Drywall - hole in ceiling repair

CountryLiving34 · Fri Sep 27, 2013 10:30 pm

Hello my friends. I am back and I need some more advice. I live in a double-wide mobile home. While having new roof shingles put on, some sections of plywood were found wet underneath as the old shingles were being removed and these sections had to be replaced. One of the guys mis-stepped I think and stepped thru the opening where there was nothing but insulation and the drywall ceiling and now I have a hole less than the size of a basketball in my ceiling that is going to need repairing. One of the guys told me that the hole could be cut into a square and a plug put in and painted. Here is my question. What kind of a repairman do I need to look for that can do such a repair? What would this person be called...painter, carpenter, remodeler, etc.
What might a repair like this cost me? One of the roofers said maybe $100-$150. Where is the best place to find such a person? I would appreciate any replies or advice. Thank you.

Greg S · Fri Sep 27, 2013 11:34 pm

Look in the phone book under drywall contractors.

Norm Frechette · Sat Sep 28, 2013 5:15 am

if the roofers caused the problem, call them back and get them to repair what they did to your ceiling.

CountryLiving34 · Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:06 am

Thanks Norm. Here is the problem. I got the roof done at a great price so I feel somewhat guilty asking the roofer to repair the damage. Why type of repair person could do a job like this? Thanks for your reply.

Greg · Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:15 am

Norm Frechette wrote:if the roofers caused the problem, call them back and get them to repair what they did to your ceiling.

Any reputable company would take care of any damage they caused with out question. I understand your thinking, but if the new roof leaks will you feel the same way? They gave a great price, but they also need to do a proper job and holes in the ceilings is not part of it.

Any contractor that does sheetrock should be able to do the job.

Greg

ponch37300 · Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:31 am

Drywall repair is pretty easy, the hard part is finishing it and matching the texture. Then painting the whole ceiling so you don't have a spot that sticks out. I would count on a few hundred bucks. The contractor will probably have to come back a couple times to allow for drying time.

It doesn't matter how good of a deal you got on the roof, when they do more damage it costs you more in the long run. Was this an actual company or a "handyman" type deal? Either way they should know someone that can do that repair as a favor and not just leave the home owner to fix the problem they created. If nothing else I would get an estimate and tell the roofer you will split it with them. I've had a few times where I did some work for friends and wasn't charging them much at all. I ended up not making any money or loosing money because something didn't go as planned. If the mistake was my fault I pay to fix it, even if it costs me more then I charged for the whole job. It's what any respectable tradesman or person for that matter would do.

Norm Frechette · Sat Sep 28, 2013 5:35 pm

getting a "hell of a good price" is really irrelevant if the roofing contractor is responsible for making the hole in the ceiling. they broke it they should fix it or get someone who can!

HouseMedic · Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:08 pm

The roofer should definitely fix that if he is any kind of decent contractor. If not that can be repaired like they told you. After you patch it with a piece of drywall you have to tape the seems and spread thinned out compound on the spot and dab it with a sea sponge to get the same texture. I would charge somewhere around $150 to $200 in my area to fix it.

Ron

1987Commodore · Sat Sep 28, 2013 10:44 pm

Since the roofer caused the damage, he should fix it. If he is strictly a roofer, he should find a drywall guy to patch it up.

CountryLiving34 · Sat Sep 28, 2013 11:33 pm

Ok, thanks Norm, Greg, 1987Commodore, and HouseMedic, and ponch37300. Your replies were all extremely helpful.

@ ponch37300, this was an an actual roofing contractor, not a handyman. There were 4 guys plus the one guy who was supervising the workers.

@ HouseMedic, thanks for your reply. It was most helpful.

@ 1987Commodore, he said he was strictly a roofer and could not do the job properly himself. He said he would find and dispatch a painter. He said a painter would be able to do drywall. He told me he will call me back Monday.

Greg wrote:
Norm Frechette wrote:if the roofers caused the problem, call them back and get them to repair what they did to your ceiling.
Any reputable company would take care of any damage they caused with out question. I understand your thinking, but if the new roof leaks will you feel the same way? They gave a great price, but they also need to do a proper job and holes in the ceilings is not part of it.

Any contractor that does sheetrock should be able to do the job.

Greg

Yeah Greg, if the new roof leaks, I definitely would not be a happy camper. The whole job cost me about 6 grand. There is also a large porch that is attached so the shingles had to be replaced on that as well.

Thanks again for all the helpful comments guys. Much appreciated!

CountryLiving34 · Sat Sep 28, 2013 11:56 pm

Another question guys? They installed ridge vents. Please explain to me in simple terms what this ridge vent does and why is it important to have on the roof? When the guy came by to give me an estimate on the roof, he said he would bring along the ridge vents and try to install them. He said he was not quite sure if these could be installed or not but they were able to install them.

This double wide mobile home is 16 years old. The original roof did not have a ridge vent.

Also, flashing was installed with this new roof. Can someone please explain to me in simple terms what this is and what is the significance of it? It looks good. I like it but is it necessary?

Thanks again.

Norm Frechette · Sun Sep 29, 2013 4:52 am

i have a ridge vent on my 2007 single wide

how a ridge vent works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVpTU23x6uc

JD · Sun Sep 29, 2013 5:44 pm

Many mobile homes with vaulted ceilings like yours were built without ridge or eave vents. A large percentage of them had roof failures because of this. Because roof sheathing was attached to the top of 2x6 rafters with sheetrock attached to the bottom, there was no escape for moisture. This moisture would build up as vapor and settle at the top of the rafters near the ridge area. In worse case scenarios, dry rot took hold at the top of the rafters and the marriage beam. When installing a vented ridge cap, a small slot needs to be cut across the roof sheathing allowing the moisture to escape through the vented ridge shingles.

Vented ridge shingles are not nearly as effective without the associated eave vents. Having the roof vented at top and bottom creates a good air flow. But I believe that just vented ridge shingles will be a major improvement over the original design.

CountryLiving34 · Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:48 pm

Thanks JD! I kind of understood what you said, I think! LOL

CountryLiving34 · Sat Oct 19, 2013 8:02 pm

Another question? The roofer did eventually send someone by to repair the hole in the ceiling. Now that everything has dried hard, I see some little cracks that I would like to cover up. What can I get to fill in some tiny cracks that I see? I see some other little tiny cracks in other parts of the home that I would like to fill in also. They are not bad..just hairline cracks that have been present for years. I think this occurred when they initially brought the new mobile home in and had to cross a ditch with the two halves in order to get it positioned in place after the old home was hauled off. Please look at this link and tell me if this is what I need to buy please. If not, please tell me what I need to buy and where to buy it. See earlier posts on how the ceiling looks.

http://www.zorotools.com/g/00074741/k-G ... 7AodDhcAuw