Remove lath and plaster ceilings

amyr

We're in the unfortunate position that we need to remove the lath and plaster ceilings in our house. These are bowed, badly cracked, and over 100 years old, meaning overboarding isn't really an option.

We have six rooms which need the ceilings removed, around 90sqm of ceiling in total. We've had a quote for removal of these, and to also put up new plaster board, which has come in at £3000 inc VAT. This doesn't include waste disposal.

Has anyone else has this done who can advise how long removal took, and whether this is a fair price? It is more than double what I had expected but suspect this could be naivety on my part!

We know it is the worst of jobs - like shoving your head in a bucket of soot - so suspect this comes in to it too....

FreeBear

Six ceilings @ £3K is a fair price, but I would have expected waste disposal to be included. Lime plaster makes for a very good hardcore, and the laths are great for kindling.

If you want to reduce costs, taking down the ceilings is easy enough and doesn't require any skill. Just very, very messy work, so wear disposable overalls and a decent P3 dust mask plus goggles (full CSI kit). Make sure you get all the nails out that secure the laths in place - You'll probably need molegrips on some of them.. A spray bottle (other brands available) to mist the air helps keep the dust in check, but it will get everywhere.

amyr

FreeBear said:

Six ceilings @ £3K is a fair price, but I would have expected waste disposal to be included. Lime plaster makes for a very good hardcore, and the laths are great for kindling.

If you want to reduce costs, taking down the ceilings is easy enough and doesn't require any skill. Just very, very messy work, so wear disposable overalls and a decent P3 dust mask plus goggles (full CSI kit). Make sure you get all the nails out that secure the laths in place - You'll probably need molegrips on some of them.. A spray bottle (other brands available) to mist the air helps keep the dust in check, but it will get everywhere.

Thank you! It's funny, I am a relatively  competent DIYer but just felt too daunted to take this one on. I think there's something quite pysological about stripping out the real fabric of our home! We will leave it to the professionals and it's really reassuring to know it feels in the right ballpark.

coffeehound

Are you going to move all your furniture and posessions out for the duration?  Worth costing that in

fenwick458

what exactly is the quote for? 
if waste disposal isn't included, what do they do just leave it in a heap on the floor?
presumably not as you say the quote includes re-boarding so they must do something with it, i.e bag it up and stack it outside?
does it include plastering?

marlot

I did the ceiling in a room a while ago after the plaster started to come down.  It is very dirty, dusty work, though not difficult.  I'd recommend removing as much furniture as you possibly can from the room(s) you're doing.

amyr

Thanks all. Fortunately we've not moved in yet, so no issues with furniture, and waste will just go in to our skip.

I do feel so conflicted. We are getting such varied advice on the ceilings, and have has another plasterer in today to advise we overboard instead.... Not a clue what the right thing is to do!

FreeBear

If it is heavily cracked, sagging in places, and falling down in others, pull it all down. Much easier to screw plasterboard up when you can see exactly where the joists are. Overboarding is a bit of a crap shoot as to whether you hit the joists or a lath that is only just held in place with a rusting nail. And the boards do need to be screwed up, and not nailed. Nails pop over time leading to long straight cracks that are a pig to deal with.

If you are doing the ceilings under the loft space, taking the whole lot down gives you opportunity to get insulation right up under the eaves - This will kill the cold spot that is often found in this area. Just be careful not to pack too much insulation in and compromise ventilation around the rafters.

You also get the opportunity to route cabling & CH plumbing without having to lift floorboards. And if you want spots, that would be the time to tack the cables in place.

fenwick458

not surprising you get a lot of people saying just overboard it, it's because they don't want to do the job, its horrible.
when overboarding theres a high chance of hitting pipes of cables with the long screws, and theres a good chance you'll still end up with a wonky ceiling at the end, not a nice flat one.
If I was in your shoes I'd probably end up doing it myself, you won't get a cheap quote because nobody will want to do it, so just get some decent PPE and attack it with a hammer and crowbar, once you get into it it's easy to pull down
theres a very high chance that you uncover something that will be easy to fix once the ceiling is down, for example leaking pipes, electrical joint boxes, massive holes at the joist ends into the cavity which let draughts in. 

maisie_cat

We did it in our last house, one room at a time, a horrible job yes, but I wouldn't have paid £500 for somebody else to do a room.