Cost guide
How much do stud walls cost?
A typical bedroom stud partition costs £700 to £1,300 built, boarded and skimmed. Per square metre that is £55 to £90. Adding acoustic insulation is £8 to £15 per square metre and forming a doorway opening adds £150 to £300.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your room.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Stud partition built, boarded and skimmed, per m² | £55 to £90 |
| Typical bedroom partition, 3m by 2.4m | £700 to £1,300 |
| Forming a doorway opening | £150 to £300 |
| Acoustic insulation, per m² | £8 to £15 |
| Fire rated partition, per m² | £75 to £120 |
Decide where the television, radiator and shelves are going before the boards go on. A noggin fitted at framing stage is free and a fixing into hollow board is not a fixing.
What moves the price
- Timber or metal stud. Metal is standard on commercial work and on anything with a fire rating.
- Whether there is a doorway in it, which means a lintel, a lining and a different price.
- Acoustic or fire performance, which changes the board, the insulation and sometimes the frame.
- The finish: a full skim costs more than tape and joint.
- How level and square the existing room is, because a frame has to be plumb even when nothing around it is.
What the money buys: timber stud partition to split a bedroom, boarded both sides.
Who quotes for it
Questions about stud walls
Timber or metal studs?
Timber is cheaper, easier to fix into and standard on domestic work. Metal is lighter, perfectly straight, does not twist as it dries and is what fire rated and commercial specifications use. For a bedroom partition either is fine.
Can I hang a radiator on a stud wall?
Yes, onto noggins fitted for it. Tell the plasterer where before the board goes up. A filled radiator on plasterboard fixings alone will eventually come off the wall.