'On May 1, 3:19*pm, "John Grabowski" wrote:
I am going to be getting estimates and then signing a contract to have
3 rooms (game room, bedroom, storage room) in my basement, drywalled,
taped, and textured.

I would like to get some suggestions for "Do's and Don'ts" that I
should specify in my contract to makes sure the contractor does not
implement any "inappropriate" shortcuts that result in a less than
optimum result.

For example:

1. The drywall shall be attached with screws.
2. ...

*I'm not a fan of textured drywall because it is so difficult to match after
a repair has been made.

Echo that. It's unlikely that you'll ever touch the ceilings again,
and some form of texture is often preferable aesthetically, but do you
really want texture on the walls? If you ever scrape it need access
to pipes or wires etc you're going to having to repair the texture.
I've tried to match many times - there are numerous techniques you
will see if you google - but none of them blend in well and I've
always ended up respraying the whole wall which is a major PITA.
Also, I don't like the way orange peel looks after it's had more than
a couple of coats of paint - looks like a more sloppy finish.
Moreover, I don't think you can beat a nice flat finish on a well
mudded wall.

Anyway....to actually answer your question... I would require taping
of all joints (seems obvious, I know), I assume you want 1/2", I would
give them a clear time limit to get the job done (ideally you'd like
to see consecutive days until they're done, but it may not work out
like that unless you make it a requirement) and would include one coat
of primer as part of the job so you can properly assess the quality of
the finish before you pay up.

Cub