Estimate for kitchen ceiling repair

debodun said:
Then why can't I make decisions that other people do not seem to have trouble making?
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Many people are anxious about decision making. They usually try not to let others know about it. It's like some Facebook pages. Most people aren't usually that happy. It's the life they want people to think they live. There's no 'normal.' We've all got something.
 

Don M. said:
Yes, but some of the things she has mentioned lead me to believe that fixing that old place up would cost far more than 75K. For example, she said she only has 20 amp (?) electrical service. Tearing out the walls, etc., to install current code wiring, and updating her service to 200 Amps would probably cost 10's of thousands...all by itself...and that is just One of many things she has mentioned that put that old house into the worthless category.
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Suppose walls, wiring & labor was 50k that still leaves 25k for the other repairs. But just for grins & giggles lets put the other repairs at 50k or a total of 100k. She would still be 100k less than the cash she was considering spending on another place. Lets go even more lets use 150k as a total output to stay in her mortgage free home that she wants . A 50k nest egg left and still in her home. It depends on what she sees as value to her.

She would end up with a home that should last her the rest of her life.
 
debodun said:
Then why can't I make decisions that other people do not seem to have trouble making?
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You obviously haven't had to make expensive decisions all your life. If it were me & moving was not really what I wanted I'd seek out a master construction contractor to give an estimate on all your needed repairs. Once you know what the cost to update & repair everything is. You can decide if you want to be penny wise and pound foolish with your health & well being.
 

Talking to the handyman might be an easy place to start.

Start digging the hole now so if he does take a header off the ladder you'll be ready. ;)

I agree with Knight!

Spend some money and time with the handyman, your cousin, or preferably a reputable builder to make a plan for the house and what things need to be done in what order for your safety and comfort. Set a realistic budget, make sure that the funds are available, and will not impact your day-to-day living then dig in one project at a time in a way that will allow you to stop at any point along the way if your health or plans change.

If the plan is too daunting or if the number is too big then cut your losses buy or rent a more manageable place and sell your parent's house as-is.

The most important thing is to stop torturing yourself with worry and indecision. Start making decisions that will help you move forward even if a few of them turn out to be bad decisions it's better than being stuck in the same place for the rest of your life.

Good luck!
 
Someone suggested that you buy a well-built newer house with a large garage so you can keep your sale items set up permanently. I believe they also commented that you’ll want to avoid stairs.

Plan for the future. What will you physically need to be safe and comfortable.

If you don’t like making decisions now, it’ll even be worse with a reno.
 
Knight said:
Suppose walls, wiring & labor was 50k that still leaves 25k for the other repairs. But just for grins & giggles lets put the other repairs at 50k or a total of 100k. She would still be 100k less than the cash she was considering spending on another place. Lets go even more lets use 150k as a total output to stay in her mortgage free home that she wants . A 50k nest egg left and still in her home. It depends on what she sees as value to her.

She would end up with a home that should last her the rest of her life.
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You're forgetting that she'd receive funds when selling her current house. She'd also be moving someplace that's already updated and in good repair, which itself is worth a lot. Homes need constant tending and repair. The older the home the more tending and repair.

Having done it a few times, I know that living with major home repairs is an interruptive pain in the neck at best. And that's assuming you get along well, aren't overly persnickety or second-guessing every detail of the work, don't let it get under your skin when work is delayed or workers fail to show up for a few days running, and don't approach the experience from the position that they're incompetent, overcharging you, going through your things, or stealing your treasures.

With all due respect, @debodun, your earlier comments about other work done on your property shows you don't have the temperament and/or life experience to have your home redone. Not everyone does. It's not a criticism. I grew up with handymen and contractors doing work on my parents' home so I'm comfortable with it. By your reports, your mother was suspicious of people working in her home, so that was how you were trained.

One of the greatest freedoms in life is learning who we are and behaving accordingly rather than trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Your best bet would be to get your house appraised and think about moving.
 
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debodun said:
Then why can't I make decisions that other people do not seem to have trouble making?
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Pretty sure deb has me on ignore
But....I must comment;

The decisions are weighty ones
Doubt any of us make snap/easy conclusions when it comes to this kinda stuff

Not sure if it was mentioned here, but inspections/appraisals help in those decisions.
Pest/dry rot; a few hundred dollars, is rather invaluable
That'd be where to start

Other than that, paint, plaster and spotty cosmetic repairs are just lipstick on a pig
 
debodun said:
Then why can't I make decisions that other people do not seem to have trouble making?
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We all have difficulties making important decisions
Pepper said:
Many people are anxious about decision making. They usually try not to let others know about it. It's like some Facebook pages. Most people aren't usually that happy. It's the life they want people to think they live. There's no 'normal.' We've all got something.
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Thats right. All people have problems with decision making. Most people are just more pretentious about it. As my husband often says..... I hope your life is as good as you pretend it to be on Facebook.
I’m not going to comment about what I think you should do since you’re in the US. 🙃😉Lol
but I wish you the best.
 
debodun said:
It's not water damage - it is mechanical damage. I had to have the drainpipe to the tub replaced and the plumbers knocked out the ceiling to get to the pipes.
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I hate to say this without first looking at the job, but that's one heckuva' hole to get at the pipes. I did my sister's kitchen and bathroom ceilings last year and didn't come close to spending that much. I used 1/2" drywall and some tape, a box of screws, and feathered it with some really nice ready made plaster before sanding and after a few days, I painted it. Good job, I thought. I did use my son to hold the drywall while I screwed it in place. It was cheaper than renting a drywall lifter.

Does your church have a committee of people that does odds and ends for the elderly or disabled?
 
911 said:
Does your church have a committee of people that does odds and ends for the elderly or disabled?
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Not a committee per se. There are some handymen in the congregation, but are not insured and some several have serious health problems and are not working at the moment.

Some of the holes in the ceiling were "exploratory" since the plumbers weren't sure exactly where the pipes were.
 
Deb,

I think that is way to high, I do all my own work, I never hire anyone to do anything, so I have no history with contractors to use as a reference, But.....My mother in law has almost the same problem ceiling in the family room. The room 15 x 40. She had a ceiling problem with leak from the roof before I put another roof on. The ceiling area that was damaged was an area 4 x 12. The drywall was cut out, ceiling had new drywall put in and a new led light, that was not there before and it was installed above the entrance door. Drywall then spackled, damaged insulation replaced. prime coat put on ceiling, two coats of flat, and all the walls given two coats of paint, pictures put back up, furniture put back in position. This is a contractor, not a friend. My mother in law paid for all the parts and pieces, came to $280.00 and she paid $200.00 in labor. I dont live close to the Mother in Law, and she just gave me the prices over the phone and I though I would share. Not sure how long it took to finish. For your reference....
 
debodun said:
This is the business that was working on my next-door neighbors for a few weeks. At night it looked like studio lights on over there in two downstairs rooms - probably to quicken the drying process of something. If they want almost $3000 for a 40 sq ft area in my kitchen, my neighbor must have had to pay a fortune.

I am trying to get estimates, but plaster/drywall contractors are not very common in this area.
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Do you know your neighbor well enough to ask them about the work they had done? Seems awfully expensive.
 
I've always hired ASHI certified home inspectors when purchasing a home. I put in the contract when I put down earnest money "contingent on satisfactory home inspection" or something to that effect.

Have a home inspector detail absolutely everything that needs repaired/updated, then take the report to general contractors who do everything. Hiring a general contractor to do a complete overhaul would solve the problem of people not wanting to travel from the nearest city to do piecemeal small jobs. It would be worth the while of a general contractor to travel to your town because it would be a high dollar job.

If you go the route of having a general contractor come in and overhaul the home, you would have to move out of the house for a few months. My cousins recently did that type of overhaul of an older home and there's no way you can live onsite for a job like that.
 
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@debodun, Here is an eternal truism: In life you either get what you want or the reasons why you don't have it.

You've got lots of reasons why you don't have what you claim you want: A safe home in good repair.

You can either hold onto all your "good" reasons until the town condemns your house, you die, or you become so frail you can no longer live there. Or you can let them go and actually change your situation.

Your choice.
 
Thought of something else, @debodun You can hire an ASHI certified home inspector to periodically review the work as your home is rehabbed if you decide to do a total overhaul.

I hired a home inspector for the first home I ever made an offer on. He found some jerry-rigged plumbing that the seller had not disclosed. Turns out she had hired him to periodically inspect the new home she was building. After I got his report for the house she was selling, she went to her new home site when he was there and gave him a cussin'. He told me about it and said he told her she hired him for the new home only, and that he wasn't in the business of writing fake reports for shifty sellers. He told her she was free to drop him and hire another home inspector. She didn't because he was the best in the area which is why she and I had hired him in the first place.
 
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How long now have various people made good recommendations? Then see reply's that have excuses for why that won't work.

Deb has described her home as a disaster with pictures. Other posts demonstrating how hoarders live. At one time posted she is willing to pay 200k in cash for another home. Suspicious of neighbors, doesn't like people that look but don't buy at her yard sales. So that leaves us with either ignoring her or reading her various posts for entertainment. I opt for reading because I'm certain Deb is a great lady just unable to cope with parting with the home & belongings she was left with.

I guess Deb's posts are like seeing a traffic accident, slowing down to see what happened.
 
needshave said:
Deb,

I think that is way to high, I do all my own work, I never hire anyone to do anything, so I have no history with contractors to use as a reference, But.....My mother in law has almost the same problem ceiling in the family room. The room 15 x 40. She had a ceiling problem with leak from the roof before I put another roof on. The ceiling area that was damaged was an area 4 x 12. The drywall was cut out, ceiling had new drywall put in and a new led light, that was not there before and it was installed above the entrance door. Drywall then spackled, damaged insulation replaced. prime coat put on ceiling, two coats of flat, and all the walls given two coats of paint, pictures put back up, furniture put back in position. This is a contractor, not a friend. My mother in law paid for all the parts and pieces, came to $280.00 and she paid $200.00 in labor. I dont live close to the Mother in Law, and she just gave me the prices over the phone and I though I would share. Not sure how long it took to finish. For your reference....
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You're talking about mother in laws drywall repair or replace and you would be correct except... Plaster is a whole different game. Trust me. This coming from someone who has had to do plaster work in the past. Dealing with lathe and plaster is not for the faint of heart and you'll be hard pressed to find a modern contractor who will even consider it.
 
squatting dog said:
You're talking about mother in laws drywall repair or replace and you would be correct except... Plaster is a whole different game. Trust me. This coming from someone who has had to do plaster work in the past. Dealing with lathe and plaster is not for the faint of heart and you'll be hard pressed to find a modern contractor who will even consider it.
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I live in a 1890 gothic revival, I own two others buildings all build before 1900. I'm well versed in the repair and replacement of lath, plastered walls, horse hair plaster walls in radii of arched entrances and concrete wash up walls over soft brick. As well as fabric transfer to concrete walls that are used in all brick interior walls where no 2x4's are used. I know the difference. If I wanted to find a contractor to repair the plaster in any of those places I know of three contractors that do it and do it often. But I do it myself, its not that difficult. Additionally my comments addressed Plaster board and only plasterboard and was provided as a reference.
 

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