The PPOR reno I shouldn't have started

Well, I should have finished that bathroom in the house first.

And the kitchen ceiling.

And a few other things around the place.

But I've been looking forward to getting my hands (and tools) onto this space. This is the top floor of the two storey building next to my house - the building was a bakery.

Here are a couple of before pics.

Scott
 

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And some 'during' pics.

Took down an 80sqm ceiling that went up in the days of plaster and horsehair. Boy, there was some dust up there.
 

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Cool, I can definitely see the potential in that. Any chance of some after shots? I'd love to see what you've done with that space:D
 
The 'after' ones may be a while. Might have to take some more during 'ones'.

There is a bit of stakeholder pressure to finish the downstairs bathroom reno in the house.

My wife walked past me the other day as I was cursing something that wasn't working singing to herself, 'Torn between two renos, feeling like a fool...'
 
Hey Scott, I'll have to keep a close eye. Our PPOR is 80 years old and we've just had it restumped. Now we have cracks and crevices everywhere. Our old kitchen ceiling is sagging and all rooms need replastering due to being so old. DH said he wouldn't take down our kitchen ceiling but would put in a false ceiling due to the dust that will have accumulated. Are there advantages/disadvantages either way? Are you doing the reno's yourself? Where do I learn to replaster a ceiling?:confused: DH will put it off as long as possible.
Taa and good luck:)
 
Yep, putting in a false ceiling is often the way to go. It's quick and saves a heap of mess.
I took mine out in that space because I want to expose the timber trusses and have a cathedral style ceiling - the head height at the apex of the roof is about 6 metres.
I'm doing it myself with the occasional unskilled and not terribly enthusiastic assistant - it's a shocking job.
Sheeting the ceiling is the bad bit. I've built a temporay mezzanine type platform between the trusses about 3.5 metres up so I can fix and set the ceiling. We pull the sheets up on ropes. There is no way a tradie would do it, so I'm doing it. Getting someone to do your kitchen ceiling shouldn't cost much and it would all be done in a couple of days and ready for you to paint.
 
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Finished one quarter of the ceiling!!!!

Must be 15 years since I've put up a ceiling. I had forgotten how much I hated doing it. And how good I am at it.
This ceiling is on an angle, as you can see. So it was a bugger. And at the apex it's 6metres+ off the ground. You can see my temporary platform that I moved along.
It's a beautifully set ceiling with a sealer and two coats of paint on it.
Now, to finish quarter number two....
 

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Must be 15 years since I've put up a ceiling. I had forgotten how much I hated doing it. And how good I am at it.
This ceiling is on an angle, as you can see. So it was a bugger. And at the apex it's 6metres+ off the ground. You can see my temporary platform that I moved along.
It's a beautifully set ceiling with a sealer and two coats of paint on it.
Now, to finish quarter number two....
A very simple way to install the ceiling sheets is to go out and hire a A-C Duct Lifter and just lift the sheets up in place the glue and screw off while the Duct Lifter holds the sheets in place,only a one man job when you have the lifter..good luck willair..
 
We replaced an old batten-and-board ceiling in the master bedroom of my old house - an 1870s funeral parlour. The house has spread about 10cm, and some idiot 5cm of spread ago cut the battens really badly to put cornice in, so there was a hefty gap we couldn't sensibly fill. And the battens and boards weren't very good quality in that room anyway so it wasn't worth restoring them, despite them being cedar.

Our main problem was the ceiling joists were over a metre apart - way too far for plasterboard. So what we did was take down most of the battens and boards (oh, the DUST) and doubled them up (to get the required thickness) using decent screws not ancient square nails to make mini joists that were close enough to put plasterboard on. Basically just did this because it was cheaper and easier than buying new joists. The end result is a lovely, modern looking ceiling that doesn't let dust in, and hasn't fallen down yet. We did it about 3 years ago now. Whole thing cost $500.

The dust in old rooves is incredible - ours was so fine it behaved like a liquid. If you left some on a plank and tapped the plank the dust would actually bead up, like water on a freshly waxed car bonnet.

I'd love to get another big old commercial building but the town I live in is very short on them. There's a seriously cool church for sale the other half thinks is Too Much Work and keeps telling me off for drooling over but otherwise it is all houses *sigh*
 
Ditto. Great result!

And I love the platform you've rigged up too. A very simple approach to make the job a lot easier for you. Well done!

Cheers,
Michael
 
I contemplated a sheet lifter, Willair. But I still would have wanted a platform to fix, set and finish the ceiling - I'm not keen on ladders and scaffolds that high. It's been good having that platform to work on.
At either end of that space there will be a fixed mezzanine. I've told my unenthusistic helper we'll be getting a sheet lifter for the ceilings on the underneath side of the mezzanine. He's chuffed.
I have to be careful about spending too much time on this reno with the main bathroom in the house unfinished.
And the kitchen ceiling unfinished.
And a few other things.
 
I'm back onto this one. We've got someone staying for 2 months - an American student - so I had to get the space liveable. She's chuffed. I think she expected to end up in a spare bedroom in the house.
 

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