Materials cheap, labor and disposal.Sounds about right. Remember the cheapest price isn't always the best deal.Just make sure the place is dust free when they are done. Sanding joint compound can make a mess.

One other thing I should have mentioned. Buried electrical splices boxes which are common in basements. Once the old ceiling is removed a thorough inspection for these should be done and if found,corrected. Inaccessible splice boxes are against code and do pose a safety hazard. This work would be on top of the original price.

Thanks, that's reassuring. I'm having an electrician do the electrical work, as I agree--this needs to be done properly.

Sounds about right. A lot of work is involved here. You can cut this cost down a bit by removing the old drywall yourself - just make sure to score along the edges so you don't rip paper from nearby walls.

Thanks for your thoughts--I think with all the duct work and wiring in my ceiling, I'll leave demo to the pros.

Since there is no regional location listed and no detailed scope of work listed, there's no way for anyone to really give you a price over the internet.

Example, I'm in CT. Drywall here can be $30-$45 a sheet. On the other hand my sister bought a house in the midwest, it was gutted. The drywall crew there charged $9 an hour and they did excellent work. Roughly $900 for their work versus $4000 for an equivalent amount of work up here.

The key to your post is "The bids I have gotten are all in the $2000 range. "

If all the bids are in the same ballpark, then yup, that's the going rate.

Well, we're talking about 220 sq. ft. of drywall; most of the bids have estimated that it will take between 6 & 8 sheets of drywall. They are asking about $170/sheet to supply drywall, install and finish a (low) ceiling, not counting any demo work, soffit framing or insulation. One bidder offered to do the demo of the old ceiling for about $150 per hour per person, which struck me as ridiculously high for a basic demo job. I live in the Seattle area, where everything tends to cost a lot, but the bids I've received bear no relationship to the average cost of drywall installation I've read about. Thanks for your input!

the biggest thing about what you're doing is that you're not getting just straight drywall installation, you're getting demo, removal of debris, insulation, construction of new soffit.

is it high? I dunno, but its not just a straight drywall quote you have there. now there may be some unforseen things they are factoring in, a fudge factor, but I'm sure if there is electrical work that will be extra.

$150 an hr seems crazy for demo costs, that is high.

Re the high demo costs, I wonder if there is some greater cost in a place like Seattle than in other locations. Meaning that here in semi-rural Alabama, the guys show up, take it out, throw it on an uncovered home-made trailer and haul it to the dump where a load costs $5. Perhaps in Seattle there are issues with required clothing, breathing protection, parking, tarps/hauling requirements and higher disposal costs (where is the dump?).

All that being said, it still seems high. But I think it sounds high because he said it was "$150 an hour." Whereas if he had just said "we'll demo and haul away for another $150" it wouldn't sound so bad. Because I don't see how it takes a crew much longer than an hour.

Is your house pre- or post-lead paint vintage? I'm in Seattle area too, and a couple years ago, new lead paint regulations went into effect. The contractors have to do ridiculous amounts of work to demo anything with lead "properly" My contractor said costs would go up significantly. (Luckily, my house is post-lead paint era).