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I'm having a contractor do renovations in my kitchen, and we are converting a wall into a half wall with countertop. He just started doing the drywall, and from my inexperienced eye it looks like he is doing a terrible job. I've got some pictures below, and I'd appreciate feedback if this can be finished properly or if I should insist that he redo it.

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Here there are large gaps between the existing drywall and new drywall. The surface of the existing drywall is also torn off.

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This is the ceiling and there is a large gap around the light fixture.

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Another example of gaps between drywall pieces and the switch box.

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    Hella lota joint compound to fill those canyons... And that mud ring will be filled mostly with mud... Phew!
    – Fiasco Labs
    Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 1:33
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    He's going to need a huge switch plate to cover that mess (in the last picture). Teach this guy how to use a tape measure. This is a "professional"? You'd better hope he's better with mud, than he is with drywall.
    – Tester101
    Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 10:03
  • I was up to 10 coats on one particularly bad spot. It is ALWAYS easier to re-cut the drywall than fill those holes. Unless you're paying a guy 10 cents an hour, he should buy more material and try again.
    – Steve Jackson
    Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 11:04
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    Personally, it is on the contractor to make sure it is finished correctly. If I were doing the work, I would rather re-cut the drywall than deal with that much mud work, but I HATE mudding. With someone else supplying the labor, I would point out the areas of concern, and make it clear that I expect them to be properly finished, i.e. I should not be able to tell that there was ever a problem spot to begin with when it is all said and done. Leave it up to them to decide which way they want to go to resolve it.
    – Rozwel
    Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 13:26
  • This is the way patches are done, let the people do their jobs, stop deciding you know more than they do. if you drive them crazy, you will get a terrible job, if you don't get a good job WHEN COMPLETE then complain, and hold money till it's done right.
    – William H Myatt
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 12:20

2 Answers 2

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Is it possible to fix it? yes, but there is an awful lot of work to be done in order to do so. Each of those gaps has to be filled with mud and covered with tape. Given the shrinkage that occurs as mud dries, most of them are going to require several layers to fill properly. In particular, filling in around the ceiling fixture is likely to be problematic as gravity will be pulling the mud down, keeping it where it needs to be without building up a large bulge will take some time.

I would not necessarily make someone rework the drywall over these images, but I definitely would not sign off on the work until I was satisfied that everything had been properly finished. Make sure you are happy with the way things look before and after it is painted. Often putting paint on makes the imperfections stand out more.

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    several layers Yep, I committed that sin once and repented as it continued to shrink. Layers that need to be let fully dry as they will pull the overlying tape in as they shrink.
    – Fiasco Labs
    Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 1:59
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While that is a fairly ugly hanging job - I've finished worse. As long as he's not milking you for money, while he works, it might be worth it to stick it out. You're paying for the finished work, not how he makes it there.

To answer the question - Yes, it is possible to smooth over those imperfections. The corner will get bead, the outlets will get covers, and the ceiling fixture may in fact, be large enough to cover the hole.

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