Can water-damaged drywall be dried instead of replaced?
Sometimes. Drywall that is only damp and still firm can dry in place once the leak is stopped; drywall that is soft, sagging or stained through is cut out and replaced.
Tom Hanks, owner, 24/7 Express Handyman Service · Updated September 2026
24/7 Express Handyman Service does drywall and plaster repair in Upper Avenues, from $205: 5 jobs, each with its own price. 18-inch water main built in 1911 from City Creek to Thirteenth Avenue gave a boost to development in the Upper Avenues, according to the Avenues Historic District National Register documentation. (Avenues Historic District (amended), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (NPGallery)) In the Salt Lake City & Millcreek zone, scheduled work is $95/hour with a 2-hour minimum and no dispatch fee, plus a $15 fuel surcharge.
From $205
Drywall and plaster repair in Upper Avenues starts at $205 for scheduled work: the 2-hour minimum at $95/hour plus fuel, with no dispatch fee. Prices as of September 2026.
Answered 24/7 by Tom or his dispatcher.
Scheduled work is $95/hour with a 2-hour minimum, plus the $15 fuel surcharge, and no dispatch fee. Emergency calls are priced differently: see the price sheet.
Arrival within 24 hours. Rush: add $100 and the truck drops everything and heads straight over, arriving within 1 hour.
If it can't wait: an emergency call-out in Upper Avenues starts at $264–$414 by time of day. Frozen Pipe Help · Ceiling Leak Help · Garage Door Help · Ice Dam Help · Toilet Help · Water Heater Help
24/7 Express Handyman Service patches holes, cracks and water-damaged sections in drywall and in older lath-and-plaster walls and ceilings, and matches the texture so the repair disappears after paint.
Brick became the preferred building material in the Avenues after the late 1860s, when Salt Lake City had several brickyards, including one in the Upper Avenues area, though small adobe houses were built until the 1880s. (Avenues Historic District (amended), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (NPGallery)) Salt Lake City's Plat D was extended to include the upper bench lands in the late 1890s, and in 1907 the city council designated the east-west streets as avenues, giving the neighborhood its name. (Avenues Historic District (amended), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (NPGallery)) On the upper slopes of the Avenues, the below-grade garage was a common adaptation to the steep topography. (Avenues Historic District (amended), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (NPGallery)) Salt Lake City's Wildland Urban Interface Fire Code adds extra fire safety rules for properties near undeveloped natural areas, covering building and roofing materials, how buildings are built, allowed landscaping, and the space required between buildings and wildland. (SLC Wildland Urban Interface Fire Code | Salt Lake City Council Office) A 2004 proposal to extend the Avenues Historic District north to Eleventh Avenue was made, but the boundary increase has not been pursued. (Avenues Historic District (amended), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (NPGallery))
Calls come from around Salt Lake City Cemetery, City Creek Canyon, Bonneville Shoreline Trail, the Aves.
Sometimes. Drywall that is only damp and still firm can dry in place once the leak is stopped; drywall that is soft, sagging or stained through is cut out and replaced.
Yes. Loose plaster is re-attached to the lath before any patching, and the patch is built up in coats so it matches the thickness of the wall around it.
Most hairline ceiling cracks are cosmetic. A crack that is wide, growing, sagging or paired with a sticking door is worth a structural look before it is patched.
Drywall and plaster repair: every job and zone
Every job 24/7 Express Handyman Service takes on is under $3,000 including labor, materials and any change orders (Utah Code §58-55-305); a change that would push a job over that line is referred to a licensed contractor, not written up as a second job. plumbing, electrical, HVAC, gas appliance / combustion system work is referred to a licensed trade.
Answered 24/7 by Tom or his dispatcher. 24/7 Express Handyman Service confirms the address, the zone rate and the dispatch fee, and takes a card, before rolling.
Answered 24/7 by Tom or his dispatcher.