Hey all,
Pretty inexperienced regarding home renovations etc so bear with me as I thought the wise crew here might have an idea. A year ago we had a storm that came through and our house was the only one that took a beating on the street. Roof tiles got thrown off and a hole allowed for rain to seep in. The rescue guys did a great job and the roof was basically patched but the ceiling started to sag. We went through our insurance provider and while the roof was originally in good order, they refused to fix it on the basis that it was an old house and they could get away with it. They simply painted over a few cracks and where the color had soaked through and collected their money (but that is another story).

So now, it's gotten to a point where we want to have the ceiling of that bedroom replaced or repaired and we think it will need to all be replaced and a new ceiling put in.

Anyone have any ideas on how much it would cost? Furthermore who do I even call up as obviously a plumber fixes the plumbing but the ceiling? This will further mean we will need an electrician too to reinstall the light fittings am I right?

Cheers guys!

You need an electrician first , then a plasterer.... Then a painter costs will vary obviously depending on ceiling size etc....any cornicing etc....

You would save a lot by doing the electrical and painting your self.

is the ceiling sagging or just cracked ?

if it's only cracked a plasterer should be able to cut along the cracks with a knife and patch them.

budget for about 300-400 a day for the plasterer and 2-3 days if you need a new ceiling and cornicing.

Thanks HP, it's actually sagging unfortunately so the ceiling has to go. Hopefully we can paint it up ourselves but the rest will need professional help.

If you have manhole access to roof space,good. If you dont have manhole access include one in new ceiling. It will take an electrician less than an hour to pull light cables into roof space and make safe. Same time to re-install lights

Its a good question. A plasterer will be able to put up the new ceiling, but I don't know if they will do the demolition for you of the existing one. Maybe a handyman, or a builder if you can get one for a small job.

I have pulled down and replaced a ceiling. In my case, I needed to block off the room so that all the loose insulation and dust didn't spread through the house, as well as using a face mask while doing it. Once I removed everything, I still needed to replace sections of batten that were broken and remove tonnes of nails from the hardwood battens.

Then, I could have gotten a plasterer to install a new one, but I did that myself as well.

I think you may need to write another letter to the insurance company. (Depending on your cover) When writing the letter you should state that the ceiling is damaged due to A STORM CREATED OPENING IN THE ROOF which in turn has ruined your ceiling and that the damage isn't caused by lack of maintenance or age of the building or something along those lines. (Depending on the ceiling obviously).

And if your getting your ceiling replaced best bet is to make the room dust proof, Get in the roof space vacuum up as much dust as you can and then kick down ceiling from up there and re do everything.
Also just because you may think you can do it yourself well enough and save a couple of dollars just remember that professionals will / should make it look a lot better and whilst they are doing there job you do own. Because as a tradesmen myself I charge more to fix a persons DIY stuff up then I would doing the job write the first place.
Plus if its the master bedroom ceiling you don't want the missus laying on her back complaining about the ****ty plaster n painting job you have done !

Going by your first sentence re; 'inexperience with renos' -- I'd get a carpenter in with local contacts in other sub-trades, not necessarily a registered builder (although more exxy - that would be the preferred option). You will find that a good chippy will have your ceiling repaired in a logical manner knowing what sub-trades to call in & when. Your ceiling & roof will then be repaired to a trade standard.

Select to expand quote

ok said..

Plus if its the master bedroom ceiling you don't want the missus laying on her back complaining about the ****ty plaster n painting job you have done !

She won't be impressed with a couple hundred kilos of plasterboard landing on her head in the middle of the night either - so best get it fixed!

As ok said - I'd be hunting down the insurance company as my first option as the age of the building has nothing to do with repairing damage to property.

Insurance agency has screwed you. Threaten to take them to court, and let them that you'll be recovering court costs from them as well, as they have no basis for refusing your claim. Don't take 'no' for an answer, they are in the wrong.

Cheers guys, after much thought from the input here, we've decided to hopefully hire one of those businesses that specialises in Ceiling repairs (?) and hopefully let them sort it all out in one shot without having to organise everything else.

On the topic of the insurance company, yeah, it's a disappointment it got to this point but being two busy professionals who work long hours, I think we'll cop it on the chin this time round. Should it happen again, we'll let the flood gates out and take them on!

I dont want to make you paranoid Newguy but just remember that many house ceilings installed from the 1950's all the way into the 1980's contain asbestos. It could be 3-5% asbestos it could be more. The stuff is everywhere and its a good idea to limit exposure to the dust when its broken up during the removal process or when it's drilled into.

This may be why the Insurance company was willing to pay a nice sum of money just to fix the ceiling and not remove it.

I have seen many trades such as Sparkies, Plumbers and Plasterers work with and drill into old ceilings without a care in the world.

I, like many of us, have unknowingly had Asbestos dust exposure and I now do what I can to limit further exposure.

If the ceiling does contain asbestos it would be in your best interest to read up about the correct handling procedure or get a contractor who knows how to remove the ceiling carefully and not create much dust in your house. Consider sealing the room off from the rest of the house and avoid using the family vacuum cleaner to suck up the ceiling dust.

Select to expand quote

Elroy Jetson said..
I dont want to make you paranoid Newguy but just remember that many house ceilings installed from the 1950's all the way into the 1980's contain asbestos. It could be 3-5% asbestos it could be more. The stuff is everywhere and its a good idea to limit exposure to the dust when its broken up during the removal process or when it's drilled into.

This may be why the Insurance company was willing to pay a nice sum of money just to fix the ceiling and not remove it.

I have seen many trades such as Sparkies, Plumbers and Plasterers work with and drill into old ceilings without a care in the world.

I, like many of us, have unknowingly had Asbestos dust exposure and I now do what I can to limit further exposure.

If the ceiling does contain asbestos it would be in your best interest to read up about the correct handling procedure or get a contractor who knows how to remove the ceiling carefully and not create much dust in your house. Consider sealing the room off from the rest of the house and avoid using the family vacuum cleaner to suck up the ceiling dust.

Tell me more. What was the asbestos in?

Asbestos is in more things than most people have ever considered.

I spent days removing a lino floor that was stuck to a concrete house pad. Metre by metre I chiseled up the lino one small section at a time and scraped the glue from the floor. A few years later I discovered that the adhesive would have very likely contained asbestos.


Up until then I thought that asbestos around the home was only associated with asbestos fences or the cladding on old weatherboard houses.

If I'm working on something on a house that was built before 1990 (most houses in my area) I now presume it may contain Asbestos and if unsure I do a bit of investigating before starting.







Bathroom, toilet and laundry
Asbestos cement sheeting used in walls, ceilings and floors
Hot water pipes set into masonry walls
Lagging on hot water pipes

Living areas
Insulation in wood heaters
Asbestos cement sheeting beneath heater hearths

Kitchen
Vinyl floor tiles
Backing to cushion vinyl flooring
Hot water pipes set into masonry walls

Exterior
Flat, patterned and corrugated wall and roof sheeting
Imitation brick cladding
Lining under eaves

Backyard
Garden sheds
Garages and carports
Dog kennels

Vehicles
Brake linings
Clutch linings
Adhesive products

Commercial or industrial buildings
Coating sprayed on beams for fireproofing
Wrap on pipes and boilers
Sheeting in roofs and walls

Other
Electrical meter boards
Ironing board covers
Heatproof mats

www.asbestoswise.com.au/information-and-resources/asbestos-in-the-home/

Select to expand quote

Elroy Jetson said..
Asbestos is in more things than most people ever think about.

I spent days removing a lino floor that was stuck to a concrete house pad. Metre by metre I chiseled up the lino one small section at a time and scraped the glue from the floor. A few years later I discovered that the adhesive would have very likely contained asbestos.

Up until then I thought that asbestos around the home was only associated with asbestos fences or the cladding on old weatherboard houses.

If I'm working on something on a house that was built before 1990 I now presume it may contain Asbestos and if unsure I do a bit of investigating before starting.

<snip>

www.asbestoswise.com.au/information-and-resources/asbestos-in-the-home/

Specifically I wanted to know about ceilings. My house was built in 1945 or thereabouts, so I make the assumption that there is asbestos in it, and treat it as such.

I googled asbestos and plaster, and it suggests that plaster and lathe may have asbestos in it, but regular plaster wall and ceiling linings 'probably' don't. I don't know why the difference, but that's what it suggests.

I'm no expert, just a person who has slowly learnt that homes built before 1990 can contain an assortment of Asbestos material.

I just had a quick search and it looks like over half the homes built in NSW between 1945 and 1952 contain Asbestos.

Its possible to have a expert look at your house or you could send a small piece of the ceiling to a Lab. Then you'll know for sure.


www.asbestoswise.com.au/information-and-resources/is-it-asbestos/