Ceilings….falling down

[dabchick88]

Looking at a property that needs tons of work…..one is that they have had a leak previously which has caused the ceiling to nearly come down. So would obviously need new ceilings. Just a two up two down victorian semi. Any ideas how much this would set you back? not still wet/leaking. We really like the house as its in just the right location but we are aware we need to do our homework on costs of repair before offering….

Can you take a builder round with you to get an idea? Ceiling can be plasterboarded over (it is screwed to the joists) then skimmed, not a massive job, but can be messy if the existing ceiling has to be taken down and can't be covered over, which can be an option.

if it is a Victorian house, it will have had lath and plaster ceilings. By now many of these have fallen down. The plaster was cracked and shaken during the 1939/45 Unpleasantness; the nails will have rusted away; and the laths may be perished or rotten. A water leak will have speeded up the rust and rot, and added weight to help pull the ceiling down. A hundred years of teenage daughters slamming doors will have loosened and cracked it.

It is possible to screw plasterboard into the joists which will probably hold the loose ceiling up, but it will not be perfectly flat.

If the house is empty, this is the ideal time to pull down the cracked and sagging ceiling (it will be unbelievably dirty) and to replaster it. A skilled worker can retain, repair or replicate any ornate cornices or other features, these were actually made of fibrous plaster in a factory and nailed to the ceiling by the Victorian builders.

Replastering ceilings costs a few £hundred per room. The plasterer will not like pulling down an old ceiling because it will be so dirty. He or you will look for some unskilled labourers, or you can do it yourself.

Thank you PigletJohn that is v v helpful :) and your post made me smile

We had one ceiling falling down after we bought our house and pulled most others down ourselves.
1930s, had had a direct hit 1944, a miracle the ceilings lasted 80 years.

It is a really messy job, but not that expensive, if you get a handyman to pull the ceilings down make sure he knows you want to keep the coving - if there is any

We paid roughly 300 per room reboarding and plastering. I wouldn't start patch up jobs on those old ceilings.

We had a ceiling over boarded and re plastered recently. The cornice was left in place and the over boarding stopped about 1cm short leaving a "shadow gap" around old cornice. It has now been decorated and looks fab. This was cheaper than pulling ceiling down and starting again, and we got to keep the cornice.

Cinnamon- when your ceiling fell down how did it happen? All in one go? I have a very saggy bedroom ceiling and worry about it falling on us as we sleep

We are buying a semi built in 1911 and all the ceilings came up on the survey. We've been advised to board over and plaster on top...

if it was me, I'd pull them down while the house is empty, before decorating or carpeting. Then chase out the walls for rewiring, which is also dirty.

Have a week in a Travelodge.

mervyn, sorry for late reply

Ceiling fell down in the middle, while my dh was in the room. It was really dangerous, the rubble filled 6 heavy duty black sacks. Maybe a piece of 2x2 metres fell down. Ceiling had cracks but didn't look too bad. Builder had had a look at it just the day before and said it was fine.

After that I pulled all cracked ceilings down and in the living room I only had to take 2 fingers between plaster and joists and push down and the whole middle bit of ceiling fell. All nails had rusted away and weren't attached to the joists anymore. Mess was incredible.

Oh gosh Cinnamon that's what I worry about!!!

Might look in to pulling down then rather than us boarding up... I worry about the dust though as my husband had asthma so just thought the boarding was best. Perhaps will look in to a week in travelodge!!

rebecca, the boarding over is fine as well if done properly, but we had original coving in the rooms and that means it would have looked very awkward.
Also, if a ceiling is already badly cracked and sagging, there is no hope in my book, as I would not be comfortable having more weight hanging above me.

Btw my builders thought I was batshit crazy pulling ceilings down, until my ndn told them on a coffee break in the front garden that their front room ceiling had fallen down two years ago, in the middle of the night.

I pulled all ceilings down, except dining room and back bedroom (those were "newer" ceilings already, maybe 60s/70s) even hallways and downstairs loo.
We had a big loft extention with steels etc planned, the last thing I wanted was worrying about the ceilings. We spent a lot of money on the house - some of it a bit hasty, it seems now, 2 years later - but the ceilings were money well spent.

Hmm, that story is all the incentive I need to put it at the top of the list cinnamon , sounds awful.

My lovely dp has overboarded some of our ceilings himself, by screwing thoroughly into the joists. We haven't bothered plastering though, just taped and skimmed the tapes and filled the holes.
They are beautifully smooth and flat :) no more artex, yay!!