Need advice on a weird ceiling job from last month

Last month I took a job in an old house in Springfield, fixing a water damaged ceiling. The homeowner said it was a simple patch, but when I got up there, the whole thing was sagging like a hammock. The joists were spaced at 24 inches, but the old drywall was only 1/2 inch, which was way too thin for that span. I had to cut out a 10x10 foot section, and the dust was unreal. I'm used to putting up 5/8 inch on ceilings, but the homeowner is pushing back on the cost. Has anyone else run into a situation where the existing work was just plain wrong for the structure? How do you explain that to a client without sounding like you're just upcharging?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbaraschmidt2mo ago

Did you check the attic for mold?

karenhenderson2mo ago

Oh man, that's the worst. I once spent a whole day just trying to explain why you can't use cardboard as a vapor barrier, lmao. With the ceiling, I'd just show them a picture of the sag and the thin drywall next to a tape measure. Tell them the old work was basically held up by hope and a prayer, and you're fixing it so it doesn't fall on their head while they sleep. If they still complain, maybe offer to put the old soggy piece back up and let gravity do the talking.

shane_williams1mo ago

Springfield has a lot of those old houses with the same issue. I mean, the 1/2 inch on 24 inch centers is just asking for trouble, it's not even up to basic code. Maybe it's just me, but I'd have explained it as a safety fix from the start, not an upgrade. The extra cost is for making sure their ceiling stays up for the next twenty years, not just patching over a problem.