Foot through Ceiling!

LJ_80

Hi,


I was in the attic last night and put my foot through the ceiling!


Its likely the hole will need repaired, the whole ceiling re-skimmed and then painted.


Would you claim this on house insurance? Would it have a bad effect on my premium next year?


Thanks

huckster

You need to have accidental damage cover under the Buildings Insurance.

There will be an excess to be deducted.

If Insurance covers it, then it will just be a repair to the hole, not the whole ceiling. The contractor would plasterboard and/or plaster the area and get a smooth finish, before painting over.

If you claim, you can expect an increase in premiums over several years.

This could be a repair that can be done by someone OK with DIY, for less than £50.

magpiecottage

It is actually relatively easy to do a repair of the type Huckster suggests.

You first need to cut the broken area of ceiling out. Then you reach up and put wooden battens through so that the bridge the hole.

You then screw them into place using plasterboard screws through the sound plaster at either side.

Then get a piece of plaster board that is reasonably matched to the shape of the hole. Screw that to the battens.

Plaster (or Polyfilla) the gaps and over the screw holes. Sand it down and paint it.

Don't make the holes regular shapes. There is nothing like a straight line to draw the eye to it.

When I had to repair a ceiling it was downstairs, not a loft so I had to do it this way. I scrounged a small piece of plasterboard from a builder I know, got a couple of pieces of timber lying around to make the battens and in the end, it was less than a fiver to put right.