there are significant safety concerns if you don’t know what you’re doing. For example, don’t risk dealing with the electrical inside a wall if you don’t have the proper training and experience.
Additionally, walls require precise construction to ensure they’re safe and long-lasting. Knowing how to frame a wall requires experience and plenty of knowledge. Amateur mistakes like using the wrong measurements, materials, and methods can compromise your wall’s safety and longevity.
For a wall that you can count on for the long term, hire a drywall contractor near you. They can get the job done to code and ensure proper plumbing, electricity, and a beautiful finish.
Plus, when you hire a pro, you won’t have to worry about making costly mistakes. Common mistakes may require you to buy multiple batches of materials or even cost you a successful home inspection. So unless you’re a very seasoned DIYer, let the experienced workers handle this job.
Building a wall can get pricey, so here are some money-saving tips to follow when building a wall:
Use recycled materials.
Interview potential professionals and use these tips to hire the best contractor based on their portfolio and references. They’ll get the job done fast and in the best quality possible.
Use economical materials such as plaster or drywall.
Get multiple quotes from at least three different pros.
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Framing is the shell of the house. It includes several steps, including studs, plumbing, and electricity. A professional will ensure the wall frame is secured for the house’s structural integrity.
Framing prices change depending on the material and whether the wall is load-bearing. Most contractors use wood to frame a home, but metal is another popular choice.
It's safe to assume that all exterior walls are load-bearing, or at least have load-bearing characteristics. Some older homes feature porches or bump-outs that don't rest on the home's foundation. However, they still must carry the weight of the roof section they support. Walls containing floor-to-ceiling glass or other non-structural elements must use post and beam configurations to meet load-bearing criteria.
Interior walls don't require insulation. However, there are a couple of reasons you may consider adding it in some situations. Insulation in interior walls is excellent for sound-dampening between rooms and can help maintain a regulated temperature in insulated rooms by lowering the heat transfer between adjacent areas of the home.
