Interior walls: solid or drywall?

Hello everyone,

even though we have often discussed this topic in the forum, I would like to start a new thread as I haven't found anything comparable.

We are still looking for the right construction company. Currently, there are two options: one always builds the interior walls in solid construction, and the other company uses solid construction for load-bearing walls and drywall construction for non-load-bearing walls. I have done some reading and think that both have their advantages and disadvantages. I am therefore open to both and would probably choose the option preferred by the general contractor.

The site manager of the general contractor using drywall walls told me that the interior walls become very thin in the places where cables are laid if you don’t use drywall. Is he trying to scare me or is there some truth to that? The site manager also made it clear that he himself would always prefer drywall due to the easier cable routing. As a client, this should not really matter to me.

In addition to the usual cables, LAN (RJ45, CAT7) should definitely be installed in my house. Maybe even a KNX system. Is drywall therefore perhaps even the better solution?

There is probably no ultimate answer here. I have come to appreciate drywall walls because of their flexibility. This starts with structural changes and ends especially where it is necessary to quickly lay cables or install sockets/switches/light outlets. With proper insulation, thermal and/or sound insulation does not matter. You just have to properly seal the foils and vapor barriers afterwards.

Which walls (material, thickness) are we talking about and what goes inside? How many walls are not load-bearing at all? I didn't find the grooves for electricity particularly deep, even an 11.5 cm wall that is grooved on both sides is not paper-thin yet. The longest distance for the cables in our case doesn't run within the wall but under the screed anyway. You always have the groove under the socket and it has to be able to accommodate the cables for this area.

The site manager of the general contractor responsible for the drywall told me that the interior walls become very thin at the points where cables are laid if drywall is not used.

Where the walls are chased, they initially become thinner. That is true. Afterwards, they are plastered over and the original wall thickness is restored. Since the non-load-bearing interior walls – as the name suggests – have no other purpose than room separation, the plastered-over wall later functions identically to the wall without chases. There are no differences. Both drywall and solid constructions work very well. Use whatever your builder is good at.

Drywall construction is easier when mounting light objects because you can simply screw directly into it with drywall screws. For heavy items (TV, wall cabinet, washbasin), it’s the other way around, because you might need hollow wall anchors (not necessarily required with thicker 2.5 cm or double layering). And it is practical in that a drywall partition wall can possibly be removed or relocated a bit more easily as a DIY project. But for me, that’s just theory; I haven’t done it myself yet. Acoustically, I don’t have a direct comparison in the house right now (no drywall walls, only ceiling to the roof), but compared to the non-load-bearing walls in the condo, they are even more soundproof than the non-load-bearing Poroton walls in the house.

Thank you for your feedback!

I have not yet decided whether to use Poroton or aerated concrete. As written above by [B] regarding drywall [/B], I would also choose the stones preferred by the general contractor.