Was it Kara who was hoping we’d soon have more goofy house problems to wax eloquent about here on the blog? Thanks, Kara. Thanks a lot.
So, um, would the ceiling falling down on our heads suffice?
Visual evidence:
Here’s a better one:
Yep, and it goes across the whole ceiling. Dave, our favorite bookshelf guy, who also happens to be a general contractor, will be coming over after Christmas to completely tear down the living room ceiling and put it back together again. For fun. For Christmas. So our girls will stop thinking they are going to step through the ceiling at any given moment (they won’t, of course, but try telling that to a 5 year old).
Yes, it’s all fun and games until the bank account is bled completely dry. It’s only money. Right?
Half-Pint House 
Oh. No.
Badness.
LikeLike
Sigh.
LikeLike
Oh no, Megan! That looks like the ceiling of the house we lived in when we were in Illinois. It was an old house, built in the early 1900’s. It was actually rumored to have been a brothel at one time. Kind of crazy. It even had a red window near the front door.
LikeLike
That really stinks. You guys have been on a rollercoaster of home repair issues lately. : I hope this is last major TLC your home needs for many, many, MANY years.
LikeLike
i feel for you. welcome to the world of owning a house…just in time for the markets to go down. ugh! sounds like your financial investing works out about like ours does.
it’s good to know God has a plan that is greater than ours b/c all these things like endless house repairs could actually be depressing:) (we’re in the middle of that too.)
God will provied ALL your needs. it is true. m
LikeLike
The good news is that your fan probably WON’T be coming down on your heads. The walls and ceiling in your place are made of plaster, not the drywall that is de rigueur today, and the nature of the stuff makes it very solid and great for walls and ceilings. It goes up with stuff called lath, which is narrow strips of wood that give the plaster something to cling to. The lath (and the plaster) are attached to the structural planks, but usually run perpendicular to them– so a crack like this would suggest a shifting, but not a structural problem.
The less-good news is that plaster and lath are much more difficult to replace than drywall (which is one of many reasons that drywall has almost universally replaced plaster and lath), so if you really do need it to be “torn down” then it will be a messy and more difficult job.
But more good news is: such cracks are not uncommon, and can often be repaired with a re-application of more plaster rather than being totally replaced. Your contractor buddy may be able to simply clean up the cracks and re-plaster, without actually “tearing down” very much at all.
LikeLike
“It’s only money,” yes, but often money we don’t have to just toss around.
I recently got to toss almost $200 down my drain because the water couldn’t be bothered to do so. Ah, the joys of home ownership. [smile]
~Luke
LikeLike
Oh, man. I’m so sorry. My inlaws’ ceiling did that (their house is circa 1900). Instead of redoing the ceiling, they put heavy beams across it to support the ceiling/floor above.
LikeLike
How many tea wallets does a new ceiling cost?
We’ll be in the same boat right after Christmas — ripping down ceilings in two rooms, ripping up all the flooring in every single room (including kitchen tile), and painting everything in sight. All while trying to live in the house. I’m guessing 2009 is going to send me over the edge to Xanax.
LikeLike