Scraping the bottom of the barrel ... or rather, scraping popcorn ceilings (Seattle: hardwood floors, real estate market)

[SouthSeasLifestyler]

Well, we've looked at everything and are really really hating the idea of any commute, so we are back in the older areas ... which come with a fair number of popcorn ceilings! Can I have recommendations of companies that do asbestos testing, and also companies that will remove popcorn ceilings. How much would it cost for a house of about 3000 sqft, does anyone know? Any idea how long it would take as well?

Also how much to re-carpet a house that size and how much to re-paint interiors?

Alternatively, are there directories with reviews and recommendations of tradesmen etc.

SSLifestyler

[Seacove]

I would suggest you sign up for Angie's List. It's something like $35. or $40. a year and you can do a search on most anything. Choose the companies with the highest ratings, read the ratings, look at the prices they paid and see if the company will be a good fit for you. Call the company and say you heard about them from Angie's List (because often there are discounts for that).

To paint a 3000 sq. ft. interior with no mouldings would probably be in the range of $5-7K. With mouldings, more, but get bids. We've done hardwood floors so not sure on carpet. I've heard removing a popcorn ceiling is $3-4K but have never bought a home that had it. If you buy a home after 1977 or 1978, I believe they stopped using asbestos so that might be a way to avoid the issue.

I would recommend looking at older homes. They seem to be built a little better, the lots are larger, the landscaping is established, you don't have to live in a neighborhood where every tree looks like a twig and you don't feel like you're so close you could pass orange juice through the window to the kitchen next door, plus they are typically closer in.

[fnh]

My DH, not a particularly handy guy, removed the popcorn ceiling in our 1941-era home by himself with a spray bottle of water and a putty scraper. It really was very easy. I don't recall testing for asbestos and he probably wore a mask anyway. I don't remember, that was almost 20 years ago, but as toxicologists we were certainly aware though not overly concerned.

[zberch]

You can find most everything you need to know at the Puget sound clean air website, list of companies that does the work, how to remove, sample, etc. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

I just purchased a 1940's house in Seattle it only had 600 sq ft of popcorn ceilings. I tested the ceilings myself it is very easy. Wet a small area of the ceiling then scrap off some of the popcorn into a plastic bag, take it to NVL Laboratories on aurora and then let you know within 24 hours if it tests positive.

Mine did test positive. I got two estimates for the jobs both around $2 a sq ft plus permits and disposal fees, $3000 in total. After much debate I ended up removing the popcorn myself but would probably not do it again. I would think 3000 sq ft of popcorn removal would be $8000.

[Ira500]

You can also sheetrock over the popcorn ceiling, depending on the height of the ceilings. If the ceiling is high enough, the popcorn would be encapsulated by the sheetrock.
Removing the popcorn ceiling is not difficult, but it is messy.

[Hemlock140]

I have removed it in our 3,000 sf house (built in 1978, no asbestos) a room or two at a time, and it is easy but messy. I did it the hard way with a pump sprayer and 6" putty knife on a ladder. Now they come up with this great tool:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Homax-Cei...6104/202061374

[SouthSeasLifestyler]

You guys are great, thank you!

I would be aiming to get rid of any popcorn ceilings I found (with or without asbestos) before I moved in, hence I was wondering how much time it would take. I am not THAT handy so I would get a pro in to do it. I'd probably re-do the lights and depending on the paint job and carpets, re do all that as well, so yeah, something like Angie's List would also be a good idea as I may need quite a few tradespeople.

Thanks again!

SSLifestyler

[Blondebaerde]

You poor person, the saga's been going on awhile seems-like (recalling earlier posts).

Though they aren't cheap, may wish to retain an interior designer before carpeting. Carpet is an interesting subject with nuances depending how long you intend to stay in the place. I had a thousand square feet done on my condo for $2K, including stairs, in 2005, but that was top-end carpet I ended up using for just six years. Oops. Cleaning it thoroughly made it look brand-new, and it certainly wore well (=basically not at all). The junk in there from when I bought the place, in contrast, only cleaned up OK and really wasn't terribly impressive to look-at from the get-go.

On-sale, the real estate agent did not like my color choices, wall/floors bare of my stuff. What made sense to me when I laid it down and decorated (very cool pallet of medium blues and lighter grays, on dark blue carpet, definitely a man-cave) was the polar opposite of what "most people" seem so want ("warms woods" and other BS, apparently).

Point being: unless you do this for a living, might have to take in other professional counsel, too. Several opinions. Carpeting may or may not even be the right move: e.g., my *opinion* is wood floors are timeless, in the Seattle area, and *might* be the better move (ah: but I ain't a decorating professional, and go by what my peers and I believe and mutually-reinforce. But we're a specific demographic, with small sample-size. Make sense?)

Paint is similar, again a complicated subject. I did my own work, several times, and learned a lot from mistakes on the first massive job ten years ago (entire interior of large condo). I will never, ever, again use anything but top-quality interior paint. Which, unfortunately, can be $60/gallon (Benjamin Moore Aura) to somewhat less (Benjamin Moore Regal, my personal favorite). If you want it done right, and fast, and are willing to pay, a contractor is certainly an option at potentially significant expense.

Once that's settled...time for estimates from contractors who have references, pass BBB checks, are listed on Angie's List, etc. Otherwise, who knows: no one can give you a truly accurate answer.

I budgeted $20K for somewhat similar improvements before I even walked into my existing home a couple years ago. I'm at about $27K, and nearly done: obviously taking awhile. Not surprised costing more than I figured, either.

[SouthSeasLifestyler]

Haha, at least we got here, right?

It's not really all that big a saga (I just like to air all my doubts and questions here to get lots of very valuable opinions and advice), I mean, we had a car salesperson today who called us up to blame US for him showing us the wrong car on the weekend (errmm! we hadn't even blamed him but he was obviously keen to blame someone) but you know, first world problems.

I've done some hideous paint jobs in my time (lime green on the walls of my old flat come to mind) but I got it redone in some boring egg shelly beige and it sold. I am happy to do small paint jobs (mostly exterior which is more forgiving to amateurish work) but I tend to leave interiors to the pros. Case in point, have you ever watched a pro paint a ceiling. I guarantee I would not have managed to do both dining and sitting only two minor drips. Speaking of interiors, I predict after seeing countless granite counter tops that 20 years from now when our kids hit the real estate market, they will be ripping them out as "too dated, reminds me of my parents house". I say with interiors, if you are living in it - please yourself. Having said that, I really enjoyed seeing the interiors and the staging work some of these houses we've viewed had. There were three in total (out of many, many) that I thought did a great job and was worth the money the people spent on staging. One was so excellent and made such an ordinary house looks so exceptional that I am tempted to find out who they were just so I can hire them to decorate my house. They even managed to make a hideous pink door look like a deliberate decorative statement. I would hire a genius like that (whose taste meshed with mine, obviously) in a heartbeat.

I'm a bit bemused by the "hardwood floors" here. Where I come from, hardwood floors are real solid, native (I know, terrible) timber floors. What is used here is called "wood laminate" and considered, well, not so great. I would find it quite hard to shell out for them, to be honest. And carpets - I can't stand the thick plush stuff (feels so creepy underfoot) ... so again, it all boils down to personal preference. I would rather have no decoration than ugly decoration.

Hope I have not insulted anyone with my comments on interior design - to each her or his own!

SSLifestyler

[west seattle gal]

Totally agree about the wood floors. Many of the houses here are crapola.