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While you can put new drywall over old drywall, it’s not always the best option. In some cases, drywalling over drywall can make it harder to find wires and pipes behind your walls and conceal more serious problems with your walls. It can also make the room smaller. On the plus side, putting drywall over drywall can improve soundproofing and insulation. Plus, it’s often less expensive than tearing down and adding new drywall.

It doesn’t matter which way you lay drywall, and you can choose to install it horizontally or vertically depending on the size of the wall and how tall the ceiling is. It’s easier to lay drywall sheets vertically if you have a taller ceiling, but laying sheets horizontally makes it easier to apply joint compound.

Drywall can be installed directly on ceiling joists. In fact, this method is common in many construction projects. Drywall sheets are attached to the joists using screws, ensuring a secure and stable installation. Before attaching the drywall, it's important to mark the joist locations on the ceiling, allowing for accurate screw placement. Proper spacing between screws and careful taping and mudding of joints are crucial to creating a smooth and flawless ceiling surface. If the joists are in good condition and level, installing drywall directly on them is a practical and efficient approach.

Bump-out additions can add some space to a closet without requiring any significant structural work. This entails pushing back the existing rear or side of the closet, simply moving the wall into either an adjacent room or unused space. For ground-floor closets, this could even be extended to the exterior of the home, but that has its own complications. Bump-outs are a good discussion to have with your contractor if you’re just looking to increase the space a little—not renovate the entire closet space.