Buying a drywall or finish carpentry company in Southwest Florida

Southwest Florida has 99 established drywall and finish carpentry companies by our count: companies in business at least 15 years that still file with the state every year and aren't part of a larger group. Of those, 80% have been in business 20 years or more. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.

established companies

80%

built over 20+ years

$187k+

a year, earned by the top quarter

16%

built over 30+ years

What it takes to own one

Drywall and finish carpentry companies in Southwest Florida come in every size. Here's what owning one could look like at three levels, from a solid company to one of the leaders, with a small business loan covering most of the price.

A solid company

Earns about: $117,000 a year
Price about: $344,000
Your cash: $48,000
Could pay you: up to $55,000 a year

A strong company

Top quarter in Southwest Florida

Earns about: $187,000 a year
Price about: $551,000
Your cash: $77,000
Could pay you: up to $87,000 a year

One of the leaders

Top tenth in Southwest Florida

Earns about: $484,000 a year
Price about: $1.4 million
Your cash: $200,000
Could pay you: up to $226,000 a year

Earnings are owner earnings: profit plus what the owner pays themselves, before loan payments and taxes. They and the prices are our estimates from public records, not the owners' figures, and we value companies like these at about 3.0 times a year's owner earnings. Your cash covers the down payment and closing costs, and what the business could pay you is what's left after the loan payments and the cushion lenders require. The more cash you bring, the further up you can go.

Age, size and location

Revenue is our estimate from public records, grouped into wide ranges.

In business	Companies
Under 20 years	20
20 to 29 years	63
30 to 39 years	12
40 years or more	4

Estimated yearly revenue	Companies
Under $1M	20
$1M to $2M	5
$2M to $4M	4
$4M to $8M	1

County	Companies
Lee	57
Manatee	13
Sarasota	13
Collier	10
Other counties	6

Town	Companies
Cape Coral	20
Fort Myers	12
Bradenton	11
Naples	10
Sarasota	10

What the best drywall and finish carpentry companies have in common

Several builder and contractor customers, so one builder's slowdown doesn't idle the crews.
Crew leaders who manage quality and schedule without the owner, and fix problems before the builder's superintendent finds them.
Estimates from plans, with margins tracked per house or project.
A reputation for being on time: a late drywall or trim crew holds up every trade after it.
Enough crews to take on a new subdivision without hiring in a panic.
Proper insurance for every crew and a clean workers' compensation record.
Some remodel or commercial work to soften housing slumps.
Lifts, tools and trucks in good shape, with no surprise replacements due.

What to check before you buy

Revenue by customer for three years, and how much each builder owes now.
What each builder pays per house or square foot, and whether that has kept up with labor and material costs.
Who buys materials, the company or the builder. Buying drywall or trim ties up cash and adds risk.
Whether workers are employees, paid by the piece, or subcontractors, and how each is insured. Treating employees as independent contractors can mean back taxes and penalties; ask your accountant.
Callbacks and punch-list work (small fixes before handover) that eat into margins.
Back charges (deductions builders take for problems), disputes and unpaid invoices.
Equipment and trucks, and any loans on them.
Past injuries. Drywall and trim work involve lifts, stilts and ladders, and claims raise insurance costs.

Questions to ask the owner

Who are your main builders and contractors, and how long have you worked with them?
How do you price a house or a project, and when did you last raise prices?
Do you buy materials, or does the builder supply them?
Are your crews employees or subcontractors, and how are they paid?
What licenses or certifications does the company hold?
How often do builders hit you with back charges, and what for?
Who runs the crews day to day?

To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a drywall or finish carpentry company in Florida.

Owning a company in Southwest Florida

The local economy

This region covers Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee counties on the Gulf coast and Hendry, Glades and DeSoto inland: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, LaBelle, Clewiston, Moore Haven and Arcadia. The coastal economy runs on people who choose to live or spend the winter here: retirees, seasonal residents, and the construction, real estate, health care, financial and home services that follow them. Tourism, golf and boating add to it.

Inland, the economy is agricultural: sugarcane around Clewiston, citrus, cattle and vegetables, with Immokalee in Collier County a center for farm work. The building trades, pool, landscaping and pest control companies, property managers, medical and dental practices, and marine businesses tend to do well along the coast.

What's different about owning a company here

This is one of Florida's most seasonal markets. From roughly January through April, restaurants, shops and service companies run at full speed. Summers are slower, so look at monthly revenue, not only the yearly total. The coast has taken two major hurricanes in recent years: Ian came ashore at Cayo Costa in Lee County in September 2022, and Milton at Siesta Key in Sarasota County in October 2024. Rebuilding brought a wave of work for contractors that won't last forever, so ask how much recent revenue came from storm repairs. Insurance costs and flood zones weigh on every property.

Housing costs near the coast make hiring hard, especially around Naples. New communities east of Interstate 75 in Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Manatee keep service companies busy.