So part of my business plan was to buy simple houses. I one floor, no basement smallish houses 700 to 1100 square feet. These are generally 2 bedroom. So this has led me to 5l6 great houses albeit they are all exactly or very close to the same exact layout. They were all built between 1950 and 1960ish.  One little problem I keep encountering is the drywall when I have to put a patch piece of drywall in the original drywall is less the a 1/2 inch but more than the 3/8. So do I just use 3/8 and add some drywall patch a couple times til it's the same width or is there any easier way I haven't  come to realize yet? Generally it is only a small door hole from door lock or something as a plant holder screw etc. Anyone else have this problem and/or annoyance? 

use the 3/8" and feather it or you could use the 3/8" and stick something behind it to bring it out a little bit like a strip of luan

it's way easier to add layers of mud than take away . 

Thanks fellas those are things I thought of just was seeking the validation or if someone had a super secret method..  I think I will go the mud route as it won't be much just a little bit. Thanks!

@Benjamin Mueller  Use a 'blow-out' patch if the hole is between framing.  

Say you have a 4" square hole:

Cut a 7" square of drywall and mark a 4" square on the backside (1.5" in from each side).

Score along the lines of that 4" square with a knife, going to the edge, being careful to not cut all the way through the front face. 

Snap the off-cuts and peel them away, leaving the front-face paper intact. 

Now you have a 4" square patch with self-contained 'wings'. 

Mud around the opening and insert the patch, wiping the mud from the wings like you would for drywall tape. 

When dry, feather it all out with subsequent coats. 

alright I definitely like that.... Great job explaiNing and thanks for the time I'm sure it seems obvious to you.. I have a bunch of 1 inch circles I will employ that technique to them unless we get a better ine. Thanks!

  @Benjamin Mueller for something that small, I use the lazy-man version of what @Art Allen has described. I usually don't have extra sheet rock laying around, so I go to Home Depot or any hardware store and by a metal mesh patch.  You can cut it down to size/ shape for various holes.  It is a self-adhesive mesh patch that can be placed over the hole. After that you just mud over it and feather around to match the rest of your wall.  You should be able to find packs of these in the drywall supply area of your hardware store for a couple of bucks.

-Arlen

@Benjamin Mueller  You have 516 houses and you are doing your own drywall patches? Time to get some help my friend!

I meant 5 going on 6!

You could use 1/2" sheetrock and carve out the back where it makes contact with the framing members. Or use 3/8" and pad out the framing members to make the face of the patch flush with the wall. The quick mesh patches can work well for small holes from door nobs or fists. With the quick patches I use Durabond for the first coat. Durabond is a compound in powder form, you have to add water and mix. It will cure fast ( under 45 min) and is rock hard. You Can Not sand it smooth. Then I use Easy Sand 20, same powder form and add water. Easy Sand 20 will cure enough to recoat in 10- 20 min when mixed properly. 

For holes that small, use the patches available at the hardware store.  No need to be cutting out drywall and doing all that extra work for anything less than 7" or so.