Totally NOT pinball-related but maybe someone here has a clue?

[Wiredworm]

Hi peeps,

Ok, so we had a new kitchen fitted just before christmas and now we'd reached a point where we wanted to get the job finished off by having the pipework all boxed in.

Had a joined round who has now informed us that the can't do his work because the ceiling has 'sagged' in some places so it's not straight; thus he can't box up to it.

This is what i'd term a total pain in the **** but we need to get it sorted. But i'm clueless what sort of tradesman we'd need to do the job? A roofer? A joiner? Something else?

Answers on a postcard please.......

Thanks in advanced for any help that might be forthcoming.

 

[Beeper]

I reckon a plasterer? Plasterers (proper time served ones!) deal with anything wall or ceiling related. Unless the sag has been caused by a roof leak (then a roofer).

 

[Beeper]

Be wary though, if it is an old lathe and plaster ceiling and the lathes have gone causing the sag leaving you needing a new ceiling, it is one of the messiest jobs ever... Done a few and it really is a pain in the a**e

 

[J.C.Rox]

Hes just boxing in pipework but cant do it to a sagging ceiling?! Is he good? If the pipework runs along the ceiling and he can't fix to it maybe, but if he's running up the wall to the ceiling he can scribe the boxing to the ceiling, or make it tight so no more movement. But @Beeper is spot on, old ceilings can ruin your day and bank account, but a good joiner should present you with options, not just walk away IMHO

 

[Wiredworm]

The old boxing had been done using the scribed method so the actual front panel had a lovely wiggly cut to it. We'd prefer it to look at bit tidier though give that we've just spent £10k having a new kitchen fitted.

Thanks for the comments so far. Unfortunately it IS an old lathe and plaster ceiling and i've got a horrible feeling the lot is going to have to come down. It's going to be a total pain in the **** and i've already been advised that if that DOES need doing then we should look at using plastic to cover all openings to the room to stop the dust and mess travelling.

For now i'll get a roofer to come round and take a look. He might be able to advise on the cause of the issue and from that we can determine what to do.

The reason I asked is because we had one guy come around and he said he couldn't tell us how long it would take to do the work. He wanted us to pay him on a day rate which I told the missus just wasn't happening. There's no way i'm opening us up to a potentially limitless bill; at the very least we want a nailed down and written quote and better than that we'll hopefully get quotes from 2 or 3 tradesmen.

 

[Beeper]

It may be the the old nails that have rusted and 'popped'. This 'can' be fixed if it is localised. Alternatively, have you thought about over-boarding and dropping the ceilings by a couple of inches? Won't create mess and should tighten it all back up. Depends on how serious the sag is!

It doesn't matter how good your sheeting and covering is, the black dust gets EVERYWHERE! Got a photo of me and a mate having just ripped out one - black head to toe other than where face masks were!

 

[Wiredworm]

Yeah I know how messy it is. We had to have an access panel cut into the ceiling when we had the rewire done a couple of years ago and even that caused dust and crap to go everywhere.

Not sure about over-boarding or if it's an option. The ceiling drops off on one side and that meant we were limited as to how far around we could run the kitchen wall cabinets. Plus we have to factor in that there's a collection of various pipes which run down the side of the room where the ceiling isn't level.

We've had a couple of roofers recommended to us so perhaps first off we can get them to inspect and see what they think.

 

[BigIan]

Get a couple of quotes then save your money and buy some pins with it

 

[Wiredworm]

If only.

No room - so we need to get this work done so that we can then sell this place and buy somewhere with room for Pins. That's the long term plan anyway.

 

[Paul]

Box the pipes in with large trunking.....

 

[Nickbs]

It sounds like your best bet may be to try and get a general builder to have a look at it as it sounds like the problem might involve several skills/'trades', needing a small bit from each. Most smaller builders will either be able to do most if the required tasks themselves to a reasonable level or within their small team, or they'll have access to people with the individual trade skills to bring in for just a day or two as needed (which many trades people won't want to do for someone who doesn't give them regular work).

If the problem is with the ceiling it is possible you won't need a roofer initially (who may only to the outside roof/covering).

Assuming there is no obvious leak and without really knowing anything about your situation or the job it sounds like you might need a general purpose builder to diagnose the exact problem, do initial striping out of old ceiling, new woodwork/supporting timbers as required ( more carpentry than joinery,so more likely to be done by the builder himself), new ceiling ( plasterboard) which can then be skimmed with plaster by either by the builder or a sub- contractor. As an additional benefit , if a new ceiling is needed, then you might be able to get all the piping hidden behind it whilst work is done.

As ever the trick will be to get a builder in who comes recommended (best way to find via friends contacts etc), is happy to take on the size if job and is available in the timescale you need. In principle always good to get 2 or three quotes, but if you can find someone who comes well recommended, who will come round and look at the job and gives what you feel is an acceptable diagnosis and price then go with and don't get to hung up on greeting too many comparative prices (the people who are honest, good at what they do and hence in demand may decide not to worry with the job if the message is about how many prices they're being compared with, whereas the ones who don't get many referrals will tend to price low but end up giving much less value for that price).